INDIANAPOLIS — A pair of Hoosiers are in the running to become the next champion on NBC's "The Voice."
Jackson Snelling, who hails from Austin in Scott County, joined Reba McEntire's team Monday night after the country star and fellow coach Gwen Stefani both turned their chairs around as he performed Justin Moore's "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away."
Snelling, 21, and his brother, Dawson, have autism, the singer told WAVE-TV in Louisville. He said he is high-functioning and his brother needed therapy to communicate with his family. Music helped stimulate Dawson's brain when other forms of communication weren't working.
“Even though autism can feel like a disability at times, like it can hold you back, know that anything is possible for you,” Snelling told WAVE. “Because if I’m doing, it you can do it too.”
Despite a strong pitch from Stefani, the match with McEntire is a perfect fit.
"I grew up listening to you, Miss Reba," Snelling said on the show.
On Tuesday night's show, 36-year-old Ephraim Owens had a bit of a tougher decision to make.
The Indianapolis resident got all four coaches to turn their chairs during his performance of Labrinth's "Beneath Your Beautiful."
As the coaches made their pitches to get Owens on their team, his young daughter, Evelyn Ann, joined him on stage to shyly sing John Legend's "Nervous" with her dad.
In the end, Owens picked Legend to be his coach — with help from Evelyn Ann, of course.
"I'm curious to see what Ephraim's going to do," Legend said.
But "The Voice" run for both Owens and Snelling was a short one, as neither was picked during the Battle Rounds episode on Oct. 17. Each judge then had a chance to steal the singers for their team, but declined.
