“The Voice” contestant Tanner Frick unexpectedly leaves the show ahead of the Knockouts

Some fans suspect that he was signed to a record deal.

As remaining contestants on The Voice began the Knockouts round on Monday, host Carson Daly delivered startling news: Tanner Frick had left the competition.

This was a big deal because to get that far, Frick had not only fought his way onto the NBC reality competition in the first place, but with his version of Morgan Wallen's "Thought You Should Know," he'd turned the chair of all four coaches — Michael Bublé, Snoop Dogg, Reba McEntire, and Gwen Stefani. That's a huge endorsement.

After choosing McEntire as his coach, Frick went into the Battles round against fellow country artist Tate Renner, singing Jelly Roll's "Need a Favor." Though Frick lost that round, Bublé scooped him for his team.

Cut to the Knockouts news, as Daly noted simply that Frick, a 26-year-old from Manchester, Tenn., had "left the competition after rehearsals."

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EW has reached out to both the show and Frick for comment.

Frick's departure became public the same day that he posted a TikTok of him singing a song that included the lyric, "Ain't nobody want me anyway," in a recording booth. He captioned it with the same words.

Frick has very much been wanted by the music pros who serve as coaches on the NBC reality competition. Bublé said he chose to add him to his team because he needed a country singer.

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"Tanner Frick was a huge win for me," Bublé said after stealing Frick. "That's a former four-chair turn and a piece of the puzzle that I didn't have."

Fans wished Frick well on his TikTok post, with a few suspecting that he had exited the series for a recording contract. They were sad to see him go.

Still, competition continues on The Voice, which airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

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