This may be the first season of The Voice that doesn’t feature Blake Shelton on its panel of superstar coaches, but the cowboy’s spirit has definitely lingered. In addition to his wife Gwen Stefani returning to the show, former Team Blake adviser Reba McEntire was chosen as his replacement, and Niall Horan — who formed an adorable father-son bond with the country singer last season — is also back for Season 24. Even with all that it seems that Shelton is still more involved this season than we may have realized.
Gwen Stefani and the rest of the coaches have made sure we don’t forget about Blake Shelton with constant references and jokes at the country singer’s expense. However, she spoke with ET about her team, and it sounds like Team Gwen may be getting a little bit of extra help from the winningest coach in The Voice’s history. Stefani divulged:
Our teams, their rehearsals are sent to us so we can like watch them on video. I was watching last night... He's like, 'Oh, I'm starting to get excited. I'm gonna watch. I'm pretty sure he's gonna vote for me even if he doesn't like my team. I hope. You better.
Blake Shelton apparently has been watching the tapes from his wife’s team’s rehearsals, and it’s not too far out there to think Gwen Stefani might also be asking his advice on strategy, or at least getting his opinion on things like song choice. In addition to that, it sounds like the country singer might be casting his vote for Team Gwen as well.
On one hand it’s not surprising to think that Blake Shelton would vote for his wife’s singers, but given how much of an impact he had on the show over its first 23 seasons, there’s just something that feels wrong about him throwing support behind one specific coach. But they’re married for god sakes, what are you gonna do?
If Blake Shelton did cast his vote for Team Gwen in Season 24’s first live show, he may have had a tough decision to make. Viewers are limited to just one vote (per email address, per voting method) this season, which many fans — including myself — find frustrating on a season with so much talent.
I was concerned about Gwen Stefani’s team going into the Top 12 performances, and it turns out my suspicions were right. Unlike Reba McEntire, Niall Horan and John Legend’s teams, Team Gwen boasted no Four-Chair Turns, and at the end of the Top 12 results show, two of the No Doubt singers were sent home, leaving her with just country singer Bias going into the Semifinals. At least Blake Shelton won’t have to think too hard about who to throw his support behind when he votes next week.
We’ll have to see what happens and if Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani’s possible combined forces can help Bias through to the live finale. The Top 9 will perform when The Voice returns to NBC at 8 p.m. ET Monday, December 11, with the results of America’s vote being announced at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, December 12. All episodes are also available to stream the next day with a Peacock subscription.
