With Adam Levine long gone from The Voice, Blake Shelton needs someone new to feud with each week, so why not Kelly Clarkson? The “frenemies” vibe took center stage on Tuesday night’s episode when Shelton quipped about his athletic “prowess.”
The drama began when singer Chloe Abbott scored a chair turn from Chance the Rapper with her sweet cover of “How Deep Is Your Love” by The Bee Gees. Trying to make light of the situation, Shelton joked with Abbott (who is training for the 2024 Olympics in track and field, as well) that he is also training for an Olympic sport: curling.
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At that point Clarkson had heard enough. “Is anybody else just sick of Blake lying?” she quipped while asking host Carson Daly to bring out the lie detector machine. For the bit, Clarkson asked Shelton if she is his favorite coach on the show; Daly asked him if former coach Gwen Stefani married him out of “sheer pity.” Shelton meekly answered with “probably, yes,” drawing a big laugh from the crowd.
“It’s exciting to have Kelly back. Because when she’s gone, I really don’t have anybody to truly fight with,” Shelton said. “And when she’s here, the fight is on.”
What else happened on this week’s episode of The Voice?
Texas singer Marcos Covos earned turns from both Clarkson and Shelton with his bold performance of the ranchera standard “Tú, Sólo Tú” (“You, Only You”).
“I love when people come out here and sing in Spanish. It’s my favorite language to listen to,” Clarkson said. “It was so gorgeous. I am such a fan of you.”
At the last minute, though, Blake smelled blood in the water, and wheeled around in his chair to offer some competition to Kelly. The sly move prompted her to walk over to his chair and hit him with her Team Kelly jacket.
“Believe it or not, I don’t speak Spanish. But your voice is incredible,” Shelton told the 30-year-old Texan. “Just seeing the audience reaction, I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know what’s going on back here. But I know it’s damn good, and I want to be a part of it.’”
Luckily for Kelly, her early dedication ultimately landed her the silky singer. “I knew there was no way I was going to beat Kelly on that one. But it made me happy to see her get that mad at me for a second,” Shelton said.
Blind auditions for The Voice Season 23 continue next Monday and Tuesday, March 20, 21 on NBC.
