It was a bittersweet goodbye for “The Cowboy” Tuesday, as retiring original coach Blake Shelton’s run on The Voice finally came to an end — after, as host Carson Daly worded it, he’d “pushed his button nearly 600 times, coached over 300 artists, worn 210 pairs of boots, and drunk 100 gallons of whatever is in his cup.”
And as Blake prepared to abdicate his hydraulic red throne (making way for his replacement, fellow country superstar Reba McEntire) on Season 23’s grand finale, Carson rattled off some other statistics — unveiling Blake’s retired jean jacket, which was proudly displayed on the Universal Studios soundstage’s wall and embroidered with the numbers of Team Blake’s nine winning seasons.
“I think we’re missing one — we need to be able to take that [jacket] back down and put a ‘23’ on there, I’m hoping, before the night’s over,” Blake quipped.
But at the end of the historic night, that jacket remained pinned to the wall. After the closest margin of voting in Voice history, Blake actually lost his farewell season, with his two finalists, rock ‘n’ soul powerhouse NOIVAS and classic country crooner Grace West, respectively placing fifth and second.
Instead, it was the rookie coach that Blake practically picked as his successoron the Season 23 premiere, Niall Horan, who won in a torch-passing moment, with Team Niall indie-pop chanteuse Gina Miles. (Gina seemed utterly shocked, and of course many viewers did predict that Grace would win, but allow me to gloat for a moment and point out that I’d predicted this outcome, after Gina stunned during the finals with “Nothing Compares 2 U.”)
Whether or not Tuesday’s result was surprising (or disappointing, to some fans), Blake did receive a hero’s sendoff on the celebratory evening, and as Carson noted, there was “not a dry eye in the house.” Blake’s old onscreen bromance buddy, Adam Levine — who quit the show much more abruptly and acrimoniously in 2019 — returned not only to perform with Maroon 5, but to introduce Blake at the top of the show. After Adam warbled his new single “Middle Ground,” Blake ran onstage to bear-hug him, as Carson remarked, “I can’t imagine tonight without Adam being back for Blake’s final show. … It’s special to have Adam here.”
Another O.G. Voice coach, CeeLo Green, kicked off the festivities with a medley of songs from Blake’s favorite decade, the ‘80s, accompanied by Team Blake winners Chloe Kohanski and Cam Anthony and fan favorites Bodie and Wendy Moten. Other past panelists from what Pharrell Williams amusingly called “The Blake Shelton Show” — Camila Cabello, Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Hudson, Nick Jonas, John Legend, Usher, and Pharrell — also sent their pre-taped well-wishes.
Blake Shelton bids ‘The Voice’ farewell on bittersweet finale. Blake Shelton bids ‘The Voice’ farewell on bittersweet finale
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