Blake Shelton will wrap up ten years and 20 seasons of coaching on The Voice when the season finale airs tonight (May 25). The singer was honored with a surprise video during the live broadcast on Monday night’s episode, introduced by his future wife, Gwen Stefani.
“Surprise, Blakey!” Stefani began. “Okay, so obviously, you changed my life when I met you on The Voice my first season. But sometimes I don’t think you realize the impact that you have had on so many people’s lives on this show. A few of your former artists wanted to make sure you know what you meant to them. So happy ten year anniversary. We love you so much.”
“Blake Shelton, happy 10 years on The Voice,” Season 18 winner Todd Tilghman said.
“It’s amazing that you’re celebrating 20 seasons of changing lives and making dreams come true,” said Season 19 winner Ian Flanigan.
Here's to 10 years of @BlakeShelton on #TheVoice. 💕 https://t.co/qoR0GxsrPP
— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) May 25, 2021
“It was the best decision I made — sorry, Adam — was picking Blake,” Season 2 finalist RaeLynn said.
“It meant the world when he turned around,” Zach Swon, part of Season 4 finalists The Swon Brothers, remarked.
“It changed our lives completely,” continued Colton Swon, later adding, “Dang, I can’t talk about this without getting teary-eyed. Blake, you have recorded a song that we wrote.”
“You might not realize that, but he has helped so much,” said Season 4 winner Danielle Bradbery.
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have a Grammy nomination,” said Season 3 winner, Cassadee Pope.
Shelton also commented on the touching tribute.
“It’s hard to take it all in,” Shelton said (via Music Mayhem Magazine). It’s overwhelming, I love my job here and I love that I’ve been able to have some little chapter in people’s lives along the way as far as their journey goes,” Blake told host Carson Daly after watching the surprise clip. “And everyone of those that were up there they’re doing great. They’re killing it right now. They’re making music for a living and that’s a big deal, it’s pretty awesome.”
It’s ironic that Shelton is the only coach on The Voice who has been with the show since its inception, since he initially wasn’t even a fan of the premise of The Voice.
“At the time, honestly, I didn’t know if that was going to be something people made fun of, or if the show was going to be a huge hit,” Shelton told Access. I mean, the idea was so stupid. They sent us this video of what the show was going to be. You sit in your chairs with your back to the artist, and you hit a button.
“And now, that seems tame compared to what we have on TV,” he continued. “Now, I saw a show on TV the other day where they’re wearing these big costumes, and Hamburgler’s coming out. It’s like, The Voice seems pretty down the middle now. So there’s no question that was the difference-maker for me.”
Rachel Mac, Cam Anthony, Victor Solomon, Kenzie Wheeler, and Jordan Matthew Young, are the finalists heading into tonight’s episode. Both Anthony and Young are on Shelton’s team. The finale will air at 8:00 PM ET on NBC.