Spoilers below for the latest episode of The Voice, so don't keep reading unless you've watched in full.
Considering this is the first big season of The Voice without Adam Levine sitting on the far end of the coaches' lineup, resident star Blake Shelton hasn't had to deal with the same level of chiding and playful insults that he'd gotten used to over the years. It's apparently so bad now that the country music star is vocally pointing out his own dumb decision-making. Somebody's gotta do it, right?
In Week 3 of the live playoffs, audiences watched the Top 11 contestants belting out songs chosen by the fans, from The Doors' "Light My Fire" to R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts" to the gospel song "I'll Fly Away." Gwen's team member Joana Martinez offered up her top-notch performance of Selena's "Dreaming of You," which prompted Blake to regretfully recall the Knockout round episode in which he gave Martinez the boot. In his words:
Joana, I can't think of a dumber decision I've made in the history of this show than letting you go from my team. Every week, it's not that you get better, because you've always been great, but you're just coming into your moment on this show.
To be fair, neither Blake Shelton nor any of the other coaches have a history of yelling at their TVs whenever dumb decisions are made, so they might not have quite the same memories as everyone watching at home. But while there are undoubtedly lots of different one-or-the-other choices that Shelton might feel some shade of remorse for, it's clear that losing Joana Martinez currently ranks highest in his mind.
Fans will probably remember in the episode that aired on October 29, Joana Martinez performed The Mamas and the Papas' "California Dreamin" in a Knockout round against Ricky Duran, who dazzled folks with The Black Crowes' "She Talks to Angels." Martinez ended up losing the Knockout, but Gwen Stefani swooped in and stole the contestant, thus giving Blake Shelton a readily available reason to lament the earlier part of the season. (It was the same night he got a lesson on the "States Song" from Taylor Swift.)
The second week of the live playoffs were also a scary time for Joana Martinez, whose rendition of Gloria Estefan's "Get On Your Feet" failed to win everyone over. She was placed in the Bottom 3, along with Cali Wilson and Max Boyle, but it was her stellar take on Alicia Keys' "Superwoman" that propelled her to be the night's Instant Save. So to be fair to Blake Shelton, he's not the only reason why Martinez came close to getting eliminated, so he can sleep easier.
(For what it's worth, the second week of the playoffs was also scary for anyone who walked around Kelly Clarkson's pointy dress without a shield.)
Fans have yet to see what will happen in the aftermath of the Week 3 performances, though if Blake Shelton has anything to say about it, Joana Martinez is going to be on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Bottom 3. Check out her "Dreaming of You" performance below.
The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC at 8:00 p.m. ET. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend to see more from the singing competition show as it gets closer to crowning its big winner.
