Warning! The following contains spoilers for The Voice's "The Blind Auditions, Part 2." Read at your own risk!
The Voice Season 18 is off to a great start, though things are getting pretty snippy between the judges as the blind auditions continue. Nick Jonas proved in the premiere that he's not to be trifled with when it comes to battling it out for contestants, and now Kelly Clarkson (who had some interesting things to say regarding her promo photo) popped off in the second night with a savage burn on Blake Shelton and implied he's the "creepy uncle" within his family.
What made the moment funnier is that it didn't seem like Kelly Clarkson was trying to call out Blake Shelton at first. The Voice coach started with a generic statement about the creepy uncles that go to family holiday parties, and left it at that. Blake Shelton could've escaped the moment unharmed, but set himself up saying that creepy uncles don't attend his holiday parties. Clarkson just had to swoop in.
Needless to say The Voice fandom loved it, and are now reacting to the idea that the legendary Blake Shelton is the "creepy uncle" at family get-togethers.
It was a great line, and for once, Shelton was left speechless and unable to clap back. There was nothing to really clap back at, because he set himself up!
Of course, it takes two to tango, and Kelly Clarkson pounced on the joke without missing a beat. Twitter reacted in kind, perhaps confirming that what Clarkson was saying about the adage is true.
John Legend was in stitches with the rest of the audience at the comment, but new coach Nick Jonas admitted he felt a little uncomfortable after the the moment passed. Of course, he was immediately reassured by Kelly Clarkson that this was only the start, which may have driven home the fact that The Voice is all about having fun.
Kelly Clarkson's quick wit managed to win over Chelle, who was the contestant who started this whole thing to begin with. Full credit to Blake though, he embraced the burn, and even managed to turn it into a joke on his own by telling Chelle "let's get weird," right before she made her selection. Again, The Voice fans approved.
Full credit to Blake Shelton, because it takes a special kind of person to take a comment that they're creepy in stride and spin it into a positive. I guess it isn't hard to see why he's a force to be reckoned with on The Voice, and is still the winning-est coach of the series with 6 wins to his name.
Really though, this whole group of coaches deserves credit so far. Season 18 of The Voice has been about the strongest start I've seen in the series in a while, and a large part of it is due to the dynamic of these coaches. Truth be told this team is clicking more than when Gwen Stefani was around last season, which is a bit weird considering her relationship with Blake Shelton.
It could be a fluke, but there does seem to be a new energy on The Voice. Nick Jonas certainly seems more polished for the television experience than past coaches, but overall everyone just seems to be having a lot more fun this time around. Of course, this is all the pre-taped footage, so we'll see if everyone really is as happy and jovial when we go to the live shows.
Even if things do stagnate a bit, there's no denying that everyone has stepped it up a bit with Nick Jonas on the show. He brings a nice energy to the team as a whole, and things just feel a lot more fun with him around. Still, at the risk of feelings actually being hurt next time Kelly Clarkson gets mean, perhaps the judges should have a song cued up to help lighten the mood so we can have more of this.
If Nick Jonas is the cause of this change and fun dynamic between coaches, then I hope he sticks around for another season. After all, a little coach consistency wouldn't kill this show, and maybe even give someone enough wins to properly dethrone Blake's 6 wins.
The Voice is on NBC next Monday, March 2, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for more on the competition and for the latest news happening in television and movies.
