Spoiler alert for Tuesday’s episode of The Voice Season 21.
Blake Shelton is pulling no punches on The Voice so far in Season 21. The second night of Blind Auditions showed the coach arguing with Kelly Clarkson over country artists (so much so that John Legend and Ariana Grande left the stage for a snack) and infuriating Grande with his hypocritical arguments. But Shelton sure ended up putting his boot in his mouth, calling himself a “jackass” after two particularly humbling situations Tuesday night.
Not one but two times on Night 2 of The Voice’s 21st season, potential contestants gave meaningful gifts to Blake Shelton following their auditions. And Shelton had pushed his button for neither of them. Now, remember, the coaches don’t interact with the contestants before the Blind Auditions, so there’s no risk that the gift-giving could be used to entice a coach to turn their chair. And that’s precisely what happened to Shelton, leaving the cowboy in a pretty awkward place.
Jim and Sasha Allen auditioned with “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” which turned the chairs of Ariana Grande and Kelly Clarkson. After the song, Sasha told Blake Shelton he had a gift for him and handed him a picture he’d drawn of the father-son duo with the country superstar, prompting the coach to do his signature finger pointing at himself.
What kind of a jackass wouldn’t turn around for these people?
The duo ended up joining new coach Ariana Grande’s team, and after Grande proved on Monday night that she can hold her own against Blake Shelton, I think they’ll be in good hands. You can check out Jim and Sasha Allen’s full audition, including the gift-giving moment, below.
That wasn’t even the first time that had happened that night! Earlier in the episode, Chavon Rodgers sang “Driver’s License,” drawing interest from Ariana Grande and John Legend. Rodgers, who is from Blake Shelton’s hometown of Ada, Oklahoma, also announced he had brought something for the cowboy, presenting him with a brick from the early 1900s that said “Ada.” Shelton was clearly touched, and he shook Rodgers’ hand as he accepted the brick, even while the other coaches continued ribbing him. Kelly Clarkson asked Shelton why he ran from love, and Legend pointed out that this is becoming a regular occurrence for the OG coach.
You know when people come with special gifts, his instinct is never to push his button for these people. Then they’re like, ‘Blake, I’m the biggest fan of yours, I wrote a whole presentation about you when I was 12 years old.’
John Legend was calling back to Season 20, when contestant Rachel Mac revealed after her audition that she’d done a school presentation on Blake Shelton when she was in the fifth grade. Shelton didn’t turn for her that night either. In fact, Mac was a one-chair turn and joined Nick Jonas’ team, where she advanced all the way to the finals. So, I guess that worked out.
Chavon Rodgers, like Jim and Sasha Allen, ended up on Ariana Grande’s team, a great fit for his unique take on the Olivia Rodrigo hit. You can see Rodgers’ full audition below:
The whole scenario was also reminiscent of another Season 20 Blake Shelton snafu, when Shelton’s former group mate Pete Mroz auditioned and Shelton didn’t even recognize him. It’s a tough life out there for a cowboy. The Voice continues next Monday for more Blind Auditions at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Check out our 2021 Fall TV Schedule so you don’t miss any of your favorite shows’ premieres.
