Spoiler alert! There are spoilers ahead for The Voice Season 22 Live Playoffs, which aired Monday, November 14.
The teams have been built and whittled down to the best of the best, and The Voice kicked off the live portion of Season 22 on Monday night with the Live Playoffs. The Top 16 contestants — four from each team — performed on live TV for America’s votes for the first time this season, with results coming in the November 15 episode. There was definitely a different energy as the competition transitioned out of its pre-recorded rounds, and the first night included some love between our married coaches Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, a little trolling, and even some technical difficulties. Gotta love live TV! Let’s get into the biggest moments from the episode:
Blake Shelton Takes Advantage Of Going Live To Troll Carson Daly
At least he waited until it was his team’s turn, but as host Carson Daly introduced Blake Shelton’s singers, the cowboy interrupted him with a loud, “Yes!” prompting Daly to say:
I hate when he does that.
Carson Daly pursed his lips as his Barmageddon co-star hollered, “Talk to me!” ahead of Bryce Leatherwood’s turn on stage, and then hit him again before Rowan Grace sang. It looked like the host was trying not to react, as Blake Shelton yelled over him, “Oh I love her! Yes!” I guess that’s what Daly gets for trying to test his marriage to Gwen Stefani.
The Voice Coaches Call Kate Kalvach A ‘Total Pro’ After Earpiece Malfunction
When Camila Cabello’s team member Kave Kalvach took the stage for her cover of Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One,” it was obvious things weren’t working like they were supposed to. The singer didn’t miss a beat, but she did look off-stage and indicate she was having trouble, pulling out her earpiece. After the song was over, Carson Daly quickly praised her for being a “total pro,” and the four coaches seemed shocked that she was able to pull off such a performance without being able to hear her voice in her ear. Check her out below:
"you're still the one" is sung soooooo beautifully by @katekalvach pic.twitter.com/LdU2jLaCM0November 15, 2022
It’s so unfair when technical difficulties strike on live TV, especially given the fact that Kate Kalvach is relying on audience votes to put her through to the next round of the competition. However, the coaches insisted they couldn’t tell she had issues, because she sounded so great.
Gwen Stefani Admitted She And Blake Shelton Consult Each Other About Their Teams
The Voice coaches practically rushed the stage when Gwen Stefani’s Justin Aaron took on the Luther Vandross classic “Here and Now.” Afterward, the No Doubt frontwoman made an interesting comment regarding her husband Blake Shelton, saying to Aaron:
It was so fun to try to figure out… I mean, you could do any song in the whole world, and, you’re welcome, Blake. We always try to think about songs that we want to hear, you know what I’m saying? And that was one I wanted to hear so bad. So I’ve been waiting, just waiting for this moment, and it was beyond my dream. It was so incredible. Wow.
Blake Shelton had a huge smile on his face during his wife’s comments, and his reaction to the performance — he came around the front of his chair for the end of the song, loudly cheering as he applauded — made it pretty obvious he and Gwen Stefani had been looking forward to this one, even before she said anything. I'm sure we all assumed they've teamed up with each other to a point, but this seemed like proof positive.
Camila Cabello Adjusts To Live TV
Blake Shelton made fun of rookie coach Camila Cabello throughout the early rounds of Season 22 for how much she talks, even reminding her at one point that when the live shows started, she’d be put on a timer. The “Bam Bam” singer sure did experience that, when Carson Daly asked her for the very first comment following Omar Jose Cardona’s show-opener. First she seemed thrown by the fact that she couldn’t swear, and as she started her critique, she realized she was on a timer and only had 15 seconds to wrap it up. She adjusted quickly and didn’t seem to have any trouble with the timer after that.
Gwen Stefani Calls Blake Shelton ‘Daddy’
Blake Shelton saved 17-year-old singer Rowan Grace after Gwen Stefani eliminated her in the Knockout Round, and following Grace's rendition of "Hopelessly Devoted to You," the '90s rocker gave her stamp approval on her husband's coaching job with a comment that raised some eyebrows:
Wow! Daddy, you’re doing so well with her!
John Legend got a good chuckle out of the unexpected pet name, but that actually wasn't the first time Gwen Stefani has referred to her and her husband as “Mommy and Daddy.” Cringey though it may be, it's no doubt due to how young the singer is. Mrs. Shelton is definitely not afraid to show her affection, as she also shared another sweet moment with Blake Shelton to her Instagram Stories on the set Monday night:
The Voice will return at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, November 15, for the results from the Live Playoffs. Thirteen singers will advance to next Monday’s live show. In the meantime, check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what other premieres are coming up.
