The premiere of The Voice Season 22 is mere weeks away, and after the longest hiatus that viewers have had to endure since the show started in 2010, that seems like a manageable amount of time. Fans will get to see how new coach Camila Cabello fares against John Legend — whom she previously helped as a Battle Advisor in Season 21 — as well as husband-and-wife duo Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani. We’ve seen the couple face off on The Voice before, though not since they said their vows, and it looks like the country superstar might have ulterior motives, even if he does sincerely love that they’ll be spending that time together.
Blake Shelton has been known to lay on the charm when it comes to his wife. And now that Gwen Stefani has apparently put him to work around the house during his break from The Voice, it’s especially easy to imagine why he’d be happy to keep spending time with her in a different venue. HIs excitement about having her next to him on the singing competition, however, isn’t entirely as schmoopy sweet as you might imagine, as he told NBC Insider:
The best part about working with my wife is that I never have to be apart from her. And she also happens to be one of the least competitive people I know. Being on a competition show with your wife, who is also not competitive, is the greatest situation you can be in.
Leave it to Blake Shelton to already be thinking about competitive strategy. The “Come Back as a Country Boy” singer seems to think he can have his cake and eat it too, by being able to spend time with his wife AND possibly take advantage of her lack of competitiveness. It makes sense that he’d already be thinking about the win, especially now that Kelly Clarkson has left The Voice, making the eight-time winner the most successful coach on the panel by far (John Legend and Gwen Stefani have one win apiece, compared to Shelton’s eight).
He might be underestimating the pop and ska legend, though. In Gwen Stefani’s previous seasons, she seemed willing to pull out all the stops, especially when it came to being able to one-up her then-boyfriend. Check out some her antics from her her appearance in Season 17:
Not only did Gwen Stefani prove that she’d be willing to “block” her own husband, she’s not above straight-up asking him to back down on her behalf. Underestimating her would be a fatal flaw, in my opinion. John Legend and Camila Cabello might want to watch out, too. I can absolutely see the “Nobody But You” singers giving each other advice, and there’s no doubt each would celebrate the other’s win when the competition gets to that point. But don't be shocked if and when the claws come out.
Gwen Stefani has spoken about why returning to The Voice feels different now that she and Blake Shelton are married. Shelton and Stefani recently celebrated their first anniversary, and the No Doubt singer said returning to the place where it all began has been “very surreal.”
It will be exciting to have The Voice to look forward to in primetime again, when it returns Monday, September 19, on NBC, and I’m also excited to see Mr. and Mrs. Shelton duke it out in the Big Red Chairs. In the meantime, check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what shows are premiering soon.
