Nice try! Blake Shelton attempted to get a Voice contestant to choose him as her coach with a little white lie.
After Pia Renee auditioned and called reggae her favorite genre, the “Minimum Wage” singer, 44, and John Legend both turned their chairs. “To say that I don’t know anything about the music that she’s performing would kind of disqualify the fact that, who knows, even by the time this airs, Gwen Stefani — she could even be my wife by then,” Shelton said, referencing his fiancée’s ska-influenced band No Doubt. “She’s delivering twins right now. She’s pushing them out. But I’m here working.”
When Legend, 42, said he didn’t know what the country singer was talking about, Shelton explained, “I’m talking about Gwen Stefani and her stamp on reggae, ska music and how much I’ve grown to love it.”
He acknowledged that coaching Renee would be an “odd pairing,” adding, “I have a lot of experience on this show.” Shelton clapped back at Legend’s claim that he was “tired” and “washed up,” insisting, “I’m not tired. I’m standing. You’re just sitting there laid back. That is insulting, John. Shame on you.”
The EGOT winner celebrated when Renee ultimately chose him as their coach. “America needs to hear someone like you, with so much energy, so much soul,” Legend told his team member. “We’re all fortunate that you graced us with your presence.”
Fellow coach Kelly Clarkson chimed in, “Blake trying to use the reggae/ska card was maybe the saddest display ever. We’re still waiting on that reggae hit from Shelton.”
As for Nick Jonas, the “Jealous” singer, 28, said that he had “like[d] the idea of an unexpected coach-artist duo.”
The Jonas Brothers member joined the NBC show for season 20 following Stefani’s exit. (The Texas native previously replaced her when she first left the show in season 18.)
The “Hollaback Girl” singer, who is busy with her upcoming fifth studio album, shares sons Kingston, 14, Zuma, 12, and Apollo, 7, with her ex-husband, Gavin Rossdale. She called Shelton a “good” dad in September 2019.
“He’s been helping me out a lot,” the Grammy winner gushed at the time. “I literally get to the point where I’m like, ‘You’ve got to get home. Come help!’ It’s hard. I have three boys.”
Stefani and the Nashville Star alum got engaged in October 2020 after five years of dating.
Listen to Watch With Us to hear more about your favorite shows and for the latest TV news!
