It was a pretty emotional night on The Voice this week, with Blake Shelton experiencing the first of many “lasts” as he prepares to make his exit from the singing competition after 23 seasons. As the Blind Auditions wrapped up on March 21, the cowboy turned his chair for the final time to complete the very last team he’ll ever coach on The Voice, and he admitted that he was a little “shook up” when faced with the reality of his time on the show coming to an end.
The fact that this was Blake Shelton’s last season and that he was building his last team ever was something the country singer repeated to seemingly every artist he hit his button for in the audition round of Season 23. However, it wasn’t until he hit his button for the final time — for 19-year-old country singer Grace West — that he truly realized this was his last rodeo. Shelton shared the historic moment with his followers on Instagram, posting:
Blake Shelton seemed to be taking in the moment, jokingly trying to remove the button from his Big Red Chair. When he took the stage — as all coaches do when they complete their team — he took an extra moment to look back at the screen that proclaimed “Blake’s last team is full,” before gazing out at the live studio audience and soaking in their raucous cheers. The emotion he felt after accepting Grace West as the final member of Team Blake seemed to surprise him, as he admitted during the episode:
I gotta tell you, I’m sitting here talking about Grace right now, my heart swells up, to think about my journey on this show. Twenty-three seasons and for the last artist for me to hit this button for. I didn’t let it take over. I didn’t show any emotion, but I did get a little bit shook up.
What made it even more special was that Grace West was the “perfect” artist for such a momentous occasion, the Barmageddon star said. Blake Shelton turned his chair for her rendition of Pam Tillis’ “Maybe It Was Memphis,” and had to fight his newfound son Niall Horan to ensure that the teenager picked him. He likely had West locked in from the beginning of his pitch, but the assist from Kelly Clarkson certainly didn’t hurt, as she told West that “he’s the guy that really does help artists out.”
Blake Shelton expressed his love for Kelly Clarkson after the kind words, and he continued with the celebratory mood in his Instagram Stories:
Despite the sentimentality that is sure to continue during the cowboy’s farewell tour, the coaches are fighting as fiercely as ever. Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton have had some hilarious moments already, after their rivalry was reignited ahead of the season. Even Carson Daly’s 13-year-old son trolled Shelton for leaving the host as the sole remaining member from the 2011 series premiere.
Completing his team was a big moment for Blake Shelton, and it probably won’t get any less emotional from here, now that we’re in the elimination rounds of The Voice. The Battles, in which team members go head-to-head against each other, are set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET Monday, March 27, on NBC, and you can also stay up to date on all of the upcoming premieres with our 2023 TV schedule.
