Much like the competition show’s concept, The Voice has become a revolving game of musical chairs when it comes to the coaches. The one constant figure for viewers has been veteran coach Blake Shelton, who’s entering his 21st season and now has some new competition in pop superstar Ariana Grande. Just like previous coach Nick Jonas, Grande may see multiple sides of Shelton as the upcoming season gets ready to premiere, though it doesn't quite sound like she's getting the Adam Levine treatment. Shelton has gone so far as to reveal he’ll help Grande in her new role, but with one stipulation.
Of course, Blake Shelton is used to playing everyone’s favorite unscripted TV anti-hero on The Voice, with fans having witnessed the country star hazing just about every new coach that comes in. (See: Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, etc.) But it seemed as if Sheldon might have changed his tune with Ariana Grande. In a Season 21 sneak peek, The Voice vet said this about the pop superstar joining the competition series:
Ariana's the new coach here, and I'm extending an olive branch. When I'm not in the mix, I'm trying to help the kid out.
Of course, Blake Shelton want to help Ariana Grande only when it’s convenient for him! Ahead of Season 21's premiere, it's seemed as if Shelton has a sweet spot for the pint-sized pop diva. That was vastly different from the approach he had with Grande’s predecessor Nick Jonas. He was constantly ribbing Jonas on The Voice to go along with the occasional big brother-little brother moments in between. But being so competitive, the claws and witty remarks are bound to come out at some point, especially without someone like Adam Levine to keep them sharp. Thankfully, Grande has proven more than once she is perfectly capable of handling herself against those like Shelton, whether he's holding an olive branch or not.
Verbal barbs between Ariana Grande and Blake Shelton are bound to happen, but viewers have already fallen for the pop songstress. The Season 21 teaser allowed viewers to get excited about her addition to the NBC competition series. Even her advisor choice has steered up the audience’s anticipation for her tenure as a Voice coach. With all the love for Grande as a new coach, there has been some slight pushback on the show’s part, as some Grande fans had an issue with some botched photoshopping in a Season 21 promotional image. But that came mostly out of love for Grande, so it's all a positive sum in the grand scheme.
Before Blake Shelton was caught up in the promotional campaign for Season 21, he experienced both a wedding and some wedding backlash during the off-season. Upon Shelton and Gwen Stefani’s wedding pics going public, the country crooner heard from multiple friends – famous and not-so-famous – about not being invited to the wedding. Of course, Shelton kept things real by revealing why the couple’s wedding was so small. Even The Voice vet’s upcoming advisor Dierks Bentley took a small shot as to why he wasn’t included on the guest list. Now, we'll just have to wait and see if Ariana Grande earns an invite to any future anniversary parties.
It will be nice to see if Ariana Grande will somehow use Gwen Stefani against Blake Shelton for some shady moments. She wouldn’t for the first to use Shelton’s wife against him. Viewers will have to wait until The Voice premieres to see how the two music stars will interact, as Season 21 will premiere on NBC on Monday, September 20, at 8:00 p.m. ET, where it'll join everything else hitting the 2021 Fall TV season.
