The Voice celebrated its 500th episode last week, and one of the running themes of the NBC singing competition in its 10 years has been the intense rivalry spawned between country superstar Blake Shelton and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine. Levine — who like Shelton was a coach when The Voice debuted in 2011 — left the show after Season 16, but that hasn’t stopped the two from trading barbs over each other’s professional and personal lives. In fact, Shelton couldn’t help but take a shot at his old foe as he critiqued one of his artists in the Season 21 Knockout Round.
Blake Shelton team member Hailey Green took the stage for her Knockout performance against teammate Libianca, sporting a sheer top with black designs under a high-waisted black and red jumper. Shelton had complimentary things to say about Green’s performance, but he admitted that her outfit made him do a double-take. Apparently, her top made it look like she’d gotten some ink:
At first, I thought when you came out here that since rehearsal you’ve been to Adam Levine’s tattoo artist. I was like ‘Oh my god. What has she done? Please, god.’
He’s not wrong! While the singer looked and sounded fantastic, it really did look like she was all tatted up, much like former coach Adam Levine! Levine’s appearance was always a target for his fellow judge — and an easy one at that. The Maroon 5 singer often made bold fashion choices and changed up his hair style — and old habits seemingly die hard. It’s hard to blame Blake Shelton for keeping the rivalry alive though, as Levine has done more than his fair share to stoke the flames.
Adam Levine aimed an F-bomb at the cowboy earlier this year when Maroon 5’s tour apparently sold more tickets than his frenemy's. He also dragged the "Ol' Red" singer over his wedding to Gwen Stefani, saying Stefani was too cool for him. Levine joked that he was going to show up at the wedding and object to the union. And he wondered why he didn’t get an invite!
These days, though, Kelly Clarkson has filled the role of Blake Shelton’s top competition on The Voice. The talk show host has proven a worthy opponent for Shelton in the genre of country music, possibly forcing him to switch up his strategy and focus more on artists of other genres. Shelton “cleared the lane” for Season 20 winner Cam Anthony by ensuring Anthony was the only R&B singer on his team and, in Season 21, Shelton convinced frontrunner Wendy Moten to work with him.
In fact, in Hailey Green’s Knockout performance against R&B singer Libianca, Blake Shelton chose the latter, despite Green’s powerful rendition of Shelton’s hit “God’s Country.” Check out the full performances below, which includes that Adam Levine callout.
Season 21’s Knockout Round is set to wrap up on November 1, with the Live Playoffs just around the corner. Tune in to see which coach or former coach will be Blake Shelton’s next target. NBC's The Voice airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET. Be sure to check out our 2021 fall TV Schedule for all of the upcoming premieres.
