The competition is fierce on The Voice, of which the 29th season is airing on the 2026 TV schedule. Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Adam Levine are engaged in the “Battle of Champions,” as all three of the Voice coaches have previously won the show. Whoever takes the W this season will have huge bragging rights, but as Clarkson looked back at her very first win, it sounds like nothing could beat getting “the ultimate revenge” on Blake Shelton.
It doesn’t matter how long Blake Shelton has been gone from The Voice, his spirit lingers. The cowboy had a reputation for winning all of the country music artists and then rubbing it in his colleagues’ faces as he racked up nine wins over 23 seasons. That means he bumped heads a lot with Kelly Clarkson. Just recently, the current coach took a look back at her biggest moments recently, and when she happened upon a photo of Brynn Cartelli from Season 14, she said:
I love Brynn so much. This was my first winner. She was also my first chair turn, and I love her still. … She is amazing. She was a little unicorn. I found a unicorn the first season.
Clarkson winning The Voice with Brynn Cartelli was quite the unforgettable experience, but that’s thanks in part to Shelton. The trolling came early and often from the country music superstar, who set the tone for what would be one of the show’s greatest rivalries by saying on Clarkson’s first episode:
Article continues belowThis is Kelly Clarkson. One of the greatest vocalists, greatest people that I have ever met, and Kelly has absolutely no experience on this show whatsoever.
Blake Shelton continued to make a point over the years to downplay Kelly Clarkson’s country music experience — much in the same way that John Legend and Reba McEntire did her dirty on the current season — and that’s what made her Season 14 victory oh-so-sweet. Clarkson said:
I love seeing Blake say that I have zero experience on the show, and then I totally won that season. There’s nothing better. The ultimate revenge of someone just thinking you can’t do something, and then you show them with your trophy.
The American Idol champ expressed a similar sentiment when recalling her Season 17 win with Jake Hoot, saying:
You want to know why this is the most exciting? He saw me when Blake was here. He saw me, and he picked me, and I love him. And then I took him to the Winner’s Circle, whaaat? That’s right, Shelton.
Say what you will about Blake Shelton's trolling of his fellow Voice coaches, but there’s something to be said for his tactics when even in the sixth season since he walked away from the Big Red Chair, Kelly Clarkson and other mentors continue to hold their victories over him as the highest honor they’ve achieved on the show.
Blake Shelton may not be around anymore, but tune in to see who will win the “Battle of Champions,” as Season 29 continues at 9 p.m. ET Mondays on NBC and streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.
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