Blake Shelton mostly fails his polygraph test, taken at Kelly Clarkson’s request. (Photo: NBC)
In case you didn’t notice the first, oh, 517 times Blake Shelton mentioned it in the last three episodes of season 23, this season marks the longtime popular trainer’s final rodeo on The Voice. And he’s milking what he hopes to be his farewell victory lap with all it’s worth, giving his longtime rival Kelly Clarkson every last possible swipe and showing every last dirty trick to recruit singers for his final team .
For example, during Tuesday’s blind auditions, Blake tried to connect with a contestant, aspiring Olympian Chloe Abbott, by claiming he’s been coaching the US curling team “for a couple of years.” An irritated Kelly then gasped rhetorically, “Anyone else sick of Blake lying?” — and in one of the show’s better shticks in recent memory, she called over host Carson Daly, who came out on cue and spun a polygraph .
Kelly slipped into full Maury “The lie detector found that was a lie” Povich mode, hooked up with Blake and grilled him with questions like “Have you blocked me this season?” And of course, a red X-screen immediately buzzed — who looked like he was borrowed from NBC sister show America’s Got Talent — and flashed the block letters ‘FALSE’ when Blake turned it down. It wasn’t surprising, either, when Blake’s “absolutely” response to Kelly’s “am I really your favorite coach?” query prompted another big red “FALSE.” (We all know rookie trainer Niall Horan is his new favorite.) And it was hilarious when Carson’s question, “Did Gwen [Stefani] marry you out of pity?” – to which Blake shrugged, “Probably” – produced a green “TRUE” result.
Blake Shelton receives his polygraph test results. (Photos: NBC)
“Kelly, Kelly! You should know polygraphs don’t work on me,” giggled Blake after Kelly’s little stunt was over, throwing some seemingly legitimate rink footage of him attending an Olympic curling practice session. “I am the master of lies!”
In another humorous display of Blake and Kelly’s animosity Tuesday as they fell out over teen singer Mary Kate Connor, who Kelly called a “younger Brandi Carlile,” Blake recalled, “I met Kelly Clarkson at a Brandi Carlile concert 10 or 12 years ago…” To which Kelly, without missing a beat, retorted, “Not because you were there!” But then, thinking she had gone too far, Kelly yelled, “I’m just kidding, I’m just kidding! ‘ and ran to give Blake an apologetic hug. By the end of the day, or at least by the end of the hour-long episode, it was obvious that these two genuinely care about each other.
The story goes on
Kelly Clarkson apologizes to Blake Shelton after insulting him on ‘The Voice’ (Photo: NBC)
In his own quirky way, Blake admitted he missed Kelly when she fell out last season, explaining, “It’s exciting to have Kelly back because when she’s gone I really don’t have anyone to really go with can fight. And when she’s here, the fight’s on!” But once Blake was out of earshot, Kelly shared a sweeter sentiment.
“Don’t tell him I said that, but he’s The Voice,” Kelly said of her co-star. “He’s the king of The Voice. So it gets really weird when he’s not here. He will be missed by everyone.”
Oh. When Blake finally sees this footage, I’m sure the dirty trickster will use it against Kelly in some way. But really, Kelly didn’t tell any lies. The show just won’t be the same without him. It’s only a week of blind auditions before Blake can yell, “My team’s full!” for the last time, but below is a rundown of who he, Kelly, Niall and Chance the Rapper recruited on Tuesday — including who Teams eventually joined by the aforementioned Mary Kate Connor.
Kate Cosentino, 23: “I’ll say a little prayer”
This sassy lady with “big chick energy” from a big Italian family has the potential to be annoying in a big way (she seems to make Italian her whole personality). But her winning, jazzy, Sara Bareilles-esque performance and self-proclaimed “clown couture” made her a “readymade star,” according to Niall. “The fact that you picked this song means you are your standards [high]said a seemingly smitten Niall of Kate’s Bacharach/Warwick cover, while Chance called Kate “cool” and “so funny” and Kelly loved her “Wayne’s World guitar” and lilting, “lullaby-like” vocals.
Who turned? Kelly, Chance and Niall.
Result: Team Niall. Kate explained that the Irish and Italians need to stick together and that’s what their “ancestors” would want. (Apparently, Kelly’s “30%” Irish blood wasn’t enough.)
Chloe Abbott, 24: “How deep is your love”
This track and field athlete, who is hoping to qualify for the 2024 Olympics, brought her training to the Voice stage and featured what Chance called “amazing breath control” on her sultry Bee Gees cover. Chance also described the Detroit chanteuse as a (clearly winning) combination of Anita Baker and Norah Jones.
Who turned? Surprisingly only chance. He was of course delighted and called Chloe “the artist I was looking for”.
Result: team chance. “I think she would have stood out on any team but I’m glad she’s on the winning team,” Chance quipped, proving he’s a tough competitor too — even if he’s not trying to join the US curling team.
Marcos Covos, 30: “Tu Sol Tu”
After an idyllic, music-filled childhood, Marcos was disowned by his family when he came out as gay in high school — which “made the pursuit of music painful because it would remind me of my old life.” Marcos and his parents eventually reconciled, and as he strutted to the Voice stage on Tuesday, he declared, “I’ve never performed as myself; this is the first time in my life that I feel exactly who I am and feel proud of who I am.” There was a sense of triumph, joy and release in his performance, which Kelly described as “beautiful” and ” passionate.”
Who turned? Kelly, who’s always had a thing for Latin and Spanish-speaking singers… and she seemed to think that was a ban until the sneaky Blake angrily pressed his button during Marcos’ last note.
Result: Team Kelly, of course. “I knew there was no way I was going to hit Kelly, but seeing her get mad at me for a second made me happy,” Blake admitted with a grin.
Tiana Goss, 29: “Emotions”
Tiana tried for season 22, but “didn’t work out as well as I wanted it to. … It honestly sucked.” However, as someone who was diagnosed in 2020 with a form of epilepsy that can actually affect her text recall, Tiana is clearly not the type to give up. This time around, according to Niall, she “picked the perfect song that showcases the best parts of her voice” (last year’s cover choice of Nelly Furtado was ill-advised), and she was greatly improved.
Who turned? Just Niall, who clearly has a soft spot for soft singers. I was surprised Chance didn’t do it because he looked so intrigued on Tiana’s Samantha Sang cover.
Result: Team Niall. “I was hoping for you!” confessed Tiana, who seemed just as excited about the result as Niall. “I’ve been looking for a character and she has plenty of them,” Niall gushed, calling Tiana a “game changer.”
Mary Kate Connor, 17: “Stars”
A fan of The Voice since she was a little girl, Mary Kate actually first heard her Blind Audition song, a soaring Grace Potter folk ballad, while watching the show. Personally, I don’t think the Mary Kate version rose high enough – her performance was too polite and tentative, lacking Grace’s raw energy – but this theater kid delivered a pretty, polished, professional voice. Kelly loved “how beautiful and delicate it was,” and Blake described Mary Kate’s “Appalachian Sound” as “mellow and angelic.”
Who turned? Blake and Kelly.
Result: Team Blake. I felt like Mary Kate was more of a Danielle Bradbery (season 4’s teenage winner coached by Blake) than a Brandi Carlile — so this pairing actually made sense. For the most part, Kelly seemed okay with letting Blake do this.
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