Despite claims to the contrary, Blake Shelton took the stage as a performer as part of his The Voice swan song. His Tuesday night (May 23) sendoff after 23 seasons as a coach brought viewers a pair of duets with the final Team Blake charges standing.
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First, Shelton joined genre-defiant finalist NOIVAS in turning Michael Buble's "Home" into an acoustic-driven country ballad. It further established NOIVAS as a guitarist and vocalist who's ready and able and to hang with talents the caliber of his coach.
For his final live duet as a member of The Voice cast, Shelton revisited "Lonely Tonight," his Grammy award-nominated 2014 duet with Ashley Monroe, alongside finalist and rising country artist Grace West. Shelton turned in a strong vocal performance, giving his all and earning a standing ovation as West undoubtably filled the daunting shoes of Monroe.
It was Shelton's final episode of The Voice after being the one constant on the NBC series since its 2011 debut. The exit frees up some time for family and friends on his still-hectic schedule.
"I want to finally have the opportunity to say yes to more stuff in my personal life and not say, 'Let me check,' or just flat-out no," he told ET Online.
Shelton intentionally skipped performing solo this season. Instead, his final episodes were about relaxing in his familiar coaches seat and reflecting on a gig that's elevated his celebrity status and positioned him to meet his spouse, former and future coach Gwen Stefani.
Newcomer Reba McEntire will join returning coach Niall Horan this fall on The Voice along with two fan favorites: John Legend and Stefani.
Nineteen-year-old Gina Miles won Season 23, scoring Team Niall a champion in the pop singer's first run as a coach.
