Ariana Grande Heats Up Rivalry with Blake Shelton During ‘The Voice’ Premiere
Trae Patton/NBC Reading Time: 4 minutes
The Voice Season 21 premiere was everything fans wanted it to be and more. Ariana Grande made her coaching debut, sparked new rivalries with the other coaches, and proved that she is ready to fight for all of her team members. This was only the beginning of a season full of incredible performers.
‘The Voice’ Season 21 Premiere Kicks off with a Four-Chair Turn
The coaches were all expecting the very first Blind Audition to be a solo artist. They were pleasantly surprised to hear three-part harmonies from Girl Named Tom. The trio of siblings sang “Helplessly Hoping.” The performance didn’t have any big vocal runs or huge notes, but it was very angelic and technically sound. They are going to be an audience favorite for sure.
All of the coaches turned their chairs and the excitement could be felt through the television screen. Legend tried to smooth talk the group by mentioning how he also grew up in the midwest. It was seriously a battle between each of the coaches to even speak. They all began raising their hands just to have the opportunity to plead their case.
Shelton said he didn’t want to turn the group into a novelty. He joked the other judges wanted Girl Named Tom to cover “Baby Got Back” and “Baby Shark.” He brought all of the jokes this season.
Girl Named Tom chose to be on Team Kelly despite everyone’s attempts to persuade them to choose otherwise. Clarkson’s enthusiasm is really what won over the group. Grande decided right then and there that she was being “too nice.”
Katherine Ann Mohler Causes Battle Between Grande and Shelton
In a hilarious behind-the-scenes moment, Legend said Shelton is now “unbearable to be around” since he won The Voice again last season. Shelton was not aware that he was about to get a reality check during a dynamite Blind Audition.
Katherine Ann Mohler is a nanny from Memphis hoping to pursue her musical dreams full-time. She performed “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off.” Grande and Shelton both turned their chairs at the same time so it was obvious this was going to be a showdown. Katherine admitted she is “obsessed” with Grande. Shelton had no chance.
He even tried to push his chair back because he knew that Katherine was going to choose to be on Team Ariana. Grande brought up the fact that it’s “not just about winning this show it’s about winning a lifelong career for yourself.”
“If my calculations are correct I am by far the oldest coach here who has already had a lifetime in this damn business,” Shelton snapped.
Legend said talking about his age is the first time Shelton has been honest on the show. Grande figured out that Clarkson actually has a better success rate on The Voice than Shelton. After all of the smack-talking, Katherine joined Team Ariana as expected.
Clarkson Blocks Shelton to Get Country Artist on Her Team
The judges chatted about how there has been a “lack of country” during The Voice Season 21 premiere. That changed with Nashville artist Kinsey Rose. She performed “Cowboy Take Me Away.” Clarkson hit her button first and used her block on Shelton. Once in a while, a country artist will choose Clarkson over Shelton. Clarkson did not want to take that chance.
It was brought up that Clarkson used her block on Shelton last season to get Kenzie Wheeler on her team. The country singer was a frontrunner in the competition. He came in second place behind Cam Anthony from Team Blake. Kinsey is on Clarkson’s team by default. Country artists always do well in this competition so Kinsey is definitely someone to watch out for.
Wendy Moten Stuns the Coaches with The Beatles Hit
Wendy Moten found major success with “Come In Out Of The Rain” in 1992. After living in Nashville for over 25 years, Wendy is hoping to return to the spotlight. Her performance of “We Can Work It Out” showed just how much on-stage experience she has. She performed the most powerful vocals of the night and was not shy to belt with full force.
Shelton turned his chair first and made sure to hit his block for Legend. Everyone turned their chairs for this powerhouse performance. Clarkson said the whole thing was “beautifully done” Shelton was in denial that he hit the block button. He called Wendy’s performance one of the “Top three Blind Auditions for The Voice of all time.”
Shelton joked that Wendy blew the hair color out of his hair. He was ecstatic when she chose to be on his team. Grande said she was “heartbroken.” Shelton got to rub it in everybody’s faces as “Slow Clap” by Gwen Stefani played in the background. It felt like Shelton won an Oscar.
