Blake Shelton may have retired from The Voice, but his spirit is still present on the Season 24 stage. During Monday night's premiere, coach Niall Horan surprised fans and the other coaches when he incorporated Shelton into the show in a hilarious way.
While new coach Reba McEntire was doing her best to win over a contestant named Jordan Rainer who performed her song "Fancy," Horan — who clearly wanted the 33-year-old singer on his team — pressed a button that caused Shelton's voice to come over the speakers. As McEntire was talking, Horan interrupted her by pushing the button a few times, and what followed was Shelton saying random compliments about Horan.
"Niall is like a son to me," the first quote rang out. Stefani exclaimed, "Oh my God," in disbelief.
McEntire, for the most part, shrugged off the interruption — until Horan did it again.
"Niall is a global superstar," Shelton said in the second quote.
This got McEntire questioning how Horan got Shelton to record these compliments.
"How much did you pay him?" she asked.
Stefani added that she is "so mad" mad at Shelton for agreeing to record the soundbites.
"I told you our relationship was strong," quipped Horan.
Horan then asked McEntire to continue, but as she did, he pressed the button one last time — with his foot — which led to a recording of Shelton calling Horan "an attractive guy." This was the final straw for McEntire, as she picked up her queen scepter and stood in front of Horan so he couldn't press the button again. He continued doing so, and the two battled it out for the rest of the segment.
Watch the clip below.
In the end, Rainer couldn't pass up working with a country legend, and she chose Reba McEntire to be her coach. The Voice Season 24 kicked off with nine blind auditions. The show airs Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC.
