Blake Shelton doesn't have girlfriend Gwen Stefani to lean on during the new season of The Voice-- but he still has some tricks up his sleeve to try and win the singing competition!
The country star wasted no time breaking out the big guns on Monday's season 18 premiere, recruiting a very special friend to help him win over Tate Brusa, a 16-year-old crooner from Salt Lake City, Utah.
Recommended Videos
When both Shelton and newcomer Nick Jonas turned their chairs at the last moment of Brusa's cover of Ed Sheeran's "Perfect," the "Nobody But You" singer could feel his chances slipping away almost immediately.
"I was gonna try to play this cool and wait 'til the last minute, and then he turned his chair," Shelton admitted. "So there's no way I'm gonna let him get away with this. I wanna wait and see what he says and then I'm gonna come back and tear it all apart."
Fellow coach John Legend then endorsed Jonas, saying that the former Disney star has a lot of advice to offer Brusa, as he also traversed the music industry at a very young age. And Jonas proved it, jumping up on stage to help with some "real-time coaching."
"I heard the fight in your voice, and I think I can help you hone in the moments that vocally, weren't your best," Jonas explained, noting that he remembers the struggle of performing in that awkward period of time after your voice changes. "We could do great things together," he told the young hopeful.
.@NickJonas joining an artist on stage… you love to see it. 😍 #VoicePremiere pic.twitter.com/BliOReHs9Q
— The Voice 🎤 #1 Nick Jonas Stan Account (@NBCTheVoice) February 25, 2020
"I feel like I'm at a disadvantage," Shelton lamented. So to help sway the vote, he brought out an adorable puppy!
"Tate, I want you to know that if you don't choose me as your coach, this puppy is gonna go straight back to the animal shelter," Shelton warned, as Kelly Clarkson swooned over the adorable pup, which got an impromptu name: "Snowflake."
Ok @BlakeShelton definitely makes a convincing argument for #TeamBlake… 🐶 #VoicePremiere pic.twitter.com/j82Eaf39yY
— The Voice 🎤 #1 Nick Jonas Stan Account (@NBCTheVoice) February 25, 2020
"Tate, do you pick a coach? Or a dog?" Legend joked. However, the adorable fuzzball ultimately wasn't enough to sway Brusa -- who stuck to his guns and joined Team Nick!
The lengths @NickJonas & @BlakeShelton go to get @tatebrusa on their team is… wild. 😳 #TeamNick #VoicePremiere pic.twitter.com/ihCHbssFvQ
— The Voice 🎤 #1 Nick Jonas Stan Account (@NBCTheVoice) February 25, 2020
Shelton was more than ready to do battle with Jonas for taking Stefani's spot on the coaching panel when ET caught up with him at the 2019 CMA Awards in November.
"He's going down!" the country star joked at the time. "He replaced my girlfriend and that's unacceptable...We're gonna settle this on the stage, coach to coach."
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. PT/ET on NBC. See more from the upcoming season in the video below!
RELATED CONTENT:
'The Voice': Watch New Coach Nick Jonas Get Blocked in Season 18's First Blind Audition!
'The Voice' Sneak Peek: Nick Jonas Brings a New Coaching Strategy to Season 18 (Exclusive)
'The Voice': Why Kelly Clarkson Chose Dua Lipa as a Team Mentor (Exclusive)