Blake Shelton‘s final season on The Voice is definitely going to be a memorable one. NBC released a promo for season 23 (premiering in March) which shows Blake, 46, and fellow returning coach Kelly Clarkson, 40, jokingly sparring with new coaches Niall Horan, 29, and Chance the Rapper, 29.
“Do you think I’ve got a chance at beating you in your final season?” Niall asks Blake, who won season 22 with Bryce Leatherwood on Dec. 13, marking the country star’s ninth victory as a coach. “No,” Blake firmly responds to Niall.
Niall tells Blake those were “strong words from a big man,” as the former One Direction member hilariously applies makeup to Blake’s face.
cannot wait for @ChanceTheRapper and @NiallOfficial to join @kellyclarkson and @Blakeshelton March 6 on #TheVoice. 😍😍 pic.twitter.com/59FTmNV4cm
— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) December 14, 2022
Chance and Kelly also have a hilarious exchange in the promo. The “No Problem” crooner asks Kelly if he has “a chance” at beating her this season, and Kelly immediately laughs at the fact that Chance said his own name. “My biggest competition is Kelly, but I’m gonna still gonna win,” Chance says. He’s probably right, since Kelly won two seasons ago with sibling trio Girl Named Tom.
Niall pokes fun at Blake again, saying, “Blake is now my dad. No offense to my dad.” Kelly teases that the new season will be the “vets against the newbies,” which we can’t wait to see. “We’re gonna have a lot of fun this year,” Niall says to end the promo.
Blake announced that he’s leaving The Voice after 23 seasons on October 11. “I’ve been wrestling with this for a while and I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step away from ‘The Voice’ after season 23,” he wrote in a statement shared to his Instagram. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me. It’s been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns and I want to thank everyone at ‘The Voice’ from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew and catering people, you are the best.”
Blake is the last remaining original judge on The Voice, which debuted with Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and CeeLo Green also as judges and Carson Daly as the host in 2011. He met his wife, Gwen Stefani, on the show. Season 23 of The Voice premieres March 6 on NBC.