Spoiler alert! This story contains spoilers for the Season 22 premiere of The Voice. Proceed at your own risk.
Blake Shelton may not have Kelly Clarkson to throw shade at anymore, as The Voice kicked off its 22nd season on September 19, but don’t think that means he’s just going to breeze through to his ninth victory. John Legend proclaimed that he was ready to go to battle with the OG coach, while Camila Cabello certainly didn’t act like this was her first go-round. The newcomer pulled some serious power moves on the first night of the Blind Auditions, proving that she, too, is a worthy opponent of the 22-season veteran.
The change-up on the coaching panel necessitated an update to the seating arrangement as well, with Gwen Stefani and the “Havana” singer taking the middle seats (Camila Cabello next to the cowboy) and John Legend making his way to one of the coveted aisle seats. The significance of the move was not lost on the seven-time mentor, either, as he told Carson Daly:
You know, it’s a lot of pressure, because the people who have sat in this chair — Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson — have both had heated rivalries with Blake Shelton, and we’re going to battle.
Blake Shelton seemed ready to accept the challenge. But if John Legend was playing the role of silent assassin, Camila Cabello came with full-scale warfare, making her mark on the competition right out of the gate. Morgan Myles was Season 22’s first prospect, and she turned all four chairs with her rendition of “Hallelujah.” But Gwen Stefani quickly realized the rookie coach had used her Block on her. Cabello beat out the other two vets to claim Myles for her team, and she picked up a second four-chair turn later in the episode with the “Cuban Cowboy” Orlando Mendez.
That’s right. On her first night on The Voice, Camila Cabello stole a country artist out from under Blake Shelton, as did his wife, Gwen Stefani. In fact, the 22-time coach failed to secure a single member to his team from the first 10 auditions.
Most of the night, the adorable husband-and-wife duo did team up against their counterparts, with Gwen Stefani going to bat for her husband and vice versa. But having the No Doubt frontwoman by his side wasn’t the only trick the “God’s Country” artist had up his sleeve. He trolled Camila Cabello by using his seniority to get the producers to shut off her microphone on demand, which was funny at first, but they took it too far, as even the contestant on stage expressed that she was trying to listen to the “Bam Bam” singer’s feedback.
It’s great to finally have The Voice back after taking an extended hiatus through the spring, and every coach appeared to be on their A-game, ready to fight. Now if only Blake Shelton could get somebody on his team! Night 2 of Blind Auditions will kick off at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, September 20, on NBC. Be sure to check out our 2022 TV Schedule to make sure you don’t miss the return of any of your favorite shows this fall.