Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton Amp Up Flirtation To Increase ‘The Voice’ Ratings?


Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton are being accused of amping up their on-set flirtation with one another in an effort to increase ratings on The Voice Season 12.

As the new season continues to air on NBC, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton continue to be seen flirting with one another and while many fans have found their interaction to be endearing, others are annoyed by their shameless antics and feel their public displays of affection aren’t without motive.

According to a new report, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton’s romance may be real, but their on-camera flirtation is allegedly the result of “an exceptional bonus” from the show’s executives.

“[Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton] are getting paid an exceptional bonus that is significantly higher than the other judges to keep the spark alive on-camera. They are starting to film the promos next week and have already shot a couple of live spots,” an insider close to filming revealed, according to a report by the Celebrity Insider on March 23.

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Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton starred alongside one another on The Voice Season 7 years ago, but at the time, they were both married to other people. Then, two seasons later, things between them took a romantic turn after they each went through splits from their former partners.

In July 2015, after just 4 years of marriage, Shelton and his former wife, Miranda Lambert, confirmed they had ended their marriage. Weeks later, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale revealed they, too, had called it quits on their relationship after a 13-year marriage and three children, Kingston, 10, Zuma, 8, and Apollo, 3.

Following their splits, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton struck up a romance on the set of The Voice Season 9 and midway through the series’ airing in late 2015, they confirmed their relationship.

After The Voice Season 9 came to a close, Gwen Stefani left the show and began to promote her new album as Christina Aguilera reprised her role as the female coach on Season 10. One season later, the series upped their female coach count to two with the additions of Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys.

Now, with Gwen Stefani back on set with her boyfriend, producers are reportedly encouraging the couple to continually engaged in playful banter — and making it clear that a split would not be good for business.

“The producers really want to see [Gwen Stefani] and Blake in competition more often this upcoming season, versus working with each other like they have in the past. And, of course, there is a stipulation in their contract, which is more of a break-up clause,” the source continued. “If, for some reason, they call it quits, they are both required to finish out the remainder of their existing contracts.”

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Last year, as news of Gwen Stefani’s return to the show was confirmed, a source claimed Blake Shelton was thrilled to have her back on set.

“[Gwen Stefani] loves being back with The Voice…but Blake is even happier,” a source told Hollywood Life at the time. “He is so ecstatic that every day is going to be ‘bring your girlfriend to work day’ again.”

“This is clearly the best case scenario for both of them and it’s only going to make their relationship even stronger,” the insider continued. “[Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton] know they definitely flourish while together, rather than being absent from each others’ lives. If you can believe it, the honeymoon phase is still going on with them!”

To see more of Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton, tune into The Voice Season 12 on Monday and Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on NBC.

[Featured Image by Larry Busacca/Getty Images]

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