‘The Voice’ Recruits Shania Twain Amid Rift With Blake Shelton And Gwen Stefani

The Voice may be about finding the next singing sensation, but, behind the scenes, things are shaking up with the realty television show’s own celebrity judges. Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton have previously been criticized for bringing their relationship onto The Voice and, while those previous bits of playful banter may have been taken with good humor, fans are not happy with a comment Blake Shelton made about Stefani on air. As The Voice receives backlash over that faux pas and faces rumors that the famous couple may be leaving the show for good, Shania Twain jumps into the fray, agreeing to join the rest of the talented cast.

Blake Shelton Enrages The Voice Fans Over Gwen Stefani Jibe

A recent performance on The Voice was the catalyst for an incident that ended with Blake tossing blame at Gwen and, as Wetpaint shares, fans are more than a little upset by the incident. It all started with a rendition of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song,” performed by competitor Brandon Royal. While the Marley cover excited fans and impressed most of the judges, Shelton seemed lost throughout the performance, as though trying to recognize the source of the song, and his confusion was soon made clear.

After Royal finished his song, The Voice panelists offered their responses and Blake Shelton honestly answered that he didn’t recognize the classic song.

In response, both Gwen and Alicia Keys poked fun at Shelton for not recognizing the Bob Marley cover.

“I know ‘One Love,'” The Voice’s Shelton responded, hoping to redeem himself.

Unfortunately, knowing that one song didn’t clear Blake of his ignorance, when it came to “Redemption Song,” and the other judges of The Voice continued to berate him over his mistake.

Finally, Blake did the only thing that could have gotten him deeper into the hot water into which he had already sunk himself. He shifted the blame to Gwen Stefani.

“I feel like that’s her responsibility,” said Shelton, explaining to Alicia Keys that Stefani should have been exposing him to a wider selection of music throughout their relationship.

The remark didn’t sit well with audiences and they shared their opinions with the Twitterverse as soon as The Voice episode ended.

“@NBCTheVoice Blake claimed he’s never heard Redemption Song. REALLY? Tessanne Chin performed it on Team Adam. Does he even pay attention?” tweeted one user.

“Blaming the girlfriend damn @blakeshelton hope you like the couch @gwenstefani,” tweeted another fan of The Voice.

Many of the comments directed at Blake Shelton were similar, criticizing the country crooner for adding insult to injury by trying to put the blame for his lack of musical knowledge on Stefani. There’s no word yet on whether Gwen left him to sleep on the couch, following that episode.

The Voice Drafts Shania Twain

Even as Blake Shelton receives his trial by internet fire, Billboard reports that his fellow country artist Shania Twain will be coming to the series, beginning with the April 24 installment. Twain herself revealed the good news in a tweet, sharing that she would be joining The Voice as a Top 12 Key Advisor.

“Excited to announce that I’ll appear on @nbcthevoice this month, as a mentor to the finalists. Tune in on Monday 24th April at 8pm ET/PT,” tweeted Shania.

Twain has a long list of country hits, including “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” and “You’re Still the One,” so it’s not surprising that The Voice has invited CMT’s Artist of the Year to participate. Unfortunately for Shania’s huge fan following, Billboard also reports that it will be a one-time appearance.

Ms. Twain will offer guidance and advice to those select contestants appearing on the April 24 episode of The Voice, when she will serve as a mentor.

The Voice airs Mondays on NBC.

[Featured Image by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images]