Gwen Stefani Says Blake Shelton Was ‘Off’ Without Adam Levine On ‘The Voice’

Gwen Stefani said that it took Blake Shelton a while to get his groove back when they first began filming Season 17 of The Voice.

During a recent interview with Extra, Gwen opened up about Blake’s initial reaction to competing on The Voice without Adam Levine. Blake and Adam were the only two coaches who have appeared on every season of the show?—up until this one?—and Gwen revealed that it’s been difficult for Blake to adjust to a less contentious atmosphere on the set of the reality singing competition. Many viewers came to love Adam and Blake’s playful bickering, and it sounds like Blake just isn’t sure how to act now that no one on the show is constantly trying to push his buttons.

“It was funny to watch Blake without Adam; he was definitely off at first, he was off, like, ‘What’s happening? Nobody’s really messing with me much…'” Gwen said.

However, while none of the coaches are trying to get under Blake Shelton’s skin the way that Adam Levine did, Gwen did reveal that she and Kelly Clarkson like to tease her Blakey just a bit.

“Kelly [Clarkson] definitely messes with him,” Gwen revealed. “I like to mess with him, too, ’cause it’s fun.”

Blake has admitted that it feels “weird” being on The Voice without Adam Levine. However, he still keeps in touch with his old frenemy, so he can give Adam a call whenever he feels the need to engage in a little playful banter, as previously reported by The Inquisitr.

Gwen admitted that it would feel good to beat her boyfriend for the first time on The Voice, describing the six-time winner as the show’s “OG” However, she believes that her biggest competition this season is John Legend. Gwen said that John is proving to have a lot of pull with the contestants, so there’s a good chance that he could take home his second Voice trophy.

As for Gwen, she admits that she’s not a very competitive person, so she and Blake don’t bring their battles from the show home. Instead, they talk about the “unbelievable” talent that they’ve been seeing this season. And speaking of that talent, it sounds like Gwen, Blake, and John might be competing for a lot of the same contestants. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Gwen revealed that Kelly Clarkson is the only coach whose taste in voices differs from the rest of the foursome.

“I think me and Blake hear a lot of the same kind of stuff and have the same kind of taste in voices. But I also think, John and I do. But Kelly and I don’t,” Stefani said.

Watch Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton judge on The Voice when the show premieres on September 23 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.