The Colorado Springs Gazette final

BLAKE SHELTON’S NEW SHOW,

The Voice coach, 46, is partnering with Carson Daly on a new celebrity game show, Barmageddon (Dec. 5 on USA Network), taking place at Shelton’s Nashville bar, Ole Red, where their celebrity friends will compete in over-the-top bar games. WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella will host, Daly will be behind the bar and Shelton will take the stage with his house band for music sing-alongs.

Was Barmageddon your idea? Well, this is a show about games and drinking, and it was definitely cocktail inspired! Carson and I came up with the initial idea backstage at The Voice after we finished taping one evening. One drink led to another and we talked about playing games…and Barmageddon was born. Or at least conceived!

Who will be some of your celebrity guests? Let’s just start with my superstar wife, Gwen, playing against Sheryl Crow. My buddies and racecar champs Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson face off in an episode. We have singer Chris Young, who’s had huge hits in country music, and we toured together, taking on singer Elle King in a hilarious episode. Trace Adkins—who’s like a skin tag, I just can’t get rid of him—takes on Tennessee Titans Coach Mike Vrabel. We’ve got Lil Rel and Malin Akerman from the acting world in an episode together, so it’s really a fun mix of people from all realms.

What kinds of games will you be playing? We took games that everyone knows, like cornhole and curling, amped them up and now you have supersized air-cannon cornhole, drunken “axe hole” and my own version of darts, which is called “sharts.” We also have curling, which we amped up to be “keg curling”—so yes, there’s some actual drinking involved!

How much music will there be on each episode? The music is a mix of songs with me and the house band, and some surprise performances too.

What does Nikki Bella add to the camaraderie as the host? Nikki has been entertaining people for decades! She’s dominated the world of wrestling with WWE, so she knows how to light up an audience and host a party. Barmagaddeon is all about having a good time, and Nikki fits right in!

Blake Shelton is the reigning champ when it comes to choosing the winning performer on The Voice. As of press time, he’d won eight times in 22 seasons. His wife, coach Gwen Stefani, has won once.

Will season 23 of The Voice really be your last? The Voice changed my life for the better and it’s been successful beyond my wildest dreams. The live [shows] for this season have already started and I’m looking forward to season 23 in the spring!

When you stop coaching, what will you do? Oh, there’s lots to do! Barmageddon, tour, work on the farm—i’ll be busy.

Do you and Gwen have plans for more duets? Music is one of the foundations of our relationship and we’ve had fun and been fortunate enough to have two number one songs together. I’m releasing some new Christmas songs this year and one of them is “Cheer for the Elves,” a song she recorded on her last Christmas album. So, you can bet we’re going to always collaborate on music in some way. It’s just how we’re wired.

Loretta Lynn made music until she was 89. Is that your plan? I’m not sure I’m worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as Loretta Lynn, but I’ve been singing since I was a kid. All I ever wanted to do was sing country music and record songs that people wanted to listen to and get played on the radio. Music is in my blood and that’s never going to change.

How much has Blake Shelton made on The Voice? Go to Parade.com/blake for his net worth.

PARADE

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2022-12-04T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-12-04T08:00:00.0000000Z

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The Gazette, Colorado Springs