Who Won ‘The Voice’? Make No Mistake, It Was Really Blake Shelton

After 11 weeks, 40 hopefuls and dozens of unforgettable performances, Season 23 of The Voice came to an end Tuesday night, and as it did, a new top talent was named.

In what Carson Daly described as the closest victory vote in Voice history, Gina Miles won, marking a boon for her as well as one for her coach, freshman panelist Niall Horan.

But it was entirely possible to watch all three hours of the big event and barely notice Miles’ moment in the spotlight. That’s because that moment felt like a brief footnote at the very end of a bigger celebration. The finale wasn’t really about which singer got a big break. It was about which coach wasn’t coming back.

It was about the night’s real victor, Blake Shelton.

The show’s longest-serving and winningest coach ever seemed a lock to claim one more official triumph for Team Blake Tuesday. After all, so much time was spent recalling his 12-year tenure and his nine past team wins.

Various greats appeared in a video package hailing the 46-year-old as the G.O.A.T. (while country music’s queen, Dolly Parton, hailed him as a goat). In fact, Shelton even got a sports legend-like honor as his denim jacket was retired to the rafters with a list of his winning seasons emblazoned across the back.

There was a video package featuring current Voice coaches and a long line of past ones, including Jennifer Hudson, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Usher, CeeLo Green, Nick Jonas, John Legend and more. Their comments ranged from lighthearted roasting, with Cyrus saying Shelton made her time on the talent competition “a complete nightmare,” and big raves, with Kelly Clarkson noting, “I know I always give you crap, but I think… I don’t think, I know you are the greatest coach to ever be on this show.”

One cheesy skit showed Shelton’s red spinning chair being delivered to his home, where wife and past coach Gwen Stefani accepted it on his behalf. Then there was the flashback peek at his love match with the “Hollaback Girl” singer, which formed after the pair met on the set of The Voice and each endured high-profile splits from their previous partners.

And then there were all the Shelton-centric performances.

Not only did the country crooner share the stage with both of his finalists, NOIVAS and Grace West, he also joined each of them in duets of his own hits.

NOIVAS and Shelton belted out “Home,” a song written by Michael Bublé, that Shelton topped the country charts with in 2008.

West, the last singer standing alongside Miles at the end of the night, sang “Lonely Tonight” with him, a hit Shelton recorded with Ashley Monroe back in 2014.

But even though West, who seemed poised to bring one last victory to Team Blake, fell short in the end (with no one looking more surprised about that than Miles and Horan), there was another performance on finale night that showed the founding coach was the ultimate winner.

It was when the stage filled with familiar faces from his past teams—including Dia Frampton and Xenia from Season 1, Jermaine Paul from Season 2, Cassadee Pope from Season 3, Danielle Bradbery and Swon Brothers from Season 4, as well as Season 18’s Todd Tilghman, Season 19’s Ian Flanigan and Season 22’s Bryce Leatherwood—banded together for a sentimental rendition of Green Day’s 1997 hit “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).”

That’s what really proved his impact on the series.

Shelton announced his plan to exit The Voice back in October of 2022.

“I’ve been wrestling with this for a while, and I’ve decided that it’s time for me to step away from The Voice,” he said in a statement at the time. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better, and it will always feel like home to me.”