Blake Shelton ‘Proud’ Of Bryce Leatherwood After Winning The Voice

Blake Shelton is showing his support to The Voice season 22 champion Bryce Leatherwood. Bryce was one of three members of Team Blake to compete in the finale, which aired on Tuesday, December 13th. He was voted as the winner over teammates bodie and Brayden Lape, as well as Team John Legend’s Omar Jose Cardona and Team Camila Cabello’s Morgan Myles. Shortly after the results came in, Blake took to social media to sing Bryce’s praises.

After Bryce’s win, Blake shared a congratulatory post to Instagram. Blake, who is leaving The Voice next season, posted a photo of him, his champion, and the winning trophy. Captioning the celebratory photo, the 46-year-old wrote, “I’m such a proud coach.” The country music superstar continued to praise his protégé, tagging Bryce to assure him, “you are so damn deserving of this.” Finally, the Oklahoma native ended his tribute by exclaiming, “Thank you America and GET READY WORLD!!” Bryce becomes the ninth contestant coached by Blake to have won the NBC competition series. The former “People‘s Sexiest Man Alive” already had the record for most wins even before the 22-year-old’s victory. The celebrity coach in second place is Kelly Clarkson, who has nabbed four wins. Though she sat season 22 out, with Camila stepping in, Kelly will return to the red chairs next year for Blake’s final season.

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The Voice Fans React To Bryce & Blake’s Season 22 Win

The comments section of Blake’s post included high praise for his coaching, as well as Bryce’s talent, persona, and stage presence. One person who rooted for Bryce even predicted his post-win career could have a similar path as country music legend Garth Brooks. However, there were a number of naysayers in the comments as well. Some expressed disappointment that bodie wasn’t the victorious Team Blake member. Others wrote that Team Legend’s Omar, who came in fourth place, should’ve won instead. Some even claimed that Bryce only won because he was coached by Blake.

Throughout season 22, it has appeared that The Voice fans vote by coach over contestant. Blake has always been a popular judge, but it’s possible that fans threw extra votes his way this time around because of his impending exit. Still, it’s unclear why exactly Bryce got more votes than his fellow Team Blake members. Perhaps it’s because some fans claimed he reminded them of Blake. In fact, the two discussed their similarities on the finale, including their shared love of the movie Tombstone. The country singers also had an interesting journey, as Blake almost sent Bryce home early on.

The Voice will return for season 23 in March 2023. Though season 22 just ended, NBC has already released a promo for season 23. Further emphasizing just how much he’s become synonymous with the show, the early teaser is focused on Blake’s final bow. While many viewers are obviously upset that the OG coach is stepping down, Blake’s exit could shake up The Voice in a good way. While the long-running series is still a huge hit, it could grow stale without some big changes. Next season will bring back Kelly, another major fan favorite. And there will be fresh perspectives with two music superstars, Niall Horan and Chance The Rapper, making their red chair debuts.

More: How One Direction’s Niall Horan On The Voice Will Be Beneficial

Source: Blake Shelton/Instagram