Blake Shelton says it's “odd” doing “The Voice” without Adam Levine, but girlfriend Gwen Stefani “kinda saved the show”

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Trae Patton/NBC

Blake Shelton‘s already shooting season 17 of The Voice, but he’s had to do some adjusting this time around without his friend — and favorite punching bag — Adam Levine by his side. 

“It worries me not having Adam there,” Blake admits. “He’s just been there from the beginning.”

“It would freak me out if [host] Carson [Daly] left,” Blake adds. “We were the three that have been there all along, and it’s just odd, to be honest with you.”

The silver lining is that Blake’s significant other, Gwen Stefani, returned to fill Adam’s spot.

“The one thing that makes it better, and okay, is that they brought Gwen in. And it’s not just because of [our] relationship,” Blake clarifies. “It’s because she’s a veteran… and she’s familiar with it and gets it. And that made me feel better.”

Blake warns it’s not easy, playing the game and mentoring your team while simultaneously trying to make people laugh.

“That show, it’s a complicated thing,” he explains, “when you’re a coach on there to try to navigate and keep in mind at the same time that you’re also supposed to be entertaining the audience at home. You know, it’s kind of a juggling act.”

While there’s no denying Blake misses Adam, he says the show must go on — and Gwen makes that possible.

“Having her there, selfishly for me, made me happy,” Blake confesses. “And I think it kinda saved the show with Adam going away.”

Blake adds: “[T]here’s no way around it: It sucks not having Adam there. He’s just a major part of that show and my favorite person to kick in the nuts.”

Season 17 of The Voice, also with coaches Kelly Clarkson and John Legend, kicks off September 23 on NBC.

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