"That block was epic": Fans react as Blake blocks Kelly for the first four-chair turn performance on The Voice

Popular reality singing competition The Voice Season 23 aired its season premiere episode on Monday, March 6, 2023, at 8 pm ET on NBC. It documented a fresh new set of contestants performing in front of the coaches, delivering some of its best skills and hoping to get one or more of the coaches turned to get selected and keep moving forward in the competition.

In the season premiere episode of The Voice, Neil Salsich recieved the first four-chair turn this season. However, Blake used his only block on Kelly, which prevented her from taking the contestant on her team. Fans loved the block and one tweeted:

The hit NBC series has been extremely well-received by the audience. The show started 11 years ago and has been more successful with each passing episode.

Season 23 of the show saw contestants perform in front of an interesting line-up of coaches - Kelly Clarkson, who appeared after a brief hiatus, first-time coaches Niall Horan and Chance The Rapper, and OG coach Blake Shelton, who is appearing on the show for one final time.

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Blake blocks Kelly from taking Neil Salsich on The Voice

Tonight's episode of The Voice began with the coaches being introduced to the viewers. After a fun banter between them, the former sat on their respective chairs for the first contestant to be introduced. The singer began singing in a raspy country voice and immediately caught the attention of the judges.

Blake Sheton was the first coach to turn his chair around, leaving the contestant and his family members excited. Kelly Clarkson soon followed suit, however, realizing that she was blocked by a fellow coach who turned out to be Blake. Fellow coaches Niall Horan and Chance The Rapper also turned their chairs around after seeing the contestant's potential to hit both higher and lower notes.

After the performance, Kelly looked disappointed as she revealed that Blake used his only block for the season on her. The Voice 23 contestant introduced himself as Neil Salsich, a 34 year-old singer from St. Louis, Missouri. Kelly then said:

"Your vibe is so cool man. It's like old school country. Your falsetto was incredible. You also maintained this, like, throaty, like, raspiness that's really cool. Just remember that blockhead Blake stole the opportunity away from us."

Neil explained that he was a full-time musician and sang folk, rock and roll, but country music was extremely special to him. Blake then said:

"I'd be honored to have you on the last Team Blake."

Chance The Rapper then told The Voice contestant that he wanted a mixture of a rapper and a country singer, which would be a "first of its kind of collaboration." The coach also joked that he could steal a country singer from Blake. While Naill called the contestant a "seasoned veteran."

Ultimately, Kelly joked once again that she had no say in convincing the contestant as Blake blocked her. She asked Neil Salsich who he wanted as the coach. The contestant ultimately picked Blake Shelton as his coach for the season.

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Fans react to Blake blocking Kelly on The Voice

Fans took to social media to express their opinions on Blake blocking Kelly for the first performance itself. Some laughed it out loud, while others thought it was a smart move. Check out what they had to say:

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Season 23 of The Voice has aired an extremely interesting premiere episode. The contestants will get into even more complicated challenges and will have to give their best in the coming weeks to impress coaches and viewers to secure their safety. The audience will have to stay tuned to witness what's more to come this season.

Don't forget to tune in to an all-new episode of The Voice Season 23 next Monday, March 13, 2023, at 8 pm ET on NBC.