Blake Shelton’s puppy bribe highlights “The Voice” season opener

The Blake Shelton puppy bribe was the highlight of The Voice season 18 opener earlier this week.

The Blake Shelton puppy bribe was the highlight of The Voice season 18 premiere on Monday night in our opinion.

While the Dog O’Day staff didn’t catch the airing live, we did find news of this highlight thanks to Salt Lake City newspaper the Deseret News.

The only coach to be a continual presence on the show, the country star tried to offer contestant Tate Brusa a puppy in order to convince the teen to join his team after performing the Ed Sheeran song “Perfect.”

Personally, we would find this a hard offer to refuse, but Brosa chose to join Team Nick as one of the newest coach’s first team members.

Both Shelton and Jonas have a history of dogs and music, as Shelton has perhaps the best country song about dogs in “Old Red,” a haunting ballad celebrating love between a pair of Bloodhounds (and the cleverness of convicts). In addition, from 2011 to 2015 he was married to fellow country star and animal advocate Miranda Lambert. (He’s currently dating No Doubt lead singer and former Voice coach Gwen Stefani.)

Jonas, meanwhile, got back together with his brothers in January 2019 with their single “Sucker,” of which the music video heavily featured Pembroke Welsh Corgis as Nick, Joe and Kevin cavorted around an English castle with their wives.

Incidentally, Joe Jonas and his actress wife Sophie Turner (Dark Phoenix, Game of Thrones) got matching dog tattoos last summer in honor of their dog Waldo, who was run over in a freak accident while on a walk one day.

The remaining coaches for season 18 are John Legend and the original American Idol herself in Kelly Clarkson. Legend was in a Super Bowl 54 commercial that featured a dog (and his wife Chrissy Teigen).

The Voice airs at 8 p.m. ET on NBC on Monday nights.