Blake Shelton Reveals ‘The Voice’ Mistake That Inspired Change in ‘The Road’

After more than a decade of spinning red chairs, giving advice to aspiring artists, and crowning winners on The Voice, country superstar Blake Shelton is sharing what he thinks the show’s shortcoming has been: Where are all the stars?  

Shelton’s big revelation is that the singing competition, for all its prestige and red button-slamming drama, didn’t actually produce a single household name (in contrast to American Idol, which crowned Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and Scotty McCreery, among others). No disrespect to the talented contestants and winners, but even loyal fans who watched the shows from the beginning until the finale still struggle to remember who won what season without Googling it.  

Shelton admitted (via Country Now) that the lack of major stars from The Voice inspired him to start his own talent show, The Road: “It bothered me more than it bothered the TV people. It’s easy to see why. By the time the artist wins the show, they’ve already moved on to the next season.  But also, that show was more about the coaches, and that’s why it was so popular, and not as much focus on the artists.”  

Aside from Shelton, Keith Urban is hosting the show (and also serves as executive producer) with Gretchen Wilson as tour manager. The show features 12 musicians competing to become the next country music star. In each episode, the participants will open for Urban at concert venues across the U.S. The live audiences and guests, including Karen Fairchild, Dustin Lynch, Jordan Davis, and Brothers Osborne, determine which of the contestants moves on in the competition.  

The winner will take home $250,000 in cash, a contract with Country Road Records, a performance on the Mane Stage at the 2026 Stagecoach Festival, and a spot at Red Bull Jukebox. The two runners-up will also get the chance to record at Red Bull Studio in Los Angeles for five sessions.  

Shelton said of Taylor Sheridan, co-executive producer of the show, “I met him through a mutual friend. He’s an amazing guy to work with.  He’s a creative genius. He can have a huge impact on the way a show looks. He has done a lot with music on Yellowstone, and he really wanted to be part of a music competition show.”  

Now that the show is already airing, Shelton said, “I think we found stars. Because they will perform an original song. Some of those original songs will take off and go viral.  Whether they win or not.  Their music will be available when the show airs, so they won’t have to wait for the end of the show to buy their music.”  

The Road is available for streaming on Paramount+.