Shelton feels ‘ backlash’ for ‘ Voice’ wins

At one point Monday during the season 14 premiere of “The Voice,” Adam Levine was so excited that he dropped to the ground and pretended to make snow angels.

Alicia Keys and Kelly Clarkson were similarly ecstatic.

The reason: Thanks to a new twist allowing the celebrity coaches to block one another from competing for certain singers during the blind auditions, Blake Shelton was barred from trying to persuade a powerhouse country singer to join his team.

“I won’t even be mad if you don’t go with me,” Levine told contestant Justin Kilgore. “Because one thing I know for sure that you can’t do is go with Blake.”

Kilgore chose Clarkson, as did Molly Stevens, another talented country singer, during the second half of the premiere on Tuesday.

“People believe if you’re country on this show, that (only) Blake can help you, but that is not true,” Clarkson said.

The other coaches also tried to get Stevens to go with Clarkson — and basked in Shelton’s disappointment.

Shelton joked about his losses on Twitter, but he might have been genuinely frustrated.

The gang-up on Shelton was payback of sorts: The country megastar has won the show six times (four of those with country singers).

Shelton is a big draw for aspiring Nashville artists, but his fellow “Voice” coaches frequently vent about not having a shot with great country singers because those contestants typically choose Shelton during the blindaudition process.

The other coaches also struggle to lead their team members to victory because country singers have an excellent chance of making it far on the show.

“The Voice” is often criticized for not producing stars, but the country acts who have won — Cassadee Pope, Danielle Bradbery, Craig Wayne Boyd, Sundance Head — typically fare better than winners from other genres.

At a recent country-radio conference in Nashville, when asked why country contestants do so well on “The Voice,” the Swon Brothers (who placed third in season four) responded simply: “Blake Shelton.”

“We got his phone number; we have stayed at his house; we have hunted at his house,” Colton Swon said. “There’s a personal connection — he goes above and beyond. He’s been like a big brother.”

Shelton’s Music City connections have helped other team members, too.

For example, he gave Craig Wayne Boyd (winner of season seven in 2014) a song he’d been saving for himself.

Because Shelton is known to actively support a contestant’s career, he appeals to auditioners. The show’s producers obviously realize as much and work to amp up the drama.

Last year, for example, the producers played up Miley Cyrus’s quest to beat Shelton and win with a country singer. (It backfired.)

This season, the coaches are banding together to prevent Shelton from hoarding all the Nashville hopefuls.

“I blocked Blake,” Keys said triumphantly during the premiere. “I did what I’ve been waiting for!”