The Voice‘s 20th season premiered on Monday night (March 1), with Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Nick Jonas in the four red, spinning coaches’ chairs. But Shelton wasn’t only reunited with his coach pals: During Blind Auditions, he saw a former bandmate.
Both Legend and Shelton turned their chairs for a 45-year-old singer named Pete Mroz, who hails from Nashville and named himself the “old guy” on the show. He impressed with an emotional rendition of “Can’t Find My Way Home” by Blind Faith, which showed off his high-range, mournful vocals.
“I’m going to get to you,” Mroz told Shelton, who replied warily, “Sounds like there’s some history … That’s normally not a good thing with me.”
Mroz continued, explaining that he used to work as a songwriter in Music City, under the name Pete Mitchell. “I was in this group called the Young Riders,” he shared.
“I was also in a group called the Young Riders. With Pete,” Shelton admitted, a bit dazed. “I haven’t seen this guy in 25 years!”
As Clarkson screamed, “Are you serious?! You were in a group with this guy and he doesn’t remember you?!” Mroz confirmed it was the truth.
“You stole my bass player,” he told Shelton, pointing an accusing finger.
“No, I gave your bass player a job!” Shelton protested.
As the other coaches exploded in laughter, Legend noted that the best revenge against Shelton for this history would be to choose Team John. However, Mroz good-naturedly explained, “It wasn’t exactly a band … In Nashville, they do these things called songwriter rounds.”
TThe panel gave Mroz suggestions to ditch Shelton and take up Legend’s offer instead — but Mroz knew where his soul was destined to rest.
“I gotta go with the old cowboy,” he joked, and Shelton happily accepted him onto his team, adding of their past, “We were all literally little kids back then. I used to be skinny!”
“It’s just gonna be a blast to catch up with him and work with him,” Shelton says of Mroz. “I think he’s a hell of a singer.”
The Voice airs on Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC at 8PM CT.
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