BLAKE Shelton is plotting a music competition show to rival The Voice, a Hollywood insider close to his inner circle has told The U.S. Sun.
The country music performer turned TV star, 47, left a legion of fans disappointed last year after making his exit from the hit NBC show.
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Since then it has become apparent that Blake has ambitions of becoming a Simon Cowell or Ryan Seacrest-style TV mogul.
Shortly after leaving The Voice, he announced he was launching a production company with Emmy Award-winning former The Voice executive producer Lee Metzger.
And he has continued to appear on TV screens with the bar-themed game show Barmageddon, which he and Metzger created alongside The Voice host Carson Daly.
But an entertainment industry source says that the buzz around those who know Blake is that in time he will come up with a music show of his own.
“Barmageddon has been a fun side project for Blake and he continues to wait for word on a third season renewal of the show,” the insider said.
“But it’s not anywhere near the scale of The Voice and Blake’s ambition is still to eventually produce a music competition show and for it to be even bigger than anything that has come before.
“What Barmageddon has provided Blake with is more experience producing television on a budget and of course an opportunity to further bond with Carson Daly after their amazing run on The Voice.
“But Blake wants to go a lot further than that in television and everybody believes he will.
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“He has great instincts and a huge fan base ready to embrace whatever he does next as a TV creator and producer.”
‘RUNNING HIS OWN SHIP’
Oklahoma-born Blake – who is married to No Doubt singer and fellow former The Voice judge Gwen Stefani – said he was leaving The Voice in May last year to spend more time with his family.
That same month Blake announced that he and Lee Metzger were launching Lucky Horseshoe Productions.
Before that, their collaboration on Barmageddon – which is set in Blake’s Ole Red bar in Nashville – got off to a great start when it opened to 1.2 million viewers on USA Network in December 2022.
The second season wrapped last week and it remains to be seen whether the NBCUniversal-owned cable channel will renew it for a third.
Asked about Blake’s departure from The Voice, The U.S. Sun’s source said, “Blake was always an employee of the Voice. He is trying to become his own person.
“He wants to become a TV mogul like Cowell or Seacrest.
“He’s still working with Carson Daly obviously but pulling the strings he wants to pull.
“Blake is realistic that he’s not going to be touring and performing star forever. He sees a future behind the camera.
“The thing with Barmageddon is that he produces it, that’s more important to him than being on camera.
“He has fantasies about becoming something different, not just being a singing and smiling monkey making other people money. It’s about running his own ship.”
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