> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.theomnicosm.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Does Blake Shelton bring the magic? - URL: https://www.theomnicosm.com/does-blake-shelton-bring-the-magic/ - Published: 2015-01-25T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2025-10-27T18:39:31.000Z - Description: A republished recap of the Jan. 24, 2015, episode of ‘SNL’ hosted by Blake Shelton. - Author: Bill Kuchman - Tags: The Cold Open • From the Archive, SNL Season 40, The Cold Open, SNL, The Cold Open • Episode Reviews, Blake Shelton *I wrote* SNL *recaps for the original version of Popculturology from 2012 to 2015\. The opinions voiced in these recaps may be outdated based on the events that have occurred since their writing. This article was originally published on Jan. 25, 2015.* Welcome to Edition No. 54 of **Popculturology**'s *Saturday Night Live*recaps. All of your questions about the **Blake Shelton**\-hosted episode will soon be answered. ### How'd Blake Shelton do? Going into this weekend's episode, I wasn't sure how Shelton would do as an *SNL* host. Sure, he's a country music star and banters with **Adam Levine** on *The Voice*, but would he melt under the *SNL* spotlight? Turns out the show didn't give Shelton the chance to melt, instead hiding him in sketches that relied heavily on *SNL* castmembers. Don't get me wrong, Shelton delivered an enjoyable show. He played along with ridiculous concepts, he recited dumb lines and he didn't break when surrounded by ridiculousness. He just wasn't the star of his own episode. Shelton's monologue was a sign of how the show would go. He may have been the guy sitting at centerstage, but the monologue was about everyone else — mainly **Leslie Jones**. ## Sign up Join the hundreds of ****Deep SNL Thoughts** subscribers who already get free editions including the episode recaps, news and more. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. ➕ Already a ****Deep SNL Thoughts** subscriber? ****Please consider becoming a supporter** by [****upgrading your account**](https://www.theomnicosm.com/account/). 🍿🍪 Wanna add ****Popculturology** and ****Snackology** to your subscription? ****Update your email preferences** [****on your account page**](https://www.theomnicosm.com/account/). ### What were the best sketches of the night? **\[SKETCH NOT AVAILABLE\]** The best sketch of the night didn't just stand up Shelton — it stood up the two "Weekend Update" anchors *SNL* has been trying so hard this season to prove belong behind the "Update" desk. **Bobby Moynihan**'s Riblet, a high school friend of **Michael Che**, proved how easy it was to anchor the segment, insisting that it wasn't a hard jorb. This was Shelton's highlight. For reasons that I'm pretty sure include the fact that you can't have a character yelling for the power to "go down on myself," this sketch was held until the final moments of the night. Best country music song ever. (Not a very hard competition, though.) Once again, Shelton sat there while *SNL* went crazy around him. **Cecily Strong**, **Kate McKinnon**, **Vanessa Bayer** and **Aidy Bryant** all took turns unleashing increasingly insane dating show contestants. For Strong and Bayer, they once again played pornstars. Can we pretend those two characters were the duo that would someday find themselves hawking Sabosky crystals and Manuel Blondicks shoes? **\[SKETCH NOT AVAILABLE\]** Shelton got to sing in this one, performing a song that never got quite as awful as I hoped it would. ### How was 'Weekend Update'? Besides Moynihan's Riblet was the highlight of "Weekend Update," but we still got two more guests this week. A segment about **Pete Davidson** wanting everyone (especially his girlfriend) to know that he isn't gay? **\[SKETCH NOT AVAILABLE\]** Che and **Sasheer Zamata** performed well together, going on the premise that Zamata's character was there as a financial expert but really couldn't get over the fact that she and Che had just broken up. At the end of the segment, *SNL* revealed that Riblet wasn't just after Che's jorb. ### How about the rest of the show? Was a sketch poking fun at the New England Patriots, **Bill Belichick** and **Tom Brady** funny? Yes. Was it the best option to lead off this episode? Not really. *SNL* mostly ignored the past week's State of the Union, but even that probably wouldn't have been the best cold open option. Remember when *SNL* did *Celebrity Family Feud* and **Jimmy Fallon** played **Jim Parsons** while **Justin Timberlake** played Jimmy Fallon? That was awesome. Blake Shelton playing himself while **Taran Killam** plays a weak Levine wasn't very awesome. If there was a moment where Shelton needed his *The Voice* co-judge to swing by, this was it. Yes, we get it. He ate a few people. ****Deep SNL Thoughts** is written and produced by ****Bill Kuchman**. Copyediting by ****Tim Kuchman**. 💰 Like what you’re reading on ****Deep SNL Thoughts**? [Send ****a one-time tip to show your support** for the newsletter](https://www.theomnicosm.com/#/portal/support). ➕ Already a ****Deep SNL Thoughts** subscriber? ****Please consider becoming a supporter** by [****upgrading your account**](https://www.theomnicosm.com/account/). 🍿🍪 Wanna add ****Popculturology** and ****Snackology** to your subscription? ****Update your email preferences** [****on your account page**](https://www.theomnicosm.com/account/). 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