Dan + Shay Are Full-Time Coaches on 'The Voice' — But This Isn’t Their First Time on the Show

After the debut of their first single in 2013, Dan + Shay quickly climbed the charts and became a nationwide sensation. The duo has dropped five studio albums, and the songwriters were quickly catapulted into the spotlight, amassing more than one million followers on Instagram to date.

Whether you know them for their music or their musical expertise, thanks to their dual role as coaches on The Voice, plenty of people are curious about these two. And what many want to know is: were Dan + Shay ever contestants on The Voice?

They joined the rest of the cast back in 2021. But Dan + Shay became more permanent fixtures in Season 25 when the February 2024 premiere showed the pair with their own special seat. They appear to be here to stay, and because of that, fans have questions.

Although Dan + Shay have never been contestants on The Voice, they did perform “Speechless” alongside Season 15 winner Chevel Shepherd for the show’s live finale at the time, and they later joined Season 20 as Battle Advisors for #TeamBlake. After that, they returned in Season 23 as part-time coaches. Although their Season 20 appearance was their first time as advisors on The Voice, that wasn't the duo's first time working with Blake Shelton.

Blake Shelton gave Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, who are not brothers or related in any way, by the way, their first big tour slot. Dan told Access Hollywood, “He took us out on literally our first tour, the 'Ten Times Crazier' Tour, and I don’t even think we had a hit on the radio at that point. He took a chance on us and we became super close out there.”

He added, “Blake, as successful as he is, is the most humble, down-to-earth dude out there and just an incredible person, and incredible role model. We learned so much from him.”

Blake seemed equally happy to have had the duo return to the show as Battle Advisors to assist him in the 2021 season, noting at the time that he planned to use Dan + Shay as his secret weapon. Blake explained, “The way [Dan + Shay] come together and vocalize together and make music, I thought that would be a great mentor to have, these two.”

Blake added that he doesn't "know crap about harmony," which is where he saw a perfect fit for Dan + Shay at the time. Now, in Blake's absence, the pair are here for the first time as full-time coaches. They've certainly come a long way.

Watch The Voice on Mondays at at 8 p.m. EST and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.