One of The Voice‘s most famous rivalries is back.

Years after Adam Levine and Blake Shelton stopped sharing the coaches’ chairs, Shelton has returned to the studio for a special celebration marking the singing competition’s 30th season — and naturally, a reunion with his longtime friend and favorite target was part of the occasion.

A preview teased Shelton’s arrival with the words, “There’s an old sheriff in town,” before showing him walking into the studio alongside his wife and fellow former coach Gwen Stefani.

Moments later, Shelton and Levine were embracing, posing together and preparing to revisit a relationship that helped define The Voice during its earliest years.

For longtime viewers, it is a reunion packed with 15 years of jokes, arguments, pranks and genuine friendship.

Blake Shelton Is Back At The Voice

Shelton’s return comes as NBC celebrates a major milestone for the competition.

The Voice is entering Season 30, with the new season premiering Monday, September 21.

Before the competition begins, however, the show is taking time to revisit the previous 15 years.

The anniversary celebration brings Shelton back into the world he occupied for more than two decades of the series.

And he isn’t returning alone.

Gwen Stefani accompanies him into the studio in footage promoting the event.

Both are deeply connected to the show’s history, but Shelton’s reunion with Levine carries particular significance.

‘There’s An Old Sheriff In Town’

The promotional footage makes Shelton’s arrival feel appropriately dramatic.

“There’s an old sheriff in town,” a voiceover announces.

Shelton then walks into the familiar studio with Stefani.

Soon afterward, Levine and Shelton are seen greeting each other with a hug and posing for photographs.

They are also shown sitting together at a table, apparently ready to look back at their long history on the series.

That history stretches all the way back to Season 1.

Their Rivalry Helped Define The Voice

Levine and Shelton were both original coaches when The Voice premiered.

They quickly developed a friendship that became almost as entertaining as the singing competition itself.

The pair relentlessly mocked each other.

They fought over contestants.

They celebrated each other’s failures.

And their increasingly elaborate insults established the kind of playful coach rivalry that eventually became one of the show’s trademarks.

It worked because neither seemed particularly interested in holding back.

Shelton reportedly made it clear early in their friendship that Levine could go as hard as he wanted with the jokes.

The Maroon 5 frontman accepted the invitation enthusiastically.

Their Jokes Could Get Very Personal

Over the years, their rivalry moved well beyond disagreements about singers.

Levine even joked about Shelton’s relationship with Gwen Stefani, while Shelton continued taking shots at Levine after his longtime rival was no longer regularly sitting beside him.

And there were pranks.

One of the more memorable stories involved Shelton and a teacup pig, adding another bizarre chapter to their long-running collection of off-camera antics.

For viewers, the constant bickering became part of the entertainment.

Behind it, however, was a real friendship.

That combination helped make Shelton and Levine one of the show’s most recognizable pairings.

They Haven’t Coached Together In Years

Despite how closely their names became associated with The Voice, it has been years since the two served as coaches together.

Levine departed after 16 seasons.

Shelton remained considerably longer, eventually stepping away following Season 23.

That ended an extraordinary run for the country star, who had been part of the show since its beginning.

Levine eventually returned to coaching in Season 27.

Their departures, however, didn’t completely end their appearances together on the program.

The Reunions Never Completely Stopped

Maroon 5 returned to perform during the Season 20 finale, creating another opportunity for Levine and Shelton to cross paths.

Levine also came back for Shelton’s final episode.

And when Shelton later returned to perform during the Season 27 finale, the old friends shared another moment together.

But the Season 30 celebration is different.

This time, the purpose is specifically to look backward at the history of The Voice.

And it is difficult to tell that story without revisiting Adam and Blake.

Adam Levine Returns As The Defending Champion

The timing also finds Levine in an interesting position.

Earlier this year, he won The Voice: Battle of Champions after his team member Alexia Jayy took the Season 29 title.

That makes Levine the coach entering the new season with the most recent victory behind him.

But before he can attempt to defend his title, he gets one more encounter with the man who spent years trying to beat — and annoy — him.

Shelton won’t be occupying a regular coaching chair for Season 30.

The new lineup has its own mix of familiar faces and newcomers.

Two New Coaches Join Season 30

Levine will be joined by Kelly Clarkson, another veteran of the competition.

The season also welcomes two rookie coaches.

Queen Latifah is making her coaching debut alongside country star Riley Green.

That gives Season 30 a four-person panel consisting of Levine, Clarkson, Latifah and Green.

For Levine, it means the familiar sight of Shelton sitting nearby won’t continue into the actual competition.

But the anniversary celebration provides longtime viewers with another dose of the chemistry that helped establish the show’s original identity.

Gwen Stefani Makes The Reunion Even More Fitting

Stefani’s appearance alongside Shelton adds another layer to the anniversary.

Her own history with The Voice became intertwined with Shelton’s after the pair met through the show and eventually married.

That makes the celebration something of a reunion between several figures who became closely associated with different eras of the competition.

Yet the image likely to trigger the strongest nostalgia is still Shelton beside Levine.

For years, they could barely make it through an episode without finding a reason to antagonize each other.

Now they are returning to look back on it together.

Fifteen Years Later, Adam And Blake Are Still Part Of The Story

Coaches have come and gone throughout The Voice‘s run.

Superstars from different genres have occupied the famous red chairs.

But few relationships have become as closely associated with the series as the friendship between Levine and Shelton.

Their rivalry helped establish that the coaches themselves could be characters in the show rather than simply judges overseeing the competition.

The teasing could be ruthless.

The pranks could be ridiculous.

The arguments could become personal.

Yet whenever one reached an important milestone, the other seemed to find his way back.

That happened when Shelton left.

It happened when Levine returned.

And now it is happening again as The Voice celebrates Season 30.

The red chairs may have changed.

Adam Levine and Blake Shelton’s ability to torment each other apparently hasn’t.