My guess is that, with The Voice returning on NBC — and it being the biggest thing the network has going for it — some network brass insisted to Jimmy Fallon that he trot out his very best recurring gag for Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani. I like to think that Fallon protested a little, “But that’s only for our very best guests, like Emma Stone and Paul Rudd!”

“We don’t care, Jimmy. If you don’t want to do it, there’s a guy in the timeslot behind you that would be HAPPY to do it. And there’s a line of “Weekend Update” anchors waiting their turn. Just shut up and dance like a monkey.”

Fortunately, the lip sync format is fairly foolproof, and while Shelton and Stefani do not measure up to the likes of Stone and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, it’s amusing, all the same. Shelton pulls out the tap, and the last number — “Endless Love” — sees Stefani take the Lionel Ritchie part and Shelton take Diana Ross’ with hilarious results. Stefani’s “Call Me Maybe” probably wins the night, though.

Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba.