Why Are There Only 3 Coaches in ‘The Voice’ Season 29?
What To Know
- For the first time ever, The Voice Season 29 only has three celebrity coaches instead of four.
- The new number comes amid scheduling and programming changes at NBC.
- Each coach will only have 10 artists on their teams after the Blind Auditions.
Since The Voice debuted in 2011, there have always been four superstar artists serving as coaches to the contestants … until now. For Season 29, the show shook things up a bit by only having three coaches on the panel: Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, and John Legend.
The shakeup is due to programming changes at NBC. With the networking adding NBA games back to its primetime lineup, there is no longer an episode of The Voice on Tuesdays, which has reduced the number of episodes in the season.
“The hours this season are considerably less,” showrunner Audrey Morrissey explained to Gold Derby. That meant that the show had to reduce the number of contestants who made it onto the season, and if there were four coaches, the teams would’ve been too small. “It felt a little ridiculous,” Morrissey admitted, while promising that viewers won’t “miss four coaches at all.”
This year, the three coaches will each get 10 artists on their teams in the Blind Auditions, and that number will be dwindled down in each round until four singers make the Finals (whichever coach wins the new All-Star Showdown round will have the advantage of an additional artist in the finale).
So, only 30 contestants will make a team on this season of The Voice, which is a much lower number than recent seasons. For comparison, in Seasons 27 and 28, all four coaches got 12 artists on their teams, which meant 48 singers made it through the Blind Auditions. In Season 26, the coaches had 14 artists each for a total of 56 singers who advanced to the Battle Rounds.
Season 29 of The Voice airs for two hours on Monday nights at 9/8c. The Blind Auditions will continue with the Monday, March 2, episode, and a rerun of the premiere episode will also be airing on Wednesday, February 25.
The Voice, Season 29, Mondays, 9/8c, NBC
Turn Your Red Chair
Get absolutely everything about The Voice in your inbox!
Conversation12 Comments
Please read the TV Insider Community Guidelines.
Register or sign in to join the conversation.
-
S
I prefer the 4 coach format. It creates a better competitive atmosphere. This just feels like something is missing. There’s also no blocks. I’ll give it a chance but shorter version with less coaches doesn’t feel as exciting and show no longer has that wow factor.
-
S
Exactly we need 4 coaches. my dream coaches are Gwen Stefani, John legend, Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton💗
-
-
M
This was a huge mistake. I was so surprised they brought Adam back especially after him walking away and breaking his contract. Not to mention throwing his own artist under the bus that same season. There is no chemistry and it’s forced camaraderie. 3 coaches ? So it’s American Idol. Such a shame.
-
P
You have ruined my favorite show 😒
-
S
These people who made the decision to have three people as judges have ruined me and my grandmas favorite show to watch together 😭💔😔😭😭😞😭😭😭😭😭😞😭😞🙁😔😢
-
-
V
I perfer 4 coaches, I think the network is just sabotaging the show. Pay the extra buck it is so, so worth it. Then again I want the old cowboy back that would Rock ! Adam’s attitude will hurt the show if he doesn’t smarten up
-
K
agree and i ended up watching AI instead it was hard to follow the scheduling with NBA cutting into it. They should go back to original format on a night of their own. Screw basketball
-
B
Don't like 3 coaches, dont like the coach dynamics, dont like the limiting contestants and limiting their time and performances.
At this point just cancel the show if this is the new Voice... it sucks.
-
T
I agree totally. Show has completely went off the cliff
-
T
The voice has went down hill the past few years. This year it’s about to go over the cliff
-
M
Blah, blah, blah. Probably because The Voice is losing popularity and it's cheaper to produce with three coaches instead of four. Btw, I never hear any of these 'winners' on the radio, unlike American Idol.
-
C
The Voi
Show was awful.
Won’t watch again.
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services