The Voice: All Judges, Ranked
Mia Russell The Voice has seen 15 different musicians serve as coaches along with countless others as coaches advisors and mentors.
Not only has The Voice been on the air for more than a decade with more than 20 seasons under its belt, the reality singing competition series has also seen a long list of celebrity coaches making up the panel.
While Blake Shelton remains the only coach to not only have been on the show since its inaugural season but also the only one to appear in every season, others have come and gone. Some have taken a season off then returned for the next while many had their run and have since confirmed a permanent departure. They all put their own unique spins on the job and were joined by plenty of guest celebrity judges and mentors as well.
15 Alicia Keys (Season 11, 12, 14)
While she did her best to coach her teammates and fight for the people she wanted on her team, Alicia Keys wasn't quite as enthusiastic as the other coaches.
A big part of being a coach on the show is the dynamic with the other coaches, and Keys didn't add a ton of personality to the panel. With that said, she does have a pretty good average having won season 12 with contestant Chris Blue after only appearing on the show three times.
14 Shakira (Season 4, 6)
Appearing in the same two seasons as Usher, while Shakira was joyful and invested when she was on the show, she never managed to inch out a win with her teams. She appeared on the first few seasons when Christina Aguilera was not present, and fans might have spent too much time comparing her presence to Aguilera's.
Shakira, who has also done acting as one of many singers to appear in animated Disney movies, was entertaining as a coach. But there wasn't anything particularly memorable about her time on the show.
13 Christina Aguilera (Season 1-3, 5, 8, 10)
Aguilera was a compelling coach and one of the originals on the panel. But with only one win through her time on the series with competitor Alisan Porter in season 10, her track record isn't the best.
It isn't just about winning, however. And Aguilera is a powerhouse vocalist who really knew how to help her team members come out of their shells and improve their vocals and stage presence.
12 Jennifer Hudson (Season 13, 15)
Jennifer Hudson was a great addition to the judging panel, not only because of her talent as a singer but also given that she was once in the same position as contestants, having been on a similar singing competition series. While she didn't win American Idol, Hudson went on to star in plenty of great roles in a pivot to acting, including many musical ones.
She only appeared in two seasons and was invested in her team and in fighting for the best singers she wanted to coach. She was also their biggest cheerleader, making her pride known via expressions and even standing ovations. With that said, Hudson never won, despite having won when judging on The Voice U.K.
11 CeeLo Green (Season 1-3, 5)
CeeLo (and his cat) was one of the original judges, and fans loved his quirky, loud, and fun outfits as well as colorful commentary. His personality and advice as both a singer and songwriter were invaluable for contestants.
However, of the four seasons CeeLo appeared on, he did not manage to win with someone from his team. CeeLo was known, however, for bringing together an eclectic group of singers and challenging them to try something outside of their comfort zones.
10 Usher (Season 4, 6)
Even though Usher was only a coach on two seasons of the show, he is averaging 50% since he did indeed manage to win one of those two seasons: he took home the win in season 6 alongside his winning team member Josh Kaufman.
Usher was a favorite on the show, with many contestants having grown up listening to his music. He provided good advice for his team members, often singing himself to demonstrate what they should do, which both the team members and viewers at home loved to see. And how can fans forget his signature casual look, turning around in his chair to see a singer, leg up as if he were lounging on his couch at home.
9 Ariana Grande (Season 21)
The newest judge on the panel joining in season 21, Grande was instantly a hit among contestants given her mega-pop-star status. Sure, Grande has had her share of dramatic scandals. But in the business, she is known for her incredible vocal range, and fans recognize her ability to help them with the technical aspects of singing.
She has been an interesting addition to the panel, proving she knows how to play the coaches battle game with moves like her "Thank you, next" soundbyte to shrug off another coaches attempt to get a singer she wanted on her team. But without a history to go by, Grande ranks in the middle of the pack.
8 Miley Cyrus (Season 11, 13)
Cyrus has always been a firecracker and she showed her bold personality while on the show, along with her quirky fashion sense. But she also showed her business side as she took her job as a coach for aspiring singers seriously. She took each person under her wing and did what she could to help them along the way.
With that said, Cyrus only appeared on two seasons and was not able to have any of her team members crowned winner. She did, however, have a semi-finalist in Ali Caldwell in season 11 and her team member Brooke Simpson placed third on season 13. So, she came close.
7 Nick Jonas (Season 18, 20)
Many of the contestants swooned at the site of Nick Jonas in a coaching chair, complete with his little notebook where he jotted down details about the contestants. He filled a team easily as many contestants wanted to learn from the mega pop star who managed to become successful not only with his brothers in The Jonas Brothers but also his own solo career.
He talked up his abilities, connections, and star status to get people to join his team, and while it worked, he did not coach a winner.
6 John Legend (Season 16-21)
Legend has been a staple in the coach's seat for the last several seasons, charming contestants with his singing, song-writing, and coaching abilities. Other coaches use every opportunity to bring up the fact that he is an EGOT winner, meaning he has earned an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.
Legend came out of the gate strong, winning the first season he appeared on with folk singer Maelyn Jarmon. But that remains his one and only win. Still, Legend is one of the coaches who many fans look up to, and his back-and-forth commentary with the others, particularly Blake and Kelly, make for entertaining seasons every time.
5 Pharrell Williams (Season 7-10)
Pharrell is one of the most prolific music producers of this generation, so that alone makes his presence on the show huge. This wasn't lost on contestants who clamored for the opportunity to work with the hitmaker.
Pharrell won season 8 with Sawyer Fredericks, and while he didn't pull out another win, seeing him at work, coaching and finding unique ways to arrange classic songs for his singers so their performances would make an impact was in and of itself worthwhile to watch.
4 Gwen Stefani (Season 7, 9, 12, 17, 19)
Of every coach on the show, Stefani always came across as the most genuine, even being brought to tears multiple times when having to let one of her team members go, or when talking to them about how much they had grown during an elimination episode. It was obvious she cared deeply about each of her singers. She was the first judge, after all, to develop team-based clothing to hand out to those who joined her. Stefani finally got a win with her team member Carter Rubin in season 19.
While Stefani isn't a powerhouse vocalist like some of the other coaches, fans loved her feedback and sweet attitude. And with a long and successful career in the business, she was able to help her team members come out of their shells, build confidence, and own the stage when they performed.
3 Kelly Clarkson (Season 13-21)
Clarkson is a bundle of energy, and her conversations with contestants and teammates are just as entertaining as the banter she has with all the fellow coaches. As someone who has been through the reality competition show experience, memorably as the first winner of American Idol, she knows what they are going through and can relate. With her bubbly personality and gift for gab and witty one-liners, it's no surprise that she is a fan favorite coach.
As a technical singer, and someone who can hit all the tough notes, as well as a huge pop star, Clarkson also has the versatility to help all kinds of singers. And it shows since she won three seasons, including season 14 (Brynn Cartelli), season 15 (Chevel Shepherd), and season 17 (Jake Hoot).
2 Adam Levine (Season 1-16)
Levine racked up the second-highest number of seasons of any judge, staying on for the show's first 16. What fans truly loved was his banter with Blake Shelton, a country music singer who couldn't be more different from Levine. The fact that they came from such different worlds and ended up becoming close friends/frenemies is what initially made the show so compelling to watch, more so than even the contestants.
But Levine was also tremendously successful on The Voice, attracting top talent who wanted to get coaching and advice from the successful Maroon 5 frontman. He won the first season of show with Javier Colon, followed by Tessanne Chin in season 5 and Jordan Smith in season 9, for a total of three.
1 Blake Shelton (Season 1-21)
There's no question that Shelton is the best coach on The Voice. Going strong as the only coach to appear on the series through its entire run, he also has more wins than any other coach to date with a total of eight (Jermaine Paul, season 2; Cassadee Pope, season 3; Danielle Bradbery, season 4; Craig Wayne Boyd, season 7; Sundance Head, season 11; Chloe Kohanski, season 13; Todd Tilghman, season 18, and Cam Anthony, season 20).
Shelton has his own signature moves on the show, including the flexing finger atop his head trying to get contestants to pick him, the clever insults flying at everyone (including his "Don't Speak" button for Stefani), and genuine desire to help his contestants, particularly young aspiring singers. He put his heart and soul into every season and it shows.
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