The live shows of “The Voice” Season 13 begin next week on NBC, where new panelist Jennifer Hudson‘s team will face off against the teams of second-time judge Miley Cyrus and perennial coaches Blake Shelton and Adam Levine. Now that we’ve seen Hudson in action through the early rounds, how do YOU think she stacks up to all the coaches who’ve come before? Click through our photo gallery above that ranks all 11 “The Voice” coaches from best to worst. Be sure to sound off with your thoughts on our rankings down in the comments section.
1. Blake Shelton — It is tough to argue Shelton topping this list considering he’s won five championships as a coach. In fact, in five of the six seasons that he wasn’t victorious, his artist was the runner-up. That’s just pure domination. Some may argue he has a lock on all of the country artists, but his first win came in Season 2 with R&B singer Jermaine Paul.
2. Adam Levine — No coach to date is more vocally and visibly competitive than Levine. He is tenacious in his quest for victory and has come out on top three times with Javier Colon (Season 1), Tessanne Chin (Season 5), and Jordan Smith (Season 9). What Levine understands, perhaps more than anyone outside of Shelton, is the importance of song choice.
3. Pharrell Williams — There simply isn’t a more likable coach than Williams, who is better than anyone at luring artists to his team after blind auditions. His ability to look an artist in the eyes and convince them that they are individuals who need to be celebrated for their own unique ability is unmatched. The highlight of Williams’ time on the panel was Season 8, when he coached Sawyer Fredericks to victory.
SEE The Voice: Past Winners for Seasons 1-12 (Photo Gallery)
4. Alicia Keys — In just her second season the iconic soul singer was able to lead her protégée, Chris Blue, to the winner’s circle, proving she was a quick read when it comes to coaching. Perhaps the most impressive piece of Keys’ game is her ability to win over contestants after the blind auditions.
5. Christina Aguilera — Known for being one of this generation’s most gifted singers, Aguilera was the top choice for “Voice” producer Mark Burnett when he was creating this series. But it took her a while to find her groove as a coach, not always able to convince contestants to choose her over others on the panel – and sometimes failing to even get an artist to the finals.
6. Usher — At times it seemed like Usher would rather be anywhere but the coach’s chair, but you simply can’t deny his track record. Usher expressed in an interview that he would, at times, purposely act indifferent because he thought the reverse psychology would lure contestants to his team.
7. Miley Cyrus — If being fun to watch was the only criteria, Cyrus would rank much higher on the list. Unfortunately, it takes more to be a successful coach. There may not be anyone more invested in her contestants. It has been reported that she dedicated more of her time to her artists than any other coach. But she also made a ton of mistakes.
8. CeeLo Green — Although he was one of the original coaches of the series, CeeLo feels like more than an afterthought at this point. It is difficult to remember standout moments he created outside of wearing crazy outfits all the time. He was never fortunate enough to coach a winner but he did have moderate successes in his first three season, including Juliet Simms taking second in Season 2.
9. Shakira — The bubbly Colombian superstar was a breath of fresh air when she joined “The Voice” in Season 4. She would often make jokes about Usher, Adam and Blake not understanding women when trying to convince female artists to join her team. And her connection to the artists she worked with felt genuine and heart-felt.
10. Jennifer Hudson — The Oscar-winning actress and singer best known for her powerful delivery of torch ballads proved to be an immediate force on the coaching panel when she debuted in Season 13. She made her presence known early after successfully securing the first four-chair turn blind audition of the cycle. Hudson then wisely moved into the live shows with a diverse team that consisted of a gospel powerhouse, a teen heartthrob, and a pop/soul diva-in-training.
11. Gwen Stefani — Gwen Stefani always felt like an odd choice to be on this series, and she’s had mixed results. My biggest issue with Stefani is her love affair with the clothes and image of an artist. For a series called “The Voice”, it is the opposite of what the show stands for at its very core. For this reason, and the fact that she hasn’t had a top-three finisher to date, Stefani ranks last.
SEE ‘The Voice’ season 13 spoilers: Team Adam Levine live show artists are …
You can start making winner and elimination predictions for “The Voice” soon. In the meantime, be sure to make your predictions for “Dancing with the Stars,” “Survivor” and more reality shows to help set their racetrack odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before the live shows air. You’ll compete to win bragging rights and a $100 Amazon gift certificate on any shows with live episodes. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our reality TV forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
