Why 'The Voice' Only Has 3 Judges for 2026's Season 29 & How the NBA Is Involved
The Voice is back for its 29th season and there’s a big change to the format – the show only has three judges for the first time.
The NBC singing competition series has always had four coaches on the panel, but the network decided to reduce the size of the judging panel for 2026.
Why?
The NBA is partially to blame!
NBC is bringing NBA games back to the primetime lineup this year and The Voice‘s season has been given less airtime as a result.
“The hours this season are considerably less,” showrunner Audrey Morrissey told GoldDerby, adding that the teams would be “too small” if there were four coaches.
She said, “It felt a little ridiculous.”
Only 30 contestants are advancing to the next round following the Blind Auditions this season, compared to 48 artists in seasons 27 and 27, and 56 artists in season 26. Each coach will have 10 contestants on their teams this year.
The season’s new “Battle of the Champions” title refers to how Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, and John Legend have all won previous seasons with their contestants. The season is NOT a competition of former winning contestants.
That being said, each coach is bringing back two All-Stars from their former seasons.
Get the scoop on who will NOT be back for the new season.