Entertainment

Which Judges Are Returning To 'The Voice'?

by Kaitlin Reilly

It's almost time to crown a sixth singer on The Voice — and prepare for a whole new show come Season 7! While we don't know who will be crowned the Season 6 winner of The Voice yet — Christina Grimmie, Josh Kaufman, and Jake Worthington will battle it out this Tuesday — one thing that we do know is who will be sitting pretty in the judges seats come Season 7. The NBC singing competition has always boasted major industry players in those spinning chairs, and this season will be no exception. In fact, this season should be one of the best ones of The Voice yet, with brand new coaches assembling their own teams.

The two fresh Season 7 coaches may be new to The Voice, but they're two of pop music's best and brightest. Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams will judge The Voice in Season 7, and the two couldn't be better picks. Williams has a major hit with "Happy" and is currently one of the most sought after artists in the business — at one American Idol allegedly wanted Williams to join their team. Stefani's last solo album was the chart-topping "The Sweet Escape," and has since created a fashion line and worked as a spokesperson for brands like L'oreal Paris. She's launched an incredible career for herself — she'll be able to provide invaluable advice as a judge and coach of The Voice.

We know that Stefani and Williams are bringing something fresh to the show, but what about the other coaches of The Voice? While the show has had some replacement coaches step up, The Voice has had four main judges stick around for the majority of the series. So will Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, and Cee Lo Green judge Season 7? Here are the fates of the original four... and the artists who could take over their slots in the future.

Adam Levine

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Though Levine had previously hinted that he would not be returning to The Voice for Season 7, there's no need to worry. Levine has confirmed that he will judge the seventh season of the singing competition and that he's excited to work with both Stefani and Williams, of whom he is "a big fan." Levine is one of only two judges to judge every season of The Voice, and it's amazing that he has time to do this and still be the hit-maker that he is.

If Levine ever does decide that he needs a break from the singing competition, the show would need a successful front man (with a killer voice) to slide into his place. One person who would fit the bill? The Fray's lead singer Isaac Slade, for one.

Blake Shelton

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Good ole' country music will once again be represented on The Voice. Country star Shelton is returning to Season 7 as a judge and coach, which means plenty of time for him to pal around with (and bust the chops of) his blond-haired buddy Adam Levine.

Who should replace Shelton when the time comes? The show definitely needs a country twang on the judging panel, and it would be nice to have more than one lady on board at a time. Shelton's wife and country star Miranda Lambert would be perfect for the slot currently occupied by her hubby.

Christina Aguilera

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Aguilera judged the show for several seasons but is currently taking a break from the competition to focus on a big project — Aguilera is raising her new baby. She was replaced with singer Shakira during her time off in Season 4 and in Season 6, and, for Season 7, will be replaced by Stefani.

Though Aguilera is set to return to Season 8 of The Voice , there's always a chance she'll take another break in the future. Who should take over Aguilera's slot should she skip another season? It has to be a female vocalist with insane chops — how about Kelly Clarkson? Not only does she have a powerhouse voice, but she has judging experience from her time on Duets AND knows what it's like to be a contestant on a singing competition from her American Idol days.

Cee Lo Green

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Sorry, Cee Lo fans: Green isn't planning on ever returning to The Voice . He's been missing from the current season of the show, where he was replaced by Usher, but appears to be making his departure permanent, allegedly due to beef between him and the producers of the show.

The "Happy" singer will take over the slot, but you know who else would be awesome in the role? Yep, another lady — Fergie. We haven't heard much from her musically in a while, and The Voice is the perfect comeback vehicle. No one has more confidence that Fergie (just listen to "Fergilicious") and she could create a kickass team that might actually take down Levine and Shelton's one of these days.