It looks like The Voice will probably do another switcheroo before next season. When Season 1-3 judges Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green opted to take a break from NBC’s hit singing competition series, there was a presumption that the two singers would be back as mentors at some point, although no one knew exactly when. On Monday, news broke that Aguilera has signed a new contract with The Voice for Season 5 and that Green is well on his way to doing the same thing.
After a couple of consecutive seasons, Aguilera took a break from the hit series in order to spend time promoting her most recent album, Lotus. Green also opted to take a leave of absence at the same time, presumably to also work on his music career. According to The Wrap, executive producer Mark Burnett has gone on the record to say that he believes his mentors will “cycle out” throughout the tenure of the show. Since The Voice takes up a lot of time and since each of the mentors have a busy career, maintaining consistency on the mentors' panel would not be an easy feat.
The Voice is currently airing its fourth season on NBC, with Shakira and Usher having taken over the empty judges seats. Shakira, especially, has been a welcome addition to the competition, and if Aguilera returns, that should mean that Shakira is out. Clearly the new additions have contributed and have been well-received by audiences. During Season 4, the reality competition has been doing well in the ratings. Last month, the show hit a ratings milestone when a Monday and Tuesday airing beat out all other network programs in the 18-49 demographic, as well as in total viewers. When and if the former judges return, it will be a bit of a double-edged sword; while it would be nice to see the original panel back in action, it will be a loss to see Shakira and Usher go. Then again, if they do go, perhaps they will "cycle in" again during a later season.
NBC’s The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
