The Voice may have found a replacement blonde. Reports this weekend indicate that after judge Christina Aguilera decided to opt out for Season 7, the search has been underway for her replacement. You should be feeling hella good about NBC’s new choice: Gwen Stefani will be a mentor on The Voice for its upcoming season.
NBC hasn’t come out to make an official statement about Stefani’s new gig, yet, but outlets like TMZ and NY Daily News are describing her contract as a done deal. If the rumors are right, Stefani has signed a one-year deal to judge and mentor on the popular singing competition series. It makes sense. Judge Christina Aguilera has a touch of pregnancy, and if she stuck around for Season 7, she would be about to pop out the kid as the season progressed. If she had really wanted to, she probably could’ve swung the demanding TV gig and her pregnancy, but luckily, The Voice is set up so that a judge can take a break for one season without major ramifications.
Since NBC produces multiple seasons of The Voice each year, the show often trades off judges from season to season. While Blake Shelton and Adam Levine are usually mainstays, the rest of the cast has rotated and has included Usher, Aguilera, Shakira, and Cee Lo Green. Indeed, the news that Stefani might join the show comes just a few months after Green quit and rockstar producer and music artist Pharrell Williams signed on to join the show for Season 7.
Stefani, like Williams, has had a little experience with singing competition shows, although hers has been with a rival series. Stefani has popped up on Fox’s rival series, American Idol, for more than one episode, memorably choosing costumes for Season 10 contestants, including Pia Toscano, Haley Reinhart and Lauren Alaina. She’s also guest mentored on the long-running series. Her tenure on The Voice will certainly be a lot harder than her short spurts on Idol, but part of being on reality TV is being comfortable with a camera, and Stefani certainly has the experience to do a good job, even if it is only for one season.
As noted prior, NBC hasn’t officially confirmed the news, but if Stefani does prove to be the new addition to The Voice, Season 7 is shaping up nicely. Filming for the new season is expected to start in June, with new episodes airing later. We’ll keep you updated as the story progresses.
Season 6 of The Voice currently airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
