Regardless of how much one likes The Voice’s contestants each season, and the music that they choose to perform, a bulk of the enjoyment comes from the group that’s sitting in the coaches’ chairs. This season’s lineup is about as strong as it’s ever been, and viewers can look forward to seeing former coaches Gwen Stefani, Usher and CeeLo Green return to the NBC hit series, though not in a permanent setting.
In what appears to be a one-of-a-kind spot, Stefani, Usher and Green are coming back as advisers for The Voice’s two-hour telecast airing on Monday, April 27. All three of these Grammy Award-winning artists will be taking a different approach to coaching the contestants, of which there are now just eight remaining, by getting more up close and personal with their advice than they could have in seasons previous.
Carson Daly shared on tonight’s telecast that the only other former coach, Shakira, will not be returning for next week’s episode as she’ll be in Spain. Ideally, The Voice could have really split it up with two former coaches advising over a two-week period, as getting advice from three different singers at a time might be overwhelming for the contestants.
Gwen Stefani, obviously pictured above, had the most short-lived stint as a team coach, stepping in for Season 7 after Shakira vacated the spot. She wasn’t alone in her newness, however, as Stefani was joined by Pharrell Williams, who is currently still there for Season 8.
Usher, meanwhile, was there for both of Shakira’s seasons, first taking over for CeeLo as a coach in Season 4. He later returned for Season 6, in which he was the first (and still the only) person to have a team member beat the teams of both of The Voice stalwarts Adam Levine and Blake Shelton for the top honors at the end of the season.
CeeLo Green has been in the coaching chair four times so far, first from Seasons 1-3. After opting out of Season 4 along with Christina Aguilera, he returned with her for Season 5, and then hasn’t been back since.
So tune into see these three past favorites return to The Voice for the Top 8 Performances on Monday, April 27.
