Some of America’s most talented singers have competed on The Voice in the hopes of being chosen as the winner. With its unique blind audition format, four coaches build teams of singers based solely on the sound of their voice, then work with them to improve and hopefully win, with Carson Daly serving as host. The series premiered in 2011, and 26 seasons have aired so far, with more on the way. Over the course of its run, the series has won nine Emmy Awards. Winners are awarded $100,000 and a recording contract.
Some seasons of The Voice stand out above the rest, whether because of a tight competition or the sheer number of talented artists competing. Almost every season has also come with changes to the competition, including features such as the Instant Save, all of which have helped to keep the show fresh and fun to watch. Changes in the coaches have also kept the show interesting season after season, as each one brings not just their talent and expertise, but also their personality.
10Season 24 (2023)
Winning Coach: Niall Horan, Winning Contestant: Huntley
Season 24 of The Voice debuted in the fall of 2023, and by the end, rock singer Huntley was chosen as the winner, with country singer Ruby Leigh as runner-up and Mara Justine, also on Team Niall, in third place. It was the second consecutive win for Team Niall, while Team Stefani was the only one without a singer in the top five. Coaches Niall Horan, Gwen Stefani and John Legend returned, joined by first-time coach Reba McEntire.
While there’s nothing like the camaraderie between the original four coaches, the variety of new ones The Voice has featured over the years has only helped to keep the show fresh and interesting, especially for longtime viewers. McEntire was a welcome addition to the show and fit right in. On top of that, the five finalists displayed immense talent—for the first time in the show’s history, all were singers who had received four-chair turns in the blind auditions.
9Season 14 (2018)
Winning Coach: Kelly Clarkson, Winning Contestant: Brynn Cartelli
Season 14 of The Voice aired in the spring of 2018. The final four came down to Spensha Baker, Kyla Jade, Britton Buchanan and Brynn Cartelli, with Cartelli of Team Kelly being voted the winner. Cartelli’s win meant she was the show’s youngest winner ever up to that point, while Kelly Clarkson was the first replacement coach to win in their first season. In addition to Clarkson, coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton returned, as well as Alicia Keys.
Season 14 was good overall, with not only great singers but fantastic performances, as well—although some singers were sent home sooner than they deserved, including standout Christiana Danielle. And while the finale is always exciting to watch with its fair share of emotional moments, Cartelli and Clarkson’s shared excitement and happiness expressed through tears was moving to see. Cartelli was consistently fun to watch, especially as she performed songs spanning many genres.
8Season 1 (2011)
Winning Coach: Adam Levine, Winning Contestant: Javier Colon
The very first season of the show premiered in 2011. Javier Colon of Team Adam was the winner, the first of a total of three wins for Levine in his time on the show, with Beverly McClellan among the other finalists for the season. As the very first season, in addition to Levine, it featured Shelton, Christina Aguilera and CeeLo Green as coaches and kicked off the longstanding rivalry between Levine and Shelton.
It’s fun to revisit Season 1 of The Voice and see how far the show has come, from coaching changes and the way their relationships with each other evolved as a result to the ways the competition itself has changed, with more twists and turns now than ever. But no matter how the show has changed, one thing stays the same—more than one talented singer deserved the win, and in the first season, that included Dia Frampton.
7Season 10 (2016)
Winning Coach: Christina Aguilera, Winning Contestant: Alisan Porter
Season 10 of The Voice aired in the spring of 2016, and with a change in the competition, each coach was able to bring back an eliminated contestant—and it didn’t have to be from their own team. But in the end, former child actor Alisan Porter of Team Christina was declared the winner, making her the show’s first winner with a female coach. In addition to Aguilera, Levine, Shelton, and Williams all returned as coaches.
Porter quickly emerged as the season’s frontrunner, and she was amazing to watch week after week, perfectly singing her songs no matter the genre—but there was still plenty of talent to enjoy. Singers such as Hannah Houston more than held their own up against Porter’s powerhouse vocals, keeping each week entertaining, even if the season overall was somewhat predictable. Aguilera’s win as coach also made it a history-making season.
6Season 21 (2021)
Winning Coach: Kelly Clarkson, Winning Contestant: Girl Named Tom
In the fall of 2021, Season 21 of The Voice premiered, with sibling trio Girl Named Tom from Team Kelly going on to win the season. Ariana Grande made her debut as coach, replacing Nick Jonas from the previous season, with Clarkson and Legend returning, as well as Shelton, in his 21st season. Grande’s team was completely eliminated fairly early, while the season marked Clarkson’s fourth win as coach.
Season 21 featured plenty of talent—including Jershika Maple and father-son duo Jim and Sasha Allen—especially as the competition tightened in later weeks. Girl Named Tom’s win was well-deserved and unsurprising, given that they kicked the season off with a four-chair turn and their songs consistently landed among the top 10 on the iTunes charts. The group was the first to win the show and has continued to tour and release music since winning.
5Season 3 (2012)
Winning Coach: Blake Shelton, Winning Contestant: Cassadee Pope
For Season 3, the size of the teams increased from 12 singers to 16, and the season was also the first to feature the steal. The season’s finalists were Cassadee Pope, Terry McDermott and Nicholas David, with Team Blake’s Pope—former lead singer of Hey Monday—being voted as the winner, making her the series’ first female winner. The season also featured Melanie Martinez, and all four original coaches returned.
Season 3 was enjoyable to watch overall, with talented contestants and great camaraderie between the coaches. The three finalists in particular were incredible singers, as well as great performers who were a delight to watch—and they all delivered in the finale especially, and Pope showed clear improvement in her time on the show. She is still among its most successful winners, while Martinez, despite being eliminated, has also forged a successful career in music.
4Season 8 (2015)
Winning Coach: Pharrell Williams, Winning Contestant: Sawyer Fredericks
The Voice Season 8 began in February 2015 and ultimately crowned fan-favorite 16-year-old folk singer Sawyer Fredericks the winner—who got a four-chair turn within seconds of starting his blind audition with “I’m a Man of Constant Sorrow”—giving Team Pharrell his first and only win. Meghan Lindsey, formerly of duo Steel Magnolia, was the season’s runner-up. Levine, Shelton, Aguilera and Pharrell Williams, in his second season, all returned as coaches.
Fredericks was the clear frontrunner of Season 8 from its early days, and he was consistently great to watch—and was not only the youngest singer of the season, but also one of the youngest winners in the show’s history. But the season was still packed with talent, leading to both some of the best performances ever done on the show and some shocking and disappointing results for some of its best singers.
3Season 5 (2013)
Winning Coach: Adam Levine, Winning Contestant: Tessanne Chin
Jamaican rock singer Tessanne Chin won Season 5 of the competition in the fall of 2013. All four original coaches returned, despite Shakira and Usher having replaced Aguilera and Green, respectively, in the previous season—but it would be the last season with all four original coaches and Green’s last entirely. The season was also the first to extend the coach’s steals into the knockout rounds, after only having been available in the battles previously.
While country singers tend to do well on The Voice, Season 5 featured a larger variety of genres, especially later in the competition, making it more interesting overall. The season’s contestants were fun to watch, especially heading into the final episodes—the finalists were all deserving of the win, but Chin’s success was no surprise. The coaches were just as entertaining, especially their competition with each other in the blind auditions.
2Season 13 (2017)
Winning Coach: Blake Shelton, Winning Contestant: Chloe Kohanski
In the fall of 2017, The Voice aired its 13th season, with Team Blake’s fan-favorite rock singer Chloe Kohanski ultimately emerging as the winner and another fan-favorite, Addison Agen, as runner-up. Coaches Levine and Shelton returned. Miley Cyrus returned after taking a break for a season, and Jennifer Hudson, fresh off a win on The Voice UK, replaced Keys. Each coach tapped a different celebrity mentor to assist them in the season.
Season 13 got off to a strong start with the blind auditions. It featured a particularly strong group of singers, especially once the competition was narrowed down to the Top 12—and while the results of singing competitions are sometimes not much of a surprise, the season kept viewers guessing. Kohanski was deserving of the win, thanks to not only her raspy voice but also her commanding stage presence and gift for performing.
1Season 4 (2013)
Winning Coach: Blake Shelton, Winning Contestant: Danielle Bradbery
Season 4 of The Voice aired in the spring of 2013, and the final three came down to duo The Swon Brothers, Michelle Chamuel and Danielle Bradbery, with Team Blake’s country singer Bradbery ultimately being named the winner—the youngest in the show’s history up to that point. Both Levine and Shelton returned for their fourth seasons coaching, while Shakira and Usher replaced Green and Aguilera, who opted not to return for the season.
The final three competitors of any season of The Voice are always incredibly talented singers deserving of the win, but Season 4 in particular had an impressive group—and Bradbery has since gone on to become one of the show’s most successful winners. The group was just a small fraction of an amazing cast of singers who competed over the course of the season, but the downside of that was some of the season’s best competitors were eliminated far too soon.
