“I’m excited about Ariana joining the show because it’s somebody new for me to beat,” Shelton, who is the winningest coach with seven titles, told reporters during a virtual press conference, along with John Legend, Nick Jonas, and season 20 mega mentor Snoop Dogg. “I’m tired of beating John every season—and Nick.” Shelton, who appeared to be Zooming in from his ranch in Oklahoma, claims that Jonas has been the easiest coach he ever beat in 20 seasons of doing the show—even though the two only faced off one full season so far, season 18. The results of Jonas’ second season as a coach are still several weeks away. “The easiest defeat of my career was Nick Jonas, so I’m looking for a challenge,” Shelton went on. “Ariana could be a challenge, but I’m looking forward to beating her though.” Each season The Voice keeps at least two of its longtime coaches in the red swivel chairs, and then rotates in one or two fresh faces. That way, the audience has something familiar but with a twist. “Part of the charm of the show is that we keep things exciting and bring different coaches on that will add a new flavor to the mix,” Legend added. “Ariana is one of the most gifted artists in our business today. She is a huge, chart-topping artist with amazing vocal skills. I think so many of our fans out there truly love her, and I think she’s going to bring additional fans to the show, a different audience to the show, and I think it’s going to be great for all of us.” Jonas was asked what advice he would have for Grande, but he demurred, saying, “Ariana doesn’t need my advice. She’s an incredible artist and, I think, our generation’s best vocalist. She’s got such an incredible career to pull from to inspire these artists she’s going to work with. I’m so excited to see her beat Blake. It’s going to be great for me.” As to when or whether Jonas might return for another season of The Voice, he didn’t commit. The Voice airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Next, who went home and who made it through on night three of The Voice season 20’s battle rounds.
