There are only three judges on the latest season of The Voice (U.S., Season 29) because the show has a shorter season with fewer episodes and contestants , so producers decided a fourth coach would make the teams too small to be practical.

Quick Scoop

  • NBC added NBA games back into its primetime lineup, which cut into The Voice’s usual airtime.
  • With fewer episodes available, the show had to reduce the number of contestants to about 30 total instead of the usual 48–56.
  • Executive producer Audrey Morrissey explained that if they kept four coaches, each team would be “ridiculously” small , so they opted for three coaches instead.
  • The Season 29 coaches are Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, and John Legend , all returning champions from past seasons.

Format changes this season

  • About 30 contestants , split into teams of 10 per coach instead of 12 per coach like previous years.
  • A new “Triple Turn Competition” twist focuses on how many artists get all three chairs to turn during Blind Auditions.
  • The coach with the most triple-chair artists gets a “Super Steal” to grab a strong singer from another team later in the competition.

Will it stay at 3 judges?

  • The three-judge panel is described as a one-season adjustment tied to the shorter schedule, not a guaranteed permanent change.
  • Past seasons have experimented with the panel (like temporary fifth “guest” coaches), so the show is known to tweak its format when needed.

In short, the answer to “why is there only 3 judges on The Voice” right now is: less airtime, fewer contestants, so fewer coaches to keep teams balanced and the format workable.

TL;DR:
There are only three judges this season because NBC’s schedule (including NBA games) forced a shorter run, so The Voice cut contestants and dropped to three coaches to avoid tiny, uneven teams.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.