There was a time when Adam Levine wasn’t just a rockstar with a falsetto voice and chart-topping hits—he was a formidable force on The Voice. As one of the original coaches when the show premiered in 2011, Levine didn’t take long to assert his dominance. Victory in Seasons 1, 5, and 9 painted a picture of a coach with a winning instinct, someone who knew how to mold raw talent into national sensations. But somewhere along the line, the tide turned. And it turned hard.
The man who once seemed invincible in the red chair is now the face of one of the longest losing streaks in The Voice history. Not only has he failed to win again since 2015, but he’s repeatedly fallen short of even getting a contestant into the Top 3.
From Jordan Smith to the Deep Slide: A Tale of Two Coaching Eras
Let’s rewind for a second. Season 9 saw Adam Levine take Jordan Smith, a powerhouse vocalist, all the way to the winner’s circle. That win felt like another feather in his already-plumed cap. But following that glorious moment, something shifted. Season after season, Team Adam began to vanish from the spotlight as the finales approached.
By Season 13, there was a glimmer of hope in Addison Agen, who ended up as the runner-up. But there’s a twist in that tale: Addison wasn’t even originally Team Adam. She started on Team Miley Cyrus and only joined Levine after the knockouts. While it counted as a near-win on paper, it didn’t quite feel like a victory from scratch.
Seasons 14 to 16: The Drought No One Could Ignore
Here’s where things took a turn for the dramatic. For three consecutive seasons—14 through 16—not a single one of Levine’s contestants made it to the Top 3. That’s not just a losing streak, it’s a coaching crisis.
In fact, Season 16 was arguably his lowest point. None of his artists even advanced beyond the Top 13. For a coach of his experience and previous success, that was a startling fall from grace. It marked one of the worst coaching performances the show had ever seen.
And perhaps fittingly, that was the season Levine stepped away from the show. His hiatus from The Voice lasted a full 10 seasons, creating space for new coaching icons and further evolving the competition.
The Comeback No One Saw Coming
When Adam Levine returned to The Voice in Season 26, fans were hopeful. Alongside John Legend, Michael Bublé, and Kelsea Ballerini, Levine was billed as a returning legend ready to reclaim his throne.
But things didn’t exactly go according to plan.
His most promising contestant, Lucia Flores-Wiseman, became a fan favorite and carried Team Adam’s hopes all the way to the finale. Yet again, though, there was no podium finish. Lucia ended the season in fourth place, stretching Levine’s Top 3 drought to a jaw-dropping four seasons.
This wasn’t the comeback story people had imagined. Instead, it raised some uncomfortable but fair questions. Had Adam Levine lost his edge as a coach? Or had the show simply become so fiercely competitive that past champions now struggled to keep up?
Is Adam Levine Out of Touch With The Voice’s New Era?
The coaching tactics that worked in 2011 may not necessarily fly in the show’s current landscape. Over the years, The Voice has evolved. Contestants are savvier. The audience is more unpredictable. And the caliber of coaches has risen drastically, with talents like Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande, and Reba McEntire leaving their mark.
In this high-stakes, ever-changing environment, the pressure is relentless. And Adam Levine, once known for his sharp ears and strategic steals, seems to be playing catch-up rather than setting the pace.
Could it be that his musical instincts are too rooted in a previous era? Or maybe, his focus is simply elsewhere—on tours, on Maroon 5, or on other ventures. Whatever the reason, the statistics don’t lie. Four seasons in a row without a finalist in the Top 3 is not just bad luck—it’s a trend.
What This Means for Team Adam—and The Voice Fans
The question fans are now asking isn’t “Can Adam win again?” It’s “Should he keep trying?”
There’s still affection for the Maroon 5 frontman. His banter with Blake Shelton, his emotional investment in his artists, and his undeniable star power have all been essential to The Voice’s brand. But results matter. And Levine’s prolonged losing streak has not gone unnoticed by audiences—or perhaps even by the producers.
A comeback narrative requires a peak after the valley. So far, Adam’s comeback feels incomplete, more of a nostalgic detour than a full-circle return.
Is Adam Levine done winning on The Voice? Or is he just warming up for another breakthrough?
The jury’s still out. But one thing is clear: the competition is tougher than ever, and the margin for error is razor-thin. If Levine wants to reclaim his place among The Voice elite, he’ll need more than name recognition—he’ll need vision, risk, and maybe a little bit of that early-season fire that made him a legend in the first place.
Until then, the streak continues. And with every passing season, the shadow of past glory grows a little bit longer.