The 16th season of The Voice of Germany is underway, with the show returning to its Berlin stage on September 11. The current edition brings back the coaching lineup from the previous season while introducing changes around the presenters, broadcast schedule and competition format.
Rea Garvey, Shirin David, Nico Santos and Michi Beck and Smudo remain in place as the five coaches. According to Joyn, the decision follows the strong chemistry among the panel last season, allowing viewers to see the same combination of artists compete for the most promising voices.
There is a change in the show’s support team. Melissa Khalaj now receives assistance from Matthias Killing following Thore Schölermann’s departure. Killing, 46, has more than two decades of media experience and has spent 17 years as a regular presence on SAT.1’s Frühstücksfernsehen. His background also includes a focus on sports presenting.
The programme is being broadcast across two channels this year. New episodes air on Fridays on SAT.1 and Saturdays on ProSieben. Viewers can also watch every episode free on Joyn, either through the platform’s live channel streams or on demand after the television broadcast.
The season’s talent pool includes both new performers and familiar voices. Some contestants are Allstars who previously appeared on the show and have returned in an attempt to win this time. Joyn points to Anne Mosters’ victory last year as an example of a returning talent who successfully claimed the title. The contestants’ progress begins with the Blind Auditions, where they must persuade the coaches to turn for them.
The Block remains one of the key strategic tools in those auditions. Each coach can use it three times to prevent another coach from competing for a particular talent. The option can even be used after a performance, although blocking the coach preferred by a contestant could damage the blocker’s chances of winning that performer over.
The Joker is also back. Each coach can use the coin once during the season in a Coach Fight to activate the twist. The outcome is kept secret from both the audience and the coaches until it is triggered, but the mechanism is designed to provide major support. Joyn notes that public figures such as Alvaro Soler or Klaas Heufer-Umlauf may appear to campaign for a coach, making the Joker a potential source of surprise and spectacle as the Blind Auditions continue.
