Blake Shelton’s secret to being the most successful coach on The Voice really isn’t much of a secret. The singer, who just helped kick off Season 16 on Monday night (Feb. 25), has helped one of his teammates win the show a total of six times, but his plan every season has been to not make a plan.
“I’ve never really been a strategy guy when it comes to choosing my team for this show,” Shelton told ABC News Radio. “Because really at the end of the day, your team chooses you. I mean, you hit your button for the people you like, but still you’ve gotta hope they choose you as their coach.”
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Shelton doesn’t plan on how many male or female artists he wants, or what kinds of genres he wants to represent. Instead, the Oklahoma native relies purely on his own musical tastes.
“I hit my button for artists that I feel like I could hear in the finale, or I feel like that with a little bit of coaching I can get ’em to the finale,” Shelton explained. “That’s how I do it. And it works out a lot for me, I’ve gotta say.”
This year’s coaches include Shelton, along with Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine and newcomer, John Legend. Although Shelton is the only one of the coaches who doesn’t have any children of his own, Shelton’s girlfriend, Gwen Stefani, brings her three boys on set, where Shelton is becoming as well known for his baby-sitting skills as his coaching ability.
“I’m like a big jungle gym to kids,” Shelton told PEOPLE. “If I’m in the room, [kids] are on my arms. They’re hanging off my legs and punching my stomach because it jiggles. It’s entertaining to them. You can always find the kids in the room if I’m there.”
The 42-year-old lost the last two years to Kelly Clarkson, who won with Brynn Cartelli in Season 14, and Chevel Shepherd in Season 15. But just being on the show already makes Shelton a winner, thanks to how much it has helped his career.
“Being a coach on The Voice has really kind of revitalized my excitement for this business again, you know,” Shelton admitted. “Because it’s easy to kind of fall into a rut, you know, and this definitely keeps me from doing that.”
The Voice airs on Monday and Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on NBC.
Photo Credit: Getty images/Jason LaVeris
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