NBC adds extra 'The Voice' episode to counter 'The X Factor' premiere

It'll be Christina Aguilera vs. Britney Spears next Wednesday

<p>Christina Aguilera and the rest of &quot;The Voice&quot;&nbsp;cast will do triple duty next week.</p>

Christina Aguilera and the rest of "The Voice" cast will do triple duty next week.

Credit: NBC

It's going to be Mouseketeer vs. Mouseketeer as NBC will deploy a bonus episode of "The Voice" to try to damage the return of FOX's "The X Factor."

"The Voice" was all set to return (with the usual judges panel including Christina Aguilera) on Monday night with an episode from 8 to 10 (which would lead into the premiere of "The New Normal") and another on Tuesday from 8 to 9. Today, the network announced a third episode for next week, airing Wednesday from 8 to 9 — which happens to be the exact night and time that FOX is debuting the revamped second season of "X Factor," with a judges panel that will now include Britney Spears and Demi Lovato.

NBC doesn't have a lot of bullets in its gun these days, but "The Voice" still qualifies. If a bonus episode steals even a little attention away from Britney's debut, that's a win for a network that hasn't had very many of those lately.

Alan Sepinwall
Sr. Editor, What's Alan Watching
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