John Legend's Voice Team Reacts to His Sexiest Man Alive Title: 'Sexiest Contestants Alive'

John Legend's Voice Team Reacts to His Sexiest Man Alive Title: 'Sexiest Contestants Alive'

John Legend is PEOPLE’s reigning Sexiest Man Alive — and his Voice team couldn’t be more thrilled about it.

After the top 13 performed during the live show on Monday night, the musician’s three contestants — Will Breman, Marybeth Byrd and Katie Kadan — reacted to their coach adding the SMA title to his VEGOT (Voice, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony)-winning status.

“I guess that makes us the sexiest contestants alive,” Breman, 25, told reporters. “I’m sure the sexiness comes with proximity, that sort of thing.”

Byrd, 18, jokingly added with disappointment that Legend’s wife, Chrissy Teigen, has “already got him taken!”

As to what it’s like behind the scenes with Legend, the three contestants said that the Sexiest Man Alive also brings the funny.

“I was talking to him about how I had to rest [my voice] this week because it was really hoarse,” Breman said. “He was talking about vocal rest and how Chrissy, his wife, thinks he’s mad at her all the time. That turned into a great interplay because I was like, ‘Well, glad I’m single.’ It was funny. He’s just a wonderful guy to work with.”

Will Breman, Marybeth Byrd, John Legend and Katie Kadan | Trae Patton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Will Breman, Marybeth Byrd, John Legend and Katie Kadan | Trae Patton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Byrd said her funniest encounter with Legend happened while preparing for the night’s performance, which was a part of “Dedication Week” and had the contestants dedicate their song choices to someone special in their lives.

“My funniest moment was actually when we were talking about dedication songs,” she said. “He has a MacBook, and I was sitting there and he was talking to me, but I was so distracted by this Frozen sticker on his laptop. So I asked him about it. He was like, ‘Oh, [my 3½-year-old daughter] Luna put it there.’ I was like, ‘Oh.'”

John Legend with his daughter, Luna, and son Miles | Chrissy Teigen/Twitter
John Legend with his daughter, Luna, and son Miles | Chrissy Teigen/Twitter

For Kadan, 38, her funniest moment with Legend came while preparing to duet Elton John’sTiny Dancer” with former contestant Destiny Raye during the Battle Rounds.

“I pride myself on harmony,” she said. “And he wanted to change the harmonies that I would come up with. I couldn’t get it for the life of me — I just couldn’t do it — and I was getting so mad at myself and then all the staff on the side were just laughing and John was like, ‘Katie, it’s okay. I know you’re gonna get it.'”

In response, Kadan emotionally said, “You don’t get it, John!” But eventually, Legend was right and she did get it.

“He had to sing it with me over and over,” she said. “I finally got it, thank God.”

During Monday night’s show, Breman sang Jason Mraz’s “I Won't Give Up” in dedication to his mom, Byrd sang Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High on That Mountain” in dedication to her late grandpa and Kadan sang Mary J. Blige’s “I'm Goin' Down” in dedication to all of the single ladies out there.

RELATED VIDEO: Watch Blake Shelton Crown John Legend Sexiest Man Alive on The Voice with a Pair of Booty Jorts

Breman — who is the first Voice contestant with Asperger’s syndrome — said his current time on the show has been years in the making.

“I had auditioned when I was like 23, and it went nowhere,” he said. “So I spent two years working on my craft and being jaded by the process. But NBC still had my email. They just kept systematically emailing me and I just kept systematically deleting. Because what is a spam folder? And what happened is an email came along, saying, ‘Hey, The Voice is sponsoring open mics at Hotel Café in Hollywood, would you like to try out?’ And I thought, ‘Well, shoot, how many people got this email? How many people are going to respond to it?’ I forgot about it, and six months later, they called back saying, ‘Actually, no, we like you. Can you please audition?'”

“And I’m like, ‘Is this real?’ I’m expecting Western Union to come out and have me like transfer money [to] get my Ethiopian inheritance or something,” he continued in reference to a popular email scam. “But so far, so good. Maybe in the next couple of weeks, we’ll see. I haven’t been asked to transfer money yet.”

Voice coaches Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend | Trae Patton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Voice coaches Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend | Trae Patton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Byrd, on the other hand, decided to try out at the open call auditions last minute.

“I was actually working with a good friend in Nashville, and we were at the dinner table and he goes, ‘Hey, since I have a band gig tomorrow, and we won’t be working together, and you and your mom are free, why don’t you go audition for The Voice? They’re in town,'” she recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh, I could never. So many people try out. There’s just no way.’ I didn’t even have anything to wear. And so that night, we pulled something together. The next day, I went and tried out and so now I’m here.”

Kadan was similarly talked into going to the open call auditions by a friend.

“I’m the best kept secret in Chicago, which isn’t the greatest thing,” she said. “Competition isn’t something that I generally love to do, and I was apprehensive about coming out. But my friend talked me into it, and it’s the best decision I’ve made.”

John Legend and Blake Shelton | Trae Patton/NBC
John Legend and Blake Shelton | Trae Patton/NBC

Last week, Legend’s fellow Voice coach Blake Shelton revealed his Sexiest Man Alive cover on the show. As a previous Sexiest Man Alive titleholder, Shelton felt it was only right that he share the news.

“As you may remember, I was the 2017 PEOPLE Magazine Sexiest Man Alive. Because of that, it is my duty to formally introduce the next Sexiest Man Alive, and he just so happens to be here tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, the man, the myth, the legend! 2019 People Magazine Sexiest Man Alive, John Legend!” Shelton said.

The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.