Who says you can’t be brilliant and beautiful in Hollywood? Okay, most people assume that anyone who’s got a successful acting or singing career must not have been very studious during their formative years. Why? Who knows, but Snakkle’s here to set the record straight about some high-profile celebs who were fantastic students back in the day, and remain brainy to this day:

There are so many reality singing competitions on network television, but ABC’s newest one, Duets, is a completely different look for them—or any network. Rather than simply sitting back and offering commentary, the established musical mentors also take the stage with their contestants. The revolutionary idea got Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Robin Thicke, and Jennifer Nettles to sign up, and now they’ve told Snakkle why—and why you should get on board with watching, too.