The Voice is a new program on NBC that is giving American Idol a run for its money. Who would have thought it was even remotely possible to come up with a new singing show after ten years of Idol, America's Got Talent and others. However in my opinion The Voice was a stunning reboot for the genre. According to Guthrie with a 5.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 11.8 million viewers overall, it is the top-rated series premiere on a major network since CBS' Undercover Boss debut following the 2010 Super Bowl. The Voice is a new singing competition that has taken the nation by storm along with the judges from the various music genres. The judges are Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green. These famous musicians search for the best voices in America and will mentor these singers to become artists. During this selection phase of the show the judges are unable to actually see the contestants unless they like their voice and select the artist. At this time the judges chair swivels around and they can view the rest of the performance, as well as have the option to have the contestant on their team. However this is were the show separates itself from others, the contestant then can choose which judge they would like to work with for the remainder of the program. This has never been done before and is an excellent twist on this show. The judges then changes hats if you will, and coach their selected team of eight contestants to help them improve on their singing and techniques including stage performance. The Voice emphasizes that the judges are coaches here to help the contestants rather than simply judge them.
I think this show goes against the grain, meaning it puts vocal ability first disregarding appearance. Today in society we place looks at the top of the critique charts. This can be a major set back for someone who doesn't fit in the normal box. So if you have a strong voice but lack in other areas this is a great platform opportunity for you to showcase your talent. Also the fact that during the selection process the talent gets to select from the coaches that turned around and actually wanted them on their team. So I believe this show places the power in the talents hands at least for the moment. I'm eager to see how the remainder of this show turns out, and will be watching and waiting for the voting process to begin.
The second phase of the show starts this week and it will put two contestants who are on the same team on stage singing the same song, and the judge who selected them will choose who they think won. That person will move on to the next round and in this third round America will select the contestant who they think will be worth of the grand prize. All in all the first two shows lived up to the hype. Hopefully the remainder of the season will not leave viewers disappointed.
References
Guthrie, M. (April 2011). The voice opens big. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/voice-opens-
big-182630
Halperin, S. (April 2011). The voice vs. American idol. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/idol-
worship/voice-american-idol-compared-182704
www.nbc.com/the-voice/