Another season of the popular BBC 1 television talent show 'The Voice' is currently being shown on a Saturday and Sunday night with panelists Will.I.Am, newby Rita Ora, Sir Tom Jones and Rickie Wilson Other panelists have been Kylie Minogue, Danny O'Donoghue of the Script and Jessie J.
The scenario of the show for those unaccustomed to it requires the panelists to listen to singers blindly and then upon hearing a voice they instantly recognize as a talent press their button and their chair turns around to face the singer, those not interested do not turn around.
The panelists then compete for the singer to be on their 'team' and once every panelist has their team assembled the teams have to face each other in a sing off. Its not like Tom Jones's team competing against Rickie Wilson's team, its everyone on Rickie's team for example, competing against each to get through to the next phase where by Rickie Wilson would pick his favorite singer based on their performance and the other panelists have the chance to steal the rejected singer if they so desire.
You then have the four panelists who have to select just three of their singers to go through to the live editions from 8 contestants, this is where the talent show is currently at. The show seems nicer than Simon Cowell's 'X Factor' where it seems the panelists know someone is obviously tone deaf, yet they allow the singer to go on singing purely for entertainment and making a fool of the hapless contestant.
Obviously the rejected contestant on 'The Voice' will be upset they did not get through but at least cruelty does not seem to be part of the BBC talent show agenda.
One of the criticisms about the 'Voice' is why none of the winning contestants turn into overnight singing sensations. Take the example of Bo Bruce, one of the contestants on an earlier version of 'The Voice'.
She was on Danny O'Donoghue's team and there were rumors doing the rounds in the British press that Bo Bruce and Mr O' Donoghue were more than just friends, be that as it may, Bo Bruce went on to have a recording deal, but seemed to just vanish with out trace, such as been the lot of many other winners of the show too.
It seems odd that the winning contestants do not get very far and are not helped by the panelists seemingly huge prestige in the music industry and the contacts they must have to help the winning contestants on their way, that said, like most people in the UK I will be tuning it to watch the latest installment of 'The Voice' come the weekend.
