Is ‘The Voice’ Staged? A Supposed Former Contestant Tells All
The Voice — one of TV’s most popular competition shows — has faced its fair share of backlash across the years. From coaches’ condemned decisions regarding contestants (we’re looking at you Mr. Adam Levine) to Gwen Stefani’s apparent focus on the superficial, this show has fallen victim to negative publicity many a time. Most complaints settle, and the dust clears, allowing NBC to rake in more and more money with each passing season. However, one rumor always finds a way of rearing its ugly head: the claim that the entire program is staged. Could it be true? Is The Voice completely staged?
Now, what exactly do we mean by staged? From the possibility that the showrunners and coaches know who’s going to win from the get-go to the idea that the blind auditions are just a gimmick, the list goes on and on.
One supposed former contestant took to Reddit, for an AMA, to reveal exactly what they discovered, and he came out claiming “I am in the finals of the voice, the program is staged.” Here, we will explore what they meant by the statement and the consequences such a remark could bear on the show’s success, if verified.
Do ‘The Voice’ coaches see you before the blind auditions?
A few years back, an individual under the username here took to Reddit claiming that they were on The Voice, and the program is staged. They stated:
I am a singer and applied to be in the voice, over the past few weeks I recorded the program and it is a lot of fun but It is not all about the voice.
Everything happens as you are told. Even your song from the blind audition is chosen for you. You need to attend to 5 auditions before doing the “blind audition” that goes on tv.
and YES the coaches can see you
Reddit User
According to this contestant, The Voice coaches can see you during the preliminary rounds that determine your fit for the blind auditions, which completely invalidates — and makes a showbiz gimmick out of — one of the show’s greatest appeals: its focus on talent.
Unlike American Idol, many fans were drawn to the fact that image would have no consequence on a contestant’s early success, for it should be about the talent above all else. However, if the contestants are seen early on, each coach can simply match the voice to the face from earlier, hitting the button on the full package they have already come to know.
The Reddit user went on to explain that he created a fake email account for posting this information, and shared that the program is very strict concerning what the contestants are allowed to discuss. The contestant also explained that they were informed they would not be winning the season (before the show revealed such) which, if such information is not pre-determined, how was such a fact already known?
Does ‘The Voice’ set people up to fail?
One Reddit user went onto note a friend’s experience, stating that he was virtually set up to be eliminated. The Reddit user shared on the following:
A friend of mine made it to the blind auditions and was eliminated, but he had the same experience. He wanted to sing a certain song for the audition that airs on Tv, but NBC didn’t have the rights to it, so they gave him a song that was honestly out of his league. Then when he doesn’t get picked, the judges turned around and told him the song was too ambitious.
Reddit User
Whether or not the song choice was designed to give the contestant the boot is a matter of opinion; however, considering the ability these coaches possess to pick the right songs in the heat of the competition, such a move doesn’t seem like too far of a stretch.
While we cannot be certain that these Reddit users are honest and accountable, posts and stories of a similar kind have been spreading across the internet since the show first caught fire. The question is: would people choose to lie for attention? Yes, but how many would share the same lie, the same experiences, and try to hide their name out of fear in the process? If The Voice is staged from top to bottom, it’s only a matter of time until the show goes under for it.
