‘The Voice’ Season 23’s New Twist Should Give Some Artists a Big Advantage — but Will It?
A new season of The Voice is right around the corner, bringing new ways to spice up the competition. NBC recently announced that The Voice Season 23 will have a new twist called the Playoff Pass, which is said to give four artists a big advantage. But exactly how advantageous is the Playoff Pass? Here’s everything to know about the twist and how it works.
‘The Voice’ Season 23 introduces Playoffs and the Playoff Pass
The Voice Season 23 will feature four “rounds” before the Live Performance Shows begin in mid-May. As always, it begins with the Blind Auditions, where coaches Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Chance the Rapper, and Niall Horan build their teams.
Then, The Voice moves on to the Battle Rounds, where two artists from each team duet on a song for the chance to move forward. Coaches select one person from each Battle to advance, but they also each have one Steal to take an eliminated artist from another team.
Next is the Knockout Rounds. The Knockouts work the same as the Battles, except the two dueling teammates perform solo acts. Again, the coaches each have one Steal.
This year, The Voice has also chosen to bring back the Playoffs. Per NBC Insider, this round will see “the 20 remaining artists hold nothing back” as they perform for their coaches one last time. However, the pressure is on, as each coach can only pick two artists to move to the Live Shows.
Along with the Playoffs comes The Voice Season 23’s new twist, the Playoff Pass. During the Battles, each coach has a Playoff Pass to give to one lucky artist. When used, both artists in that Battle advance, but the recipient of the Playoff Pass gets to skip the Knockouts and go straight to the Playoffs.
Those who have watched NBC’s America’s Got Talent might compare the Playoff Pass to the Golden Buzzer, which sends recipients straight to the Live Shows. ABC’s American Idol introduced a similar concept last year, where the judges handed out three Platinum Tickets that allowed recipients to skip the first round of Hollywood Week.
The Playoff Pass is designed to give ‘The Voice’ contestants an advantage, but that might not be the case
With any twist like this, there’s the question of how helpful it really is to the artists. Of course, the biggest advantage is that artists who receive the Playoff Pass on The Voice get to jump ahead of other contestants who must put themselves at risk of elimination again in the Knockout Rounds.
However, skipping the Knockouts could also mean skipping that round of one-on-one time with their coaches. The rehearsals before each round provide time for the artists to receive valuable tips to improve their performances, and every improvement counts when the time comes for fan votes. In that regard, the artists who are performing in the Knockouts might have the bigger advantage.
Additionally, the rounds before the Live Shows give viewers time to get familiar with the artists before voting begins. Skipping the Knockouts means getting less screen time than other artists, which could affect the voting results during the Lives.
There will likely be some debates among fans over which artists truly deserve the Playoff Pass and whether or not the coaches make the right decisions. This is often the case with AGT‘s Golden Buzzer and Idol‘s Platinum Ticket. Viewers who disagree with the decisions might be less likely to vote for a Playoff Pass recipient in the Lives, increasing their chance of elimination before the finale.
‘The Voice’ Season 23 begins on March 6
Whether or not the Playoff Pass is truly an advantage is up for debate. Either way, though, it will be interesting to see how the Pass affects the coaches’ choices and how viewers respond to The Voice‘s new twist.
The Voice Season 23 kicks off on Monday, March 6, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. This season is special for Shelton, as it will mark the end of his 12-year run on the singing competition. Clarkson also returns after her hiatus last year, and Chance the Rapper and Horan sit on the coaches’ panel for the very first time.
Stay tuned to Showbiz Cheat Sheet for more updates on The Voice Season 23.
