The Voice first aired in spring 2011. Now, almost a decade later, the 18th season has recently launched, and while millions are still glued to their TV screens, premiere night viewership has been in decline for quite a few seasons now. The Voice keeps changing coaches and the winners of the show don't seem to attain the stardom that contestants from other singing competition shows have.
It has most folks wondering, what's the deal with The Voice? Viewers are disappointed with the show and are hoping producers can turn things around. It lost its wow factor when viewers realized that none of the past winners were selling out stadiums or topping music charts. What could be holding these stars back, is it a lack of promotion by the record label?
Several contestants have revealed their true feelings about both the show and the coaches, giving us insight into what's really happening at The Voice.
15 Eliminated Contestants Are Made To Leave Immediately By Producers
As soon as The Voice psychologists debrief a contestant after elimination, they are sent home immediately. According to season six contestant Kat Perkins, "It was very abrupt." Eliminated contestants don't even get a chance to say goodbye to anyone. The process is rushed and doesn't give them enough time to catch their bearings.
14 Judges Sometimes Pick Songs For Contestants
Frenchie Davis won her battle round but was criticized by the coaches for her song choice... which they (coaches) picked for her. Davis said, "It’s always hysterical when the judges say, ‘I don’t think that was a good song choice for you,’ and I’m thinking, ‘You picked that song." It's all very confusing...
13 Coach Blake Shelton Is Down To Earth And Super Friendly
Blake Shelton seems like a pretty chill dude and according to The Voice season one's Dia Frampton, he actually is. Frampton revealed, "I was expecting an untouchable superstar, but he was the most grounded, most down to earth, friendly person I’d ever met." Other former contestants have said this about Shelton too.
12 The Coaching Is Just For The Cameras
The Voice coaches seem hands-on when it comes to coaching their teams. However, in an interview with The Washington Post, season 6 contestant Ddendyl Hoyt said in part, "the majority of our growth was left to us on our own." Hoyt was on team Shakira and revealed that she only saw the hips don't lie singer during taped coaching sessions.
11 The Show Is Allegedly Precast
Although not a former contestant on the show, we added Low Cut Connie frontman Adam Weiner to the list because he was approached by The Voice producers and was offered a spot on the show. Weiner told Philly Mag in part, "Someone had dropped out of season nine, and they wanted to fast track me onto that season. No audition."
10 Season 13 Winner Chloe Kohanski Didn't Even Audition
Season 13 winner, Chloe Kohanski, made some not so surprising claims. After the singer's big win, Kohanski told Parade, "This is going to sound crazy, but I didn’t audition for the show." There are so many ways to get involved with The Voice. It's apparent that not everyone auditions to be on The Voice.
9 Producers Shape The Contestants' Backstories
An interesting or heartwarming backstory will tag on viewers' heartstrings and producers capitalize on that. Season one contestant Dia Frampton said, "I was introduced as the children’s book author, which was something I very lightly touched upon."Frampton added, " That was interesting, to kind of have that narrative chosen for me."
8 The Swivel Chairs Do Not Whoosh At All
The dramatic chair turns accompanied by a whoosh are straight out of a sci-fi flick, but according to Kat Perkins, there is no whoosh sound at all! "It’s in post-production! You almost don’t notice it, especially when you’re focusing and singing to the crowd that’s in the studio." That's a bummer...
7 The Contestants Are Very Well Fed
Former contestants have commended The Voice for seeing to it that there's always an abundance of food. Season two contestant Jessie explained that "It was basically like being an adult without having to be one. Once you’re on the show for a while, you got money (a stipend) to go out and catering was really great. I ate really well."
6 Coaches Are Always A Call Or Email Away
The Voice is unlike other singing competition shows, the coaches take a more personal approach when it comes to the contestants. According to season six contestant Kat, "I could email Adam literally 24/7 and he was really great about responding and making sure I felt comfortable, even during the night before."
