Season 24 All Episodes Discussion

[shantown]

Talk about the season 24 episodes here!

Season premiere Monday, September 25 on NBC

[Quickbeam]

I’m really tired of the over the top shenanigans. It goes on too long. I think it’s unfair to the contestants. I did think Legend singing with the last one was really sweet. But they need a rule to keep the judges in their seats. The drifting around is super annoying.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

And were back!

Figured we were going to get a heavy, heavy dose of Reba through the Blind Auditions & having someone sing Fancy to kick off the show didn't disappoint.

The Last Girl (Mara Justine) just earned the Reality TV Competition Triple Crown. She appeared on AGT back in 2014 as a precocious 11 year old, & appeared on AI in 2018 and was the youngest person they sent through to Hollywood Week. Reba's 2nd person (Jackson) is an American Idol veteran from a few seasons ago as well..

My favorites might've been the girl from Colorado who sang Fleetwood Mac & the girl who came back after a no-chair blind (and sang in English this time).

I was more interested in how the 16 year old got a job as a Magician's assistant than her actual singing. Although it wasn't bad. She definitely fought through nerves/pitch issues to finish the song out pretty nicely.

Felt bad for the Music Teacher from Alabama. That should've been good enough to at least be a one chair fodder pick from John or Gwen. I wonder if he had the bad fortune to go towards the end of the audition order when teams had started to fill up.

[Valny]

I really liked the 16 year old country singer that yodeled(don’t remember her name) her voice was strong and pure. And really liked Efrom( what a cute daughter!)  think those two will be in the finals. Can’t remember some of the others but I do remember there were some good voices so far. I want to taste some of Reba’s tater tots! 😀 

Niall is a nice cute guy but I am getting a little tired of his antics

[ChristmasJones]

  I am 4/5ths of the way through the first night of auditions and I am already over Reba.  As I always do with this show, I will be keeping my finger right on the ffwd button, and will be using it often with her. 

That aside, I'm excited because there are some that I actually really, genuinely like and that reached my emotions.   I didn't feel that way last season.

[seacliffsal]

Yes, yes, I get it, I get it-Reba is a legend...

[LakeGal]

How many times has Reba told us about being 3rd generation whatever?

[Quickbeam]

3 hours ago, LakeGal said:

How many times has Reba told us about being 3rd generation whatever?

Tooooo many! 🤣

[seacliffsal]

So, Survivor just started the new season and one of the teams/tribes is named "Reba" so I guess there's just no getting away from Reba this fall.

[OLynn33]

Meh I miss Kelly. Don't get me wrong, I like Gwen but John in Kelly's chair isn't doing it for me. She had an energy that is missing and it would have been fun with she and Reba on the ends and the boys in the middle. With Niall trying so hard to be Blake she could have played off of that with some added phone bits of Blake. But seems like she's done with show.

Contestants were Ok. Nothing amazing for me. We'll see. This season will definitely be helped by the lack of scripted production with the strikes.

[Meowwww]

Gwen’s hairline makes my eyes water. I’m sure she’s a good person, but the traction alopecia is hard to see.  

[PhD-Purgatory15]

I agree with OLynn33, I think the show is actually missing Kelly's energy & talkativeness. It feels like Niall is trying to take over her role (especially with Reba's personality not really matching up to what Blake always brought to the table) and it feels kind of awkward. Gwen & John have always worked best as "supporting characters" and now they aren't really able to play off Kelly/Blake as smoothly..

These are episodes that I'm least locked into, because a lot of times "I just can't" w/ the pick me, pick me antics from all the coaches.

That said, I thought Mac Royals was the standout from last night's show.

Couple of nice stories w/ the John lookalike getting through the foster care system, & the Army vet who survived injury/traumatic brain injury). Really did not think he was going to get a chair, so it was a pleasant surprise that Reba picked him (probably as cannon fodder) for her team..

Felt like Claire B was just as a nervous and shaky as the country girl before her that got zero chairs to turn. She possibly has something interesting in her voice, but I don't think she earned a turn (or 2!) w/ that performance.

Finally, I was wondering if the explosion of Zach Bryan into the country music zeitgeist would have an impact on the Voice like it did on AI last season. Sure enough, we get a pretty solid cover of "Something in the Orange" on show #3. If we now get a Charles Wesley Godwin, or a Tyler Childers cover I'll be beyond impressed..

[Quickbeam]

Iceberg was so very precious. I’m downtrodden with my own production company. Rich girl/generational wealth/sponsor in love with her own gloom. There’s the door sweetheart. 

[desertflower]

5 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

Iceberg was so very precious. I’m downtrodden with my own production company. Rich girl/generational wealth/sponsor in love with her own gloom. There’s the door sweetheart. 

Totally. Who calls themself Iceberg? All I kept thinking of was iceberg lettuce. Her voice was nice but I couldn’t understand what she was saying.

I wish Walking Eagle had gotten a turn. He seemed like a gentle soul with a beautiful smile.

[seacliffsal]

No matter what people thought of Blake, at least he helped invigorate the judging panel.  While Reba is a "legend" (I know this because they remind me about every 90 seconds) she doesn't seem to add a lot of interactions amongst the judges.  I think Gwen is trying to contribute to building excitement but falls a bit short.  Niall seems to bring more personality to the plate than the other judges.  

[ChristmasJones]

I find myself wondering why there are so many better singers this season than last.... to my ears at least.  I am going to enjoy this season based on the talent alone. I don't care for Reba personally, but in general I place more weight on the singers than the judges, so I can handle it.  

[Jal]

On 9/29/2023 at 11:22 PM, Meowwww said:

Gwen’s hairline makes my eyes water. I’m sure she’s a good person, but the traction alopecia is hard to see.  

What an unkind comment.

8 hours ago, ChristmasJones said:

I find myself wondering why there are so many better singers this season than last.... to my ears at least.  I am going to enjoy this season based on the talent alone. I don't care for Reba personally, but in general I place more weight on the singers than the judges, so I can handle it.  

Same! The judges don't necessary make or break the show for me (although I miss Kelly). I forwarded through most of what all the judges did. I did enjoy whenever a contestant chose a judge that you didn't think they'd choose.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

I am beginning to be blown away by how many 1 chair turns make up Reba's team. by my count 7 of her 12 people so far are 1 chair turns. I feel like she was a terrible pitch person (some people don't love the used car salesman/shtick, it's by far and away my least favorite part of the Voice) and then maybe last 15-20 contestants who auditioned it was literally just Reba listening & deciding yes or no..

Need another hardcore Voice Historian to confirm this. Al Boogie was very nearly the 2nd ever contestant to have two different zero-chair auditions. In the early seasons they had a young kid from Minnesota (who worked as a mover) come back a second time & get turned away again..

What's up w/ Georgia the country? Last season of AI we were tortured w/ Nutsa and now we have Nini..

No one really blew me away last night, but I did sort of like Elizabeth's voice. It had shades of Hayley Williams to it. And LVNDR's voice, she was pretty good (if slightly hard to comprehend) as well..

[Quickbeam]

Please Voice puppet masters, make them stay in their chairs. Too much silly crap, not enough singing. Plus maybe not paying attention but it looked like they “montaged” a couple of the singers? Why, to make room for more judge nonsense? 

[seacliffsal]

4 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

Please Voice puppet masters, make them stay in their chairs. Too much silly crap, not enough singing. Plus maybe not paying attention but it looked like they “montaged” a couple of the singers? Why, to make room for more judge nonsense? 

This judging panel is just not that entertaining.  Their interactions feel flat.  I think they are trying, but there just isn't a chemistry there amongst them.

[Soapy Goddess]

13 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

This judging panel is just not that entertaining.  Their interactions feel flat.  I think they are trying, but there just isn't a chemistry there amongst them.

I agree with you. It's simply not the same without Blake. He brought the chemistry with just about everyone on the show, including Adam which IMO is difficult.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

You need an "alpha" amongst the panel of 4 judges, and this year there really isn't one. Blake (& to a lesser extent Kelly) have filled that role. I sort of thought Reba would kind of fit in that role too, but it just hasn't happened during the Blinds.

The last guy from Tuesday night's hour of new auditions can really sing. He's like a younger version of John Holliday (the Music Professor) from a few seasons back. That being said, he destroyed "Another Sad Love Song" & not in a good way. It made me long for Toni Braxton's slinky/groovy original. I actually liked the R&B girl that went w/ Gwen better. She had the vibe/groove where he was just showing off every trick in his Magic Act all at once..

The girl that did Rainbow, might be Reba's second best option (behind Mac Royals) & best country option so far. She's way better than Al Boogie (and her line up of 1 chair turn female artists), and I prefer her to Jackson (the AA kid who was on Idol a few seasons back).

 

[Quickbeam]

Tonight was the last of the blinds. Cynic I am, I knew that young man had lost his mother even before he said it. The show is so predictable at the “Queen for a Day” aspects of evoking emotion. 

Of all of the contestants, the woman country singer who could yodel is most memorable for me. Let the battles begin. 

[Jeanne222]

Reba is way in over  her head on this one!  Personality?  Where'd that go?  Stage presence..gone.  Does she not like the others?  Not playing in the sandbox with them.

Surely they do some kind of audition to see if the judges click!

They will have to double Blake's $$ and try to get him back next season.

How much do judges make?

[DanaK]

2 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

How much do judges make?

Millions

[Valny]

I was surprised Gwen used her last spot on that girl(sorry don't remember her name) I didn't think she was anything special enought to take the last spot. unless there weren't anyone left to audition

 

[Quickbeam]

I knew in the battle with the 2 white guys (Billy Joel song) that the hairdo guy would get stolen. I did like Lennon better. 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Valny, I know the edit gremlins could've been messing with us..but the interaction between Niall & John made it seem like the final brunette that Gwen pressed for was literally the last audition. Either Gwen was mandated to hit her buzzer, or they told her that if she passed on her they would have to start bringing back previous zero chairs for another try..

Tonight was the night that might've broke PhD_Mom for good. Her favorite voice of the entire season (Jackson) and another voice/personality she really enjoyed (Ephraim) both booted and not stolen. I'm not sure she will recover, going forward. She also is seriously not a fan of Lennon's voice so knowing ahead of time that he was either going to be kept by Niall or stolen by someone else infuriated her that much more..

[shantown]

On 10/17/2023 at 10:26 AM, Jeanne222 said:

Surely they do some kind of audition to see if the judges click!

I don't think Reba would stand out as badly if there was an "anchor" personality there to keep things cohesive. It was Blake for a long time, and Kelly was able to fill that role too. I think they wanted Reba to take Blake's place as "older country mentor" and the glue of the coaching panel, but she's just not comfortable enough in that role yet. John is the longest serving coach, but his personality just isn't big enough to be the anchor. I like the rapport he and Niall are building though. Niall calling him "Johnny" made me smile.

[Quickbeam]

17 minutes ago, shantown said:

Niall calling him "Johnny" made me smile.

That’s so incredibly Irish. I’ve seen my family nickname total strangers. 

[Diana Berry]

On 10/17/2023 at 10:26 AM, Jeanne222 said:

Reba is way in over  her head on this one!  Personality?  Where'd that go?  Stage presence..gone.  Does she not like the others?  Not playing in the sandbox with them.

Surely they do some kind of audition to see if the judges click!

They will have to double Blake's $$ and try to get him back next season.

How much do judges make?

Yep time for Blake to come back from the farm. Always liked Reba but she’s just not meshing . They need bLake or Kelly as the anchor.

[seacliffsal]

Although I really agree about having Blake or Kelly back (more so Blake as Kelly could get a bit too hyper for me), I don't think either would come back.  They made too big of a deal over Blake's 'last season.'  So, it would be more anti-climatic if he returned.  Dolly Parton is the only one I think could save this sinking ship but they probably don't have enough money to lure her in.

[proserpina65]

I'm hoping things sound very different there in the studio(?) than they do on my tv, because that last battle between Corii and Ms. Monet sounded atrocious to me.  Mostly off-key shrieking.  I'd have sent them both home.

[Jal]

On 10/19/2023 at 8:34 AM, seacliffsal said:

Although I really agree about having Blake or Kelly back (more so Blake as Kelly could get a bit too hyper for me), I don't think either would come back.  They made too big of a deal over Blake's 'last season.'  So, it would be more anti-climatic if he returned.  Dolly Parton is the only one I think could save this sinking ship but they probably don't have enough money to lure her in.

Kelly is great. I don't mind the positivity and amazing voice she brings to the show. Blake is OK but they needed some fresh blood on the show.

[Quickbeam]

More montaged battles last night. I find that super annoying.

[leocadia]

They need to fire the stylist on this show.  It's one thing when Gwen wears odd looks, since that's kind of always been her thing,  but a lot of the female contestant's outfits are strange and off-putting this season.  Weird jackets/vests, super puffy sleeves and the one that looked like a felt country western costume from Party City.

I'm sure it's not what they intended, but I'm kind of liking Reba less since watching her on this show.  She doesn't seem like she's actually connecting with any of her contestants.  I get that the one girl was a four chair turn and the guy only one, but did she really need to sandbag him with Jolene?  Even John pointed out how obviously the song worked in the girl's favor.  I realize they probably know who they're picking 99% of the time but try to make it a little less obvious.

[Quickbeam]

2 hours ago, leocadia said:

They need to fire the stylist on this show.  It's one thing when Gwen wears odd looks, since that's kind of always been her thing,  but a lot of the female contestant's outfits are strange and off-putting this season.  Weird jackets/vests, super puffy sleeves and the one that looked like a felt country western costume from Party City.

I'm sure it's not what they intended, but I'm kind of liking Reba less since watching her on this show.  She doesn't seem like she's actually connecting with any of her contestants.  I get that the one girl was a four chair turn and the guy only one, but did she really need to sandbag him with Jolene?  Even John pointed out how obviously the song worked in the girl's favor.  I realize they probably know who they're picking 99% of the time but try to make it a little less obvious.

The woman who sang Jolene had on the ugliest outfit in the history of television. I mean it was as if someone was trying to make her look like a troll. I also felt bad for the guy…I’m all for gender neutrality in songs but Jolene is a woman’s song. 
 

Back to clothes….I saw not one but two women in flouncy tutu style dresses. WTF  is up with that? It’s so distracting. And not at all flattering to any body type. 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

This probably rings true for most seasons' battles, but this season it seems like too many of them have the contestants that too similar to each other or too many of them are on the other end of the spectrum where the contestants are way too far apart musically for the duet to make sense. Then if you add on judges playing favorites like Reba w/ Ruby & Al it's even worse.

I was disappointed for LVNDR. She was a rare blind audition this season that was actually somewhat intriguing..

Noah was pretty impressive, going from Zach Bryan to a much smoother, poppier sounding take on Ed Sheeran.

[Jal]

I enjoyed a few of the performances but Alexa Wildish was so good. She can really tap into the emotions, which I guess makes sense for a 30+ singer.

[Mimi]

Why the heck do they recap for an hour on Tuesdays the show we just saw the night before?

[Quickbeam]

The two guys with the Bread song? I’d make a case for the judge being able to say “Nope. Neither of you”. That was just awful. 

[Quickbeam]

Am I the only one watching this show? There’s nothing else on! Even my husband said “yeah, I’ll watch the Voice”. I enjoyed Wynonna, she’s a tough broad. Without You is a hard ass song to sing. I dislike the Mariah version, preferring Nilsson’s original. The knockouts really start to get the numbers to a manageable few. 

[Soapy Goddess]

5 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

Am I the only one watching this show?

I'm watching too...but there's really nothing interesting to type about. Not yet anyway. I just miss Blake.

[sas616]

On 10/31/2023 at 11:11 PM, Mimi said:

Why the heck do they recap for an hour on Tuesdays the show we just saw the night before?

I'm trying to figure that out as well.  Did the show start a little earlier this year because of the strike?  Did it usually start a week or two later? Because the only thing I can come up with is that they're trying spread out the episodes.  If that's the case, they could have just added a few more live shows, something that's been sorely missing the past few years.   Of course, that would add to production costs and we can't have that. 

[wmdekooning]

I’m ready for Niall to remind everyone that it’s his last season. I’d like that to happen this season.

His astonished face like he’s never heard music before, his brogue, his ugly clothes, bye Niall…

[Soapy Goddess]

Aw, you shouldn't be talking about Blake's son like that 😉

[seacliffsal]

This season is just so...boring (IMO).

[Quickbeam]

I was surprised Gwen kept the young man with the hairdo…but then had ended up saving the woman in the mirrored jacket. I felt like she wanted to mother the kid a bit and knew no one else would save him. Obviously I have no ability to retain their names.

[Diana Berry]

Do you think Dolly would ever be a judge or is she too big a celebrity?

[seacliffsal]

2 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

Do you think Dolly would ever be a judge or is she too big a celebrity?

I thought about her too, but really think she's too busy to invest the time it would take what with all the different parts of the show (blinds, etc.).  But, I do think she has the personality to bring the judging panel to life.