Season 16 Discussion

[Jal]

1 hour ago, kathyk24 said:

She's won with female contestants why would men choose her?

Yes, she's won with female contestants, but that doesn't mean guys don't have a chance on her team. One does not rule out the other. It just so happens that she chose certain women to represent her team as time went on, and she obviously made the right decision because they won. Jej is going to make it far.

Edited March 6, 2019 by Jal

[ChristmasJones]

Loved the guy at the end tonight!!! Also love that song. 

Here is that song on YT- not sure if we can post videos here anymore.... can't get it to show as a video here. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a5WyAjL1MM

[kelslamu]

I like watching on Hulu the next day.  I skip through all back stories and there's no commercials.  Goes much faster that way. I know some enjoy the backstories, but I just want to hear the voice. :)

[Sounder]

This show pretty much hasn't been much more than a game show for the celebrity coaches....rather than a show that launches careers.  Maybe on the country charts but I'm not huge on that.  Yeah.....John has quite the personality don't he?  But Adam must have approved his being on the show.... because Adam is the lead guy right?   Anyway.....like the blinds.....like the concept of performers being actually judged by their singing first......its kind of a pre MTV relic way to do it but amazingly still effective.   Would like to believe sobby back stories have little impact......but....... anyway, after blinds I usually slip away.

[Dodginblue]

15 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

I thought the singers were much better tonight. I was shocked that Blake was the only judge to turn for Kendra. Kelly was annoying me when she was asking for male singers. She's won with female contestants why would men choose her?

If I were a guy trying out for a spot on one of these shows I'd probably stay away from picking a female judge to avoid any possibility of saying or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time and getting accused of something.  There's so little room for error these days, an innocent mistake could blow up into something massive, and there's enough pressure just trying to perform well and keep moving forward.  

[Archery]

31 minutes ago, Dodginblue said:

If I were a guy trying out for a spot on one of these shows I'd probably stay away from picking a female judge to avoid any possibility of saying or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time and getting accused of something.  There's so little room for error these days, an innocent mistake could blow up into something massive, and there's enough pressure just trying to perform well and keep moving forward.  

You'd probably be okay if you concentrate on your weekly performances, keep your pants zipped, and keep your hands to yourself.  Doesn't seem too difficult, really. 

[Bridget]

Am I the only one who finds John’s deep chuckle/laugh absolutely charming? I am loving him as a coach! How hilarious was it when the singer took zero time to choose John as their coach last night? No false adulations or empty compliments to Adam for turning around (rightfully so!), but it was amazing to watch!

It pains me to type this, but as much as I love Kelly, she’s getting to be quite grating with each season that passes. (I’ve previously mentioned that my BFF has worked with her. In fact, her exact words were: “I’ve never met a more charming and down to earth person while working in my entire life other than Dolly Parton!” My BFF doesn’t impress easily as she works with celebs nearly every day of the week, so to hear this about KC was a huge deal.) 

I think Kelly is intimidated by John even more than Adam & Blake. For the last two seasons, she was the grade A coach with the golden team. She brought a level of success and professionalism with her that was hard to beat...until John arrived! During last season, the whole “singing along/talking during the auditions” crap started to drive me up the wall.

Now she’s added “the guys won’t pick me” layer to her schtick and I find it a wee bit obnoxious. We need to put out an ABP for the Kelly from season 14!

[Sounder]

2 hours ago, Dodginblue said:

If I were a guy trying out for a spot on one of these shows I'd probably stay away from picking a female judge to avoid any possibility of saying or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time and getting accused of something.  There's so little room for error these days, an innocent mistake could blow up into something massive, and there's enough pressure just trying to perform well and keep moving forward.  

Maybe men should just stay away from women......period.

[Dodginblue]

12 minutes ago, Sounder said:

Maybe men should just stay away from women......period.

Maybe.  But it's Kelly who's complaining that men aren't picking her.

[chenoa333]

I'm so happy that I can FF thru the stupid sob stories (yeah, I get it. Life is hard) and go straight to the VOICE. This show is 20% showcasing the singing and the rest is commercials, weepy stories, the judges interacting all silly when not doing the actual show. 

[Sounder]

Why isn't there an "America's best sob story" show?     Or is there?   

[PinkSugar]

Dalton Dover:  Something is just not adding up in his story about his finding out the girlfriend was pregnant. That little girl is NOT his. 

[viajero]

I thought the contestants on the Tuesday show were generally better than those on Monday night, which kind of dragged until we got to Dexter and Jej. 

I think my overall favorite for the week was Kendra and I still don't understand why she only got Blake to turn for her.  I went back and watched her performance on YouTube and liked it even better the second time around with earphones. 

LB has a great voice, but his performance was a little too old fashioned for my tastes.  I'm interested in seeing what Betsy does in the next round.  Doing a Florence song on one of these shows is usually not a good idea since she's so hard to cover, but Betsy did a good job with it.  The question is whether she can sound as good on other stuff.

[Sile]

2 hours ago, PinkSugar said:

Dalton Dover:  Something is just not adding up in his story about his finding out the girlfriend was pregnant. That little girl is NOT his. 

Why?  Because she was blonde?  Lots of kids are blonde when very young and their hair ends up darkening with age.  My nephew was an absolute towhead and ended up with dark brown/almost black hair.

If it's the light skin or Caucasian features, genetics are a funny thing.  Even so, Dalton's mom is white and so is his wife so it's not particularly unusual.

[Koalagirl]

I realized that I watch entirely too much tv when I recognized the brother in one of the contestant’s filmed back stories as having been on Married at First sight. 

[kathyk24]

I thought tonight was another great night. I think John's team is the strongest with Sean and Maelyn. I would have chosen Kayla over the 14 year old.

[chenoa333]

I'm not an avid fan of this show. I watch it on Hulu (?). But I get the impression that any one of the contestants who comes up first to perform, have a much better chance of turning chairs than the contestants who are the last to perform.

Most of the judges have filled their spots and can't really say yes to the last contestants. 

[hnygrl]

I'm already bored of this season and it's still the blinds...

Is it me? Am I just 'over' this show, or is the season thus far really this dull?

There is not one single person on any of the teams that I am invested in. Not one.

[Jal]

Who are these crazy people choosing Adam?

[SunnyBeBe]

43 minutes ago, Jal said:

Who are these crazy people choosing Adam?

I saw that the contestant Ciera Dumas, who is from my state, chose him, when she could have chosen John.  I saw some of her performance, but, didn't see her reasons for doing this.....OMG...hard to believe that she REALLY watches the show.  She bragged on that in her intro.  If that were true WHY would she pick Adam.  Oh, well.....I wasn't impressed with her voice, so, I won't be watching her to see the her choice reasoning. 

I did like the new on John's team named Betsy.  Sort of different. 

[JunebugWA]

Dumas -- my hubby called her a Dumbass for picking Adam. 

[viajero]

Remember that these blinds were filmed before Adam pulled that stunt to save Reagan last season.  Thus I can understand choosing Adam who knows how to win this show vs. a rookie coach like John.

In any case, I wasn't really blown away by anyone in this episode.  I guess the best I can say is that Selkii, Ciera, Mari, and Mikaela all offered at least something that could become interesting.  Shawn and Beth were both more accomplished vocalists, but not all that great compared to some of the R&B singers from previous episodes this season, let alone previous seasons.

[mamadrama]

On 3/6/2019 at 7:59 PM, Sounder said:

Why isn't there an "America's best sob story" show?     Or is there?   

I think that's American Idol. 😎

[ChristmasJones]

I've been having problems embedding videos - here is the one I tried to embed earlier- I liked the version of this that was sung during the blinds... can't recall the guy's name though.

[seacliffsal]

I really liked J Gin and his song made me happy.  I was really disappointed that nobody turned for him and felt that some of the others who followed him weren't as good yet were chosen by various judges.

[Wandering Snark]

On 3/12/2019 at 3:49 PM, hnygrl said:

I'm already bored of this season and it's still the blinds...

Is it me? Am I just 'over' this show, or is the season thus far really this dull? 

You may have, as I think many of us do, an unspecified amount of Voice burnout as they continue to trot out seasons with about 2 weeks between the naming of the last 'voice' and the latest blinds.

My personal amount of burnout varies as seasons roll on but it's always a struggle to maintain interest in this show past several seasons. I'm about 65% burned out right now I think. As I've mentioned previously: "How can we miss you if you won't go away?"

Also, it's no small indicator of interest/amount of burnout that PTV has relegated the show to one thread per season.

[DaphneCat]

Hi all,

First time commenting in this thread.  Apparently the producers either don't know or don't care how annoying it was that they showed 3(4?) people who were not picked and then montaged 2 who were.  Even if they wanted to show the auditions of those picked for the last chance thing (totally stupid idea - these people will never win) they still could have shown more of the footage of the two who were picked.  

On a completely different note, it does seem as if the sob stories have become less "sobby."  I always hated it when someone would come on, cry about their dead grandma, grandpa, brother, sister, best friend, dog, cat, hamster etc. and then not get a chair turn.  You tried to depress me for THAT!

5 minutes ago, Wandering Snark said:

You may have, as I think many of us do, an unspecified amount of Voice burnout as they continue to trot out seasons with about 2 weeks between the naming of the last 'voice' and the latest blinds.

My burnout comes from the fact that very few performances stand out in the blinds.  I like that they are starting to show a short clip reminding us what song each person sang in the blinds because I've completely forgotten most of them by the time the battles come on.

[hnygrl]

I think doing these shows back-to-back this way is a bad idea. And you're right, @Wandering Snark, how can I miss you if you won't GO AWAY????

This week's show I quit watching after hour one. Just turned the TV off and watched Dr. Pol on Amazon...

I don't know how much more of this waste of time I can take. nobody ever makes it. Nobody. Ever. Never Ever. Never even ever makes it and it may be because of the back-to-back thing. The winner's mentor don't got time to get their faces and names out there before they're doing it all over again. 

[atlantaloves]

Let me tell you that black gal, 46 years old from motown, ..she was the best singer I've seen singing that little Aretha song that Arehta took from Stevie....... she's my gal. FOR THE WIN. 

[mamadrama]

6 hours ago, hnygrl said:

I think doing these shows back-to-back this way is a bad idea. And you're right, @Wandering Snark, how can I miss you if you won't GO AWAY????

This week's show I quit watching after hour one. Just turned the TV off and watched Dr. Pol on Amazon...

I don't know how much more of this waste of time I can take. nobody ever makes it. Nobody. Ever. Never Ever. Never even ever makes it and it may be because of the back-to-back thing. The winner's mentor don't got time to get their faces and names out there before they're doing it all over again. 

At this point I think the best you can hope for is that your coach will like you so much that they take you on tour with them once the show finishes. Professional connections and networking seem to be the only real benefit to being on this show. My guess, though, is that some of the judges are so paranoid about new people coming up who can take their place that they are happy to cut ties once things finish filming. (Though I've heard stories about Kelly Clarkson keeping in touch with her folks and Blake has taken at least two on tour.)

[Tony Williams]

On 3/13/2019 at 7:07 PM, atlantaloves said:

Let me tell you that black gal, 46 years old from motown, ..she was the best singer I've seen singing that little Aretha song that Arehta took from Stevie....... she's my gal. FOR THE WIN. 

You would be right if she was 26.  She was dead on arrival the minute 46 popped out of her mouth.

[SunnyBeBe]

On 3/14/2019 at 4:14 AM, mamadrama said:

At this point I think the best you can hope for is that your coach will like you so much that they take you on tour with them once the show finishes. Professional connections and networking seem to be the only real benefit to being on this show. My guess, though, is that some of the judges are so paranoid about new people coming up who can take their place that they are happy to cut ties once things finish filming. (Though I've heard stories about Kelly Clarkson keeping in touch with her folks and Blake has taken at least two on tour.)

Yeah, that and the money.  I'd think it would nice to get that cash.  Even after taxes, it's enough to pay some bills and buy you a new car.  For some of the winners and runners up, they may be able to do a little more touring.  It seems that those who have small scale success, touring, modest fan base, they maintain after The Voice, but, they don't seem to gain anything more. 

[hnygrl]

Hate to say it but...American Idol is the star-maker. The Voice is the Poseur.

[Wandering Snark]

15 hours ago, hnygrl said:

Hate to say it but...American Idol is the star-maker. The Voice is the Poseur.

On the long view definitely, but winning either of late has just been a ticket to continued musical obscurity.

[Archery]

On 3/12/2019 at 5:30 PM, Jal said:

Who are these crazy people choosing Adam?

Sometimes I think this is strategic.  If you have one coach who is perfect for you and drooling to have you (say, John), but you pick the next best thing (say, Adam), you have a chance at a steal (by John) if/when your coach (Adam) betrays kicks you to the curb cuts you. Second bite at the apple.  

[HappyDancex2]

I'm new here.

Watching these blind auditions....very intriguing.

The 13 year old from Orange County seems....old.   Is there some factory they put those kids thru that they start putting them in professional hair and makeup when they are 3?  

Lot of under 20s....is that typical?

Why is Kelly Clarkson begging people to be on her team?  

[Sile]

I've been kind of suffering through the blinds because everytime some insincere crap comes spewing out of Adam's cake hole it makes my skin crawl.  Listening to him going on tonight about he being the one to possess integrity almost did me in.

Now all of that is in the rear view mirror and it's time for the real Adam to start slithering out and blindsiding these poor fools.  Let the battles begin!

[Padma]

31 minutes ago, Sile said:

I've been kind of suffering through the blinds because everytime some insincere crap comes spewing out of Adam's cake hole it makes my skin crawl.  Listening to him going on tonight about he being the one to possess integrity almost did me in.

Now all of that is in the rear view mirror and it's time for the real Adam to start slithering out and blindsiding these poor fools.  Let the battles begin!

Even before last season's fiasco, I'd never have chosen Adam. I don't understand why so many still haven't caught on to his insincerity. (I enjoyed John's comment last week: "Adam's pitches are all about love--he really loves himself a lot". Ha. Truth in jest.) I'm tired of seeing people I like fall for his lines "You're great!" "I can take you to the end!" "I love what you do,, but I can help with the (fill in problem). Just being honest with you."). Then he dumps them without looking back. Or undermines them (esp. if black man) with some old old oldie, maybe Michael or Stevie or …. Zzzz. Or some other poor choice, while playing favorites elsewhere.

And I guess these contestants weren't paying attention when KC's last season, the contestants all were saying how she was "the best" in caring and fun to work with and musicality,etc. That wasn't just from her team, but from others' as well. Yet they come out and choose...Adam. Go figure.

As for the music, the first week still seems the best one but it overall the season feels a little fresher than usual. I know they'll never get much in the jazz vein, but maybe John will bring a bit more, and fresher, soul singing. Overall, I'm enjoying it.  (I was just thinking "I'm over country for this show" when they announced Brooks and Dunn. Woo-hoo! They're fun.).

[Wandering Snark]

1 hour ago, Padma said:

Yet they come out and choose...Adam. Go figure.

I literally shake my head and write off any contestant who chooses Adam, even more-so if they had a choice and/or are excited about being on Team Adam. Your only way through Team Adam to success is to be his "bro" or his "little project" and neither lasts long... if you do succeed you do so in spite of Adam, not because of him.

I am more than a bit jaded/burned out at this point. My main mystery is I find myself saying "Who will Blake's voting block push through this year?" (Oh is that you Sundance Head?) But it has been tempered a bit by the breath of fresh air that has been John Legend. I've loved him in the blinds but am still guarded about how he will manage his team. It will, at least, keep me tuned in. For now.

[Ellee]

Are ‘they’ keeping that last young man’s secret about being related to Red Marlowe until later?  

[Keekski]

4 hours ago, Ellee said:

Are ‘they’ keeping that last young man’s secret about being related to Red Marlowe until later?  

Right?! I expected Red to come out and big Blake a big hug. 

[viajero]

I really liked Celia's take on idon'twanttobeyouanymore.  That was the highlight of the evening. 

Other voices I liked include Cecily, Kayslin, Rod, and Presley (in that order). 

Jackson Marlow doesn't even come close to his uncle Red.  I'm hoping Kelly doesn't pull a "Mylie" and keep putting him through over better singers just because she's obsessed with having a male country singer (though in Mylie's case, it was a female country singer).

Edited March 20, 2019 by viajero
misspelled word

[Jennabelle88]

I have to admit, the coaches crack me up. And when Adam kept trying to bait Blake with his knock knock joke, I actually laughed out loud. I get bored during the blind auditions, so I appreciate a panel that can keep me entertained. 

[Babalooie]

22 hours ago, Ellee said:

Are ‘they’ keeping that last young man’s secret about being related to Red Marlowe until later?  

From the look on Blake's face, it was apparent to me that he already knew what was going on.  From what I can tell, it seems that they have computer screens built in to their "desks" and I'm sure the info on each contestant is there, as well as some of their comments. It always looks to me like they're reading some of the comments.  Idol judges have information sheets on each contestant because they hold them up now and them during their antics.  Remember it's show biz.

Edited March 20, 2019 by Babalooie

[SunnyBeBe]

On 3/18/2019 at 9:45 PM, HappyDancex2 said:

I'm new here.

Watching these blind auditions....very intriguing.

The 13 year old from Orange County seems....old.   Is there some factory they put those kids thru that they start putting them in professional hair and makeup when they are 3?  

Lot of under 20s....is that typical?

Why is Kelly Clarkson begging people to be on her team?  

I noticed that too!  So many of them look 30-40 and they are teens! WTH?  There was one on recently who was a young girl teen and I swear she could pass for 30 years old easy.  What's going on? 

[Wandering Snark]

9 hours ago, Babalooie said:

From what I can tell, it seems that they have computer screens built in to their "desks" and I'm sure the info on each contestant is there, as well as some of their comments.

They have a little spiral notebook on their desks, they often throw them around in the course of the show. Not sure if those are pre-composed or just for their own notes. I think that's what they look at sometimes. They're smaller than a paperback...

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

So many of them look 30-40 and they are teens! WTH?  There was one on recently who was a young girl teen and I swear she could pass for 30 years old easy.  What's going on? 

This. The heck is going on? The 17 yo NYer girl when you caught her on some angles looked wayy older and that blonde 13 yo girl? No way! It's madness. Maybe it's something in the water as my mom would say.

Also I've heard that song done a bunch of times and while it's a cool song I have no idea what "I'm a devil with a kickstand." means.

And because it has to be said, why?? WHY??!? Are people picking Adam! He had a flurry of sensible seeming performers that flat out CHOSE him over other coaches! Even w/o knowledge of his antics that were concurrent with the filming of this season the book has been out on him being a terrible coach/team manager for yearrrrs. I can only hope some of the textbook Adam betrayals migrate to teams with more sensible coaches via steals.

[Booklady1017]

On 3/19/2019 at 4:32 PM, Keekski said:

Right?! I expected Red to come out and big Blake a big hug. 

I was surprised they didn't bring Red out either.

52 minutes ago, Wandering Snark said:

They have a little spiral notebook on their desks, they often throw them around in the course of the show. Not sure if those are pre-composed or just for their own notes. I think that's what they look at sometimes. They're smaller than a paperback...

This. The heck is going on? The 17 yo NYer girl when you caught her on some angles looked wayy older and that blonde 13 yo girl? No way! It's madness. Maybe it's something in the water as my mom would say.

Also I've heard that song done a bunch of times and while it's a cool song I have no idea what "I'm a devil with a kickstand." means.

And because it has to be said, why?? WHY??!? Are people picking Adam! He had a flurry of sensible seeming performers that flat out CHOSE him over other coaches! Even w/o knowledge of his antics that were concurrent with the filming of this season the book has been out on him being a terrible coach/team manager for yearrrrs. I can only hope some of the textbook Adam betrayals migrate to teams with more sensible coaches via steals.

I hadn't realized at first that this was filmed before the final few episodes of The Voice from last season. But good point, even without that information, I don't get why they picked him either. I find he misses a lot with song choice and who are the best to take to the finals.

[Booklady1017]

10 hours ago, Babalooie said:

From the look on Blake's face, it was apparent to me that he already knew what was going on.  From what I can tell, it seems that they have computer screens built in to their "desks" and I'm sure the info on each contestant is there, as well as some of their comments. It always looks to me like they're reading some of the comments.  Idol judges have information sheets on each contestant because they hold them up now and them during their antics.  Remember it's show biz.

I hadn't know about the notebooks or computer screens either, but it makes sense. 

[Sile]

On 3/20/2019 at 6:02 PM, Wandering Snark said:

Also I've heard that song done a bunch of times and while it's a cool song I have no idea what "I'm a devil with a kickstand." means.

Are you talking about Feel It Still?  The lyric is "I'm a rebel just for kicks now".

Although Devil with a Kickstand might make a good title for a biker song.  Or a tattoo.  Or maybe a remake of Pee Wee's Big Adventure...

Edited March 22, 2019 by Sile
the ideas just keep coming!

[Quickbeam]

I finally got caught up on the blinds. They spent way too much time on failed auditions. I wish they did not allow children to audition. 18 and over would be far more interesting to me.