The Voice

                The Voice is a great hit show on America’s TV station NBC. There have been four seasons so far since December of 2010, compiling a grand total of 82 episodes. If you don’t know what it is… I’ll tell you. It’s a reality series for competitive singing. Duets or solos can apply and compete, but you must be 15 years of age or older. It was based on the original concept from The Voice of Holland where there are blind auditions, and if the judges like it they will hit a button if they want you on their team.

                The show is created by John de Mol and Roel van Velzen, presented by Carson Daly, Christina Mililan (seasons 2-on), Alison Haislip (season 1), and judged by Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera (seasons 1-3), Usher (season 4), Cee Lo Green (seasons 1-3), and Shakira (season 4). Needless to say there are lots of popular, successful artists that are judges, coaches, and mentors. The chance to get up on stage and perform in front of these singers has to be what makes this show the greatest! They tell you that you are awesome, or what you need to work on. The shows are anywhere from 44-104 minutes depending on if it is a special “battle round” episode.

                The winner of the show, voted in by the audience via SMS text, telephone, or the Internet and partly by judges, receives one hundred thousand dollars, a record deal with Universal Republic Records (season 1-2), and Universal Music Group record deal (seasons 3-on). Past winners include: Javier Colon, Jermaine Paul, and Cassadee Pope. You don’t even have to win the season’s competition to be famous, when they perform their adaptations to the songs they are automatically available on the iTunes store to purchase by the public.

                In the last few years, it has been the lead-out program to the Super Bowls and Olympics. It had many sponsors of the past few seasons such as: Kia Motors, Sprint, and Starbucks. There have been many guest performers during Battle Rounds over the past seasons such as: Adam Blackstone, Alanis Morissette, Robin Thicke, Mary J. Blige, Reba McEntire, Kelly Clarkson, Miranda Lambert, Michael Buble, Monica, Kenny “Babyface Edmonds, Ne-Yo, Rob Thomas, Sia, Jewel, Lionel Richie, and Billie Joe Armstrong. Since season three, you, as a judge or team, could “steal!” What a steal is, is when another teams’ two performers battle, and one of them loses, you can pick that person up on their team instead of them going home. This has made it nonetheless interesting between the judge’s humorous competitiveness.

                I hope that you tune into The Voice whenever you can, because there are lots of really talented singers and performers out there. This show has said to be extremely similar (or better) than America/Britain’s Got Talent, American Idol, and The X Factor. (477)