Giving a 'Voice' to Talent-Search TV Shows

America is blessed with talent shows of all descriptions.  We've had American Idol for a decade, if not longer, So You Think You Can Dance since 2005, the all-talent-inclusive America's Got Talent in 2006, and it all started with Star Search in the 80s.

For several years, I was a hardcore Idol fanatic.  In high school, I could have told you the winner and top two runners-up from every season, what their first singles were, who was more successful than who, and probably who the guest judges were in at least some of those seasons, or some small detail like that.  But like any show, if you don't change it up after a while, it gets stale and people lose interest.  Case in point, Idol once Paula and Simon left.  But mostly Simon.

(Side note: RIP "that was bloody awful.")

At first I was sad that Idol, once my favorite television program that I always blocked my time off for, seemed to be floating down the sewer.  They tried to save it, bringing on new judges like JLo and Steven Tyler and adding the "save" twist.  But it didn't work, at least for me.

So what am I supposed to replace my talent show entertainment with?

Blake Shelton has the answer.

If you haven't heard--if you haven't by now, then you're living under a rock--there's this show called The Voice on NBC.  It's a voice competition with an awesome twist that, to me, is way more intriguing than anything American Idol ever tried.

The Voice is based on a Dutch show of the same variety, and first aired in America in the spring of 2011.  Instead of three judges, The Voice has four "coaches" who form teams of singers, and truly help their teammates instead of purely judging and criticizing them.  Coaches in the first three seasons included country star Blake Shelton (who, side note, is probably the funniest person on Twitter), R&B artist Cee-Lo Green, pop singer Christina Aguilera, and Maroon 5 front man Adam Levine.  This season, which kicked off last night, brings two new judges in place of Cee-Lo and Christina: R&B star (and the original Belieber, I suppose) Usher, and Latin artist Shakira (wherever, whenever, we were meant to be together...wow throwback).

I really like how The Voice is structured.  The show contains elements of traditional talent competition shows, obviously, but, to me, the inclusion of blind auditions and the "team" aspect are what make The Voice a standout talent show.  Another great quality of The Voice is that we don't have to listen to and watch all those God-awful auditions from people who had no business auditioning in the first place.  Y'all know who I'm talking about...the William Hungs, and that redheaded lumberjack-looking guy from a few seasons ago who thought he could pull off "Bohemian Rhapsody."

(Side note: no one will ever sing that song as well as Freddie Mercury.  Ever.)

Sure, the bad auditions provide some entertainment and comic relief, but I don't need to see ten horrible auditions every episode.  I can only watch and listen to "Stairway to Heaven" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Maybe I'm Amazed" and "I Will Always Love You" be ruined so many times before I get overly annoyed.  It's so nice that I don't have to listen to that on The Voice.

Each Voice hopeful performs a song for the coaches, but the coaches face away and can only see the contestant if they mash their buttons and turn their chairs.  If one coach turns around, the contestant becomes a member of that coach's team; if multiple coaches turn, the contestant gets to pick his coach, often after each coach tries to sell himself or herself to the contestant.  That is the real entertainment, if you ask me.  The dynamic among the coaches, especially Adam and Blake, is hilarious and full of chemistry.  They're all so great at playing off each other and poking fun at each other's accomplishments and faux-pas.  There's even suspicion of a little "bromance" between Blake and Adam, and I can't say I disagree.

I don't remember that kind of chemistry or entertainment from any Idol judges...except maybe from Steven Tyler when Scotty McCreery auditioned.  That was pretty funny.

Also, the coaches on The Voice are actually talented.  I can't always say the same about Idol judges.  Seriously, Nicki Minaj?  Whoever picked her couldn't possibly have been in his right mind when he made that decision.  I'm so excited to see how Shakira and Usher blend into the bromance that's already in place between Adam and Blake.

That being said, I can't wait to watch part two of The Voice's season four premiere tonight at 8pm on NBC!  You should watch, too.  And then watch American Idol tomorrow night and see the obvious difference, and then be converted to The Voice like I was.

Go Team Blake!

P.S. I miss Cee-Lo and his cat.