By: Nan Buti/ Elizabeth Lee
Staff Reporters
Nan:
Why put up with judges you disagree with every audition when you can watch all choices approved by
The Voice?
While American Idol has been around on television for ten years and is commonly watched, The Voice is a new and engaging show with a twist. The No. 20 show has attracted 20 million viewers since it was launched in 2011. The show has boosted NBC’s popularity while American Idol has kept things the same. The Voice is an American talent show that provides its viewers continuous leisure from its three phases: the blind audition, the battle phase, and the live performance. The show starts out with its most interesting segment, a blind audition, where the judges are turned around in chairs to only hear and not see the singer. Once the singer finishes a song, he or she must choose the judge that has turned his or her chair. The four famous judges on The Voice are Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton. This show attracts viewers of all ages and leaves them captivated. The Voice differs from American Idol due to its multiple components and uniqueness of the show. It has introduced a new version of reality singing shows. Most American Idol fans are tired of the switching out of judges from Simon Cowell to Steven Tyler. The Voice is shown on television on Mondays and Tuesdays. The Voice features much more modern music choices by singers and also more interesting performers. Unlike American Idol, The Voice focuses on the more serious, dedicated singers that don’t audition in Hawaiian wear and break dance to “Thriller.” This interactive singing competition includes the nerve-wracking auditions, intense battles, and live broadcasts. With actual artist experience, the judges of The Voice are also the coaches of the singers who pass on to the next round. Unlike American Idol judges, The Voice’s superior coaches make themselves useful by lending their knowledge and skills to the performers. This show surely entertains its viewers more than American Idol, the bland.
Elizabeth:
American Idol is the original, the most popular, and has created musical superstars.
American Idol is one of the most successful shows in U.S. television history. For a decade, millions of devoted viewers have kept American Idol’s ratings at the top of the charts, making the show a household name. The original nationwide vocal talent competition has an undeniably loyal fanbase, superior ratings, lovable contestants, and can connect to its audience’s emotions in a way that The Voice cannot.
American Idol has set records for its popularity because of its ability to cater to every demographic. The judges, coaches, musical selections, and contestants are diverse enough to appeal to nearly every potential audience member, whereas the coaches of The Voice are contemporary pop artists (and one country music artist), catering to a narrower, younger audience. Idol also engages its audience by allowing the people to have all of the power in deciding which contestants can advance to the next round each week. After the audition round, the judges on the show can only offer their opinions on the performances, while The Voice allows its audience to have a much smaller say in choosing the winner, and only on certain episodes.
Perhaps another of the main reasons American Idol has gained such attention over the years is the fact that it is one of the only reality television shows that is, in fact, real. The contestants are ordinary people, which the audience can relate to, and one thing Americans love is an underdog to root for. The Voice casts their contestants, some of whom have had record deals prior to being on the show. Where is the reality in that? Some of the biggest names in the music industry today were first seen on American Idol – where would Grammy – and American Music Award-winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood be if they had not been on the show? Other notable talented artists like Chris Daughtry, Jordin Sparks, and Jennifer Hudson would still be undiscovered as well. The Voice, on the other hand, has yet to produce a single superstar.
