The Voice judge/mentor Blake Shelton was previously slow on the draw with his decision making... BUT... NOT NOW! - NBC photo

The team that other Amazing Race teams love to hate is Ex-Couple Tim Sweeney (left) and Marie Mazzocchi (right) who are competing in a 35,000 mile sprint around the globe for $1 million dollars on the new season of THE AMAZING RACE - (CBS photo)

Video Beat EXTRA EXTRA - THE VOICE & AMAZING RACE - IT'S DOWN & DIRTY TIME

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

THE VOICE is going away from choosing contestants on talent only. It's now down & dirty time as looks and youth appear to be the chosen ones - Tonight the Amazing Race will be on the 4th leg and the previews of the show the couple team love to hate were having a feud with last weeks 1st place finishers married doctors Nicole & Travis about giving them their extra EXPRESS PASS - Recommended TV Listings

Monday, October 21, 2013

YOU CAN'T HIDE WHAT YOU CAN SEE

It's down and dirty time on The Voice season 5 as the blind auditions are over and the battle rounds are currently in session. Three consecutive time winning judge Blake Shelton is the target of his colleagues including one time winning mentor Adam Levine and two time losers Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera. Shelton is proud to show off his three trophies signifying his triumphs but his rhetoric has something to be desired.

Shelton has rightly been accused of being a mentor of country singers which he denies. He pointed out that his first triumph was with an R & B singer, his second Cassadee Pope he claims was a rocker and last season's winner Michelle Bradbery was he only country artist that he coached to the title.

We tend to differ with his clarification since Pope started off singing rock but during Shelton's tutelage he wisely selected country songs that enhanced her talent. In reality she is a better country singer than rock and Shelton is the reason why. His song selections were excellent proving to be the strength of her success.

In the past Shelton was slow on the draw in choosing his team. It's obvious that strategy paid off given his three titles but his real asset is choosing the right material for his vocalist's to sing. This season he is quick on the draw as he was the first to fill his team and select his only two steals which is a selection that follows a contestant being dropped by another judge during the battle rounds.

The down and dirty part of the competition is the judges pit two on their team to sing the same song against each other in the battle rounds where the singer's backdrop is performing in a boxing ring. If there is a glaring weakness in the show this is it.

In the blind auditions the judges have their chairs turned around and can't see the performers. The intention is for them to make decisions only to be based on the quality of voice and not their looks.

When judges turn their chairs around and say they want to coach that singer the talent then reveals their age and the judges can see what they bought regarding looks. This is where the judges can rid themselves of who they feel won't receive votes based on their age (being too old) and looks (not being attractive and/or overweight). This gives them the opportunity to do some culling as they pit the singer they don't want against a superior talent they want to retain. The first two seasons of the show were boring as too many of the contestants failed to pass the attractive test and most were older than the now much younger contestants that are being selected. Pope and Bradbery are much younger than the season 1 & 2 winners.

This season the looks over talent became obvious this week in a battle round when Donna Allen the oldest singer in the contest at 54 was praised as sounding like Tina Turner. That assessment was spot on as we arrived at that conclusion prior to their statements. Allen has been in the entertainment business for a number of years as a back-up singer to Gloria Estafan and the Miami Sound Machine.

Coach Adam Levine chose to have her sing with/against Tessanne Chin 28 from Haiti. Levine chose Chin over Allen although Allen clearly was the stronger singer and Chin was good but doesn't have the power, tonal quality or vocal range of Allen. The apparent underlying reason in choosing looks over talent is all of the judges are hell bent of breaking Shelton's title winning streak and their intention of being the champion coach. In the process this defeats the intention of the show that talent should be foremost in the judge's decisions.

The past two seasons it was obvious that the show has qualified younger talent to appear in the blind auditions. Bradbery was only 15 when she was selected. Without a doubt she was the best talent and clear winner last season. But this age and looks discrimination is coming into play as for the most part the portly and less attractive talent are the first to be eliminated by the judges where they have the control.

Following their decision making when the teams are chosen and they contest proceeds to the next stage where teams compete against each other the viewing public takes over as the decision makers with their votes. It is obvious that the voting public is voting for the younger contestants and before the process the judges are selecting those they feel will win the looks/youth popularity contest.

Shelton says he has a different agenda this season of not seeking just country artists. The reality is he continues to do so which is justifiably his strength but when it comes down to his decision making in the battle rounds he continues to select a country artist over a non country artist. The bottom line is he's good at it and by far is the best song selector of all of the judges.

The Voice airs on the AXN channel on Sunday nights in the Pacific Rim region with repeats throughout the week. Check the AXN website for the dates and time in your area.

AMAZING RACE

It's down and dirty time on the Amazing Race as the team the other teams love to hate Ex-Couple Tim Sweeney and Marie Mazzocchi continue to draw ire from the competitors. The sparks come from their having an extra Express Pass to give to any team of their choice before the end f the fifth leg of the race. Tonight will be the 4th leg and the previews show the couple having a feud with last weeks 1st place finishers married doctors Nicole & Travis about giving them the pass. The tease showed the doctors driving off as their request for the pass was apparently denied.

The Amazing Race also airs on the AXN channel in the Pacific Rime region tonight with repeats throughout the week. Check the AXN website for the dates and time in your area.

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