It’s not just you — ‘American Idol’ is looking a lot like ‘The Voice’ lately (and we think we know why)
Many singers have found their way to Hollywood since the inception of the famous singing competition 'American Idol' in 2002. However, recently, the show has been criticized for robbing new, raw, and undiscovered talent by more seasoned singers who were seen competing on other shows, like 'The Voice'. Many of the 'American Idol' contestants, such as finalists of season 21, Malik Heard, Marybeth Byrd, Michael Williams, Megan Danielle, and Wé Ani, had previously competed on 'The Voice' Season 11. When they appear again for 'American Idol', there is no denying they come from a rich experience, and running them into the same competition as newcomers would not be fair, as reported by ScreenRant.
For instance, season 23 hopeful Abi Bowen, who had no prior experience in singing, appeared in her auditions extremely nervous that she wore goggles to avoid facing the judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan as opposed to Thunderstorm Artis, who was a former finalist of 'The Voice' season 18, who appeared confidently in his auditions. The confidence exuberated from being coached by John Legend, after his four-chair turn from all the judges during his blind audition, as reported by TV Insider. Now that's tough to beat!
Not only that, the experienced singers also have an advantage in terms of a pre-established fan base or popularity. Considering that previous 'The Voice' contestants will outvote the new singers on 'American Idol', it gives them an edge. And that's what happened when Artis made it to the top 12 while Amanda Barise was sent home, despite having displayed powerful vocals in the top 14 performance, per USA Today.
Like many 'Idol' fans, if you are wondering why 'The Voice' contestants keep coming back to 'American Idol,' Talent Recap may have figured it out. The outlet pointed out that while 'Idol' has been known to produce stars like Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, and Kelly Clarkson (just to name a few), 'The Voice' has notably failed to do so. While the exact reason may not be known, one thing is sure: fans on Reddit are not ready to slide the matter so easily. One user wrote, "Idol works better when it's about finding the 'diamond in the rough, ' unknown, and giving them a chance."
Another wrote, "They have for several seasons now. The producers scout contestants similar to The Voice. That means scouting for past talent show contestants, singers who have gone viral, etc. The show stopped doing cattle calls the last few years on FOX since not enough people would show up. I'm not sure how much good people get from online auditions either. I wouldn't be surprised if the entire Top 24 this season was scouted." The third added, "They allow contestants from The Voice now? That seems pretty unfair, anyone else remember season 7 when it was highly controversial that Brooke White and David Cook had recorded their independent albums before, like that was cheating somehow, and now they straight up allow this lol."