Should ‘The Voice’ Have a Golden Buzzer Like ‘America’s Got Talent’?
Trae Patton/NBC Reading Time: 3 minutes
The Voice fandom is always coming up with new and exciting ways to spice up the show. One such post was very attention-grabbing. A fan proposed that The Voice should have something similar to the America’s Got Talent Golden Buzzer. This button would allow the coaches to each choose one contestant to automatically go through to the Live Playoffs, straight from the Blind Auditions.
The Golden Buzzer-inspired button wouldn’t be such a good idea on The Voice. Giving someone a Golden Buzzer at the Blind Auditions could signal that the coaches are playing favorites. Other singers could potentially feel deterred. Everyone would probably look at these singers as the frontrunners no matter what. Honestly, that’s exactly what happens on AGT.
Golden Buzzer contestants are almost always crowd favorites on AGT and make it to the finals. The big difference between The Voice and AGT is that the latter obviously has variety acts. Most Golden Buzzers usually go to singers on the show regardless. In past seasons of The Voice, Adam Levine was accused of playing favorites with some contestants. Having the opportunity to hit a Golden Buzzer would probably have amplified these claims so much more.
How Would a Golden Buzzer Button Change ‘The Voice’ As We Know It?
The big problem with a Golden Buzzer button on The Voice is that an artist would have to choose their coach before receiving the buzzer. It would be unfair for a contestant to automatically be on a coach’s team in the live shows without having a say in the matter. The beauty of The Voice is that contestants that get multi-chair turns get to choose their coach. This decision should not be stripped away from them.
Another loophole to a potential Golden Buzzer on The Voice would be that the coaches are listening to the contestants blindly. Would they hit the Golden Buzzer with their backs turned to the contestant? Would they hit it after interacting with the contestant? It would defeat the purpose of not judging anyone based on looks and personality. The show is literally about finding the person with the best voice.
The Voice viewers obviously want to hear performances from the best of the best. Having four contestants skip the Battles and the Knockouts would limit their amount of performances. It would also limit the amount of time that America gets to know these artists. Would The Voice host Carson Daly also get to hit a Golden Buzzer as AGT host Terry Crews has in the past?
Artists go on The Voice to work with superstar coaches. They would be robbed of that opportunity for a few weeks if they went straight to the live shows. Imagine only seeing Ariana Grande for one day, getting her Golden Buzzer, and then waiting an entire month to work with her again. It would not benefit the format at all to give certain contestants a push to the live shows without getting to really connect with them.
There is One Format Change Some Fans Would Like to See
One fan did shoot down the Golden Buzzer idea but proposed a different kind of format twist. Instead of seeing each team battle each other, it would be way cooler to see the teams face off against each other. The Battles need a serious makeover. There’s really no point in pitting teammates against each other. It should be about teamwork.
America needs the opportunity to be able to decide the winner of each Battle. This would give fans the chance to see members of Kelly Clarkson’s team and Blake Shelton’s team go head to head and heat up their rivalry even more. Grande and Shelton’s teams going against each other would be interesting too. In order for this to happen, the Battles would have to be live. NBC most likely does not have any plans to change up the show format but it’s always fun to brainstorm new ideas like this.
I love the voice and I think the golden buzzer is a good idea for the voice because it gives the contestant a real live chance in front of a live studio audience and win the show