'The Voice's Big Change for Season 29 Proves That the Show's Priority Has Never Been About Discovering a New Music Star

For the first time in series history, The Voice is dropping the coaching roster down to three, which includes Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, and John Legend, and is introducing a new format called “Battle of Champions.” With The Voice’s new format change for Season 29, it appears the series is giving its trio of coaches newfound power to control singers as if they were Sims.

The “Battle of Champions” format turns The Voice into a game of chess with their singers as pawns. With other shows seemingly taking their glory, it seems The Voice is waving a white flag in a desperate attempt to stay relevant by compromising the artists in favor of the celebrities.

‘The Voice’ Is Doing a Hard Reset for Season 29

Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson, and John Legend snap a selfie on the set of 'The Voice.'

Image via NBC

Let’s start from the beginning. Since 2011, The Voice has been a steadfast presence in the world of talent competition reality. Implementing a unique format, The Voice ran on the premise that four superstar coaches would mentor a roster of aspiring singers whom they discovered through blind auditions based simply on their vocal performance. With image and prejudice aside, The Voice opened doors and conversations for people who could be seen as stars on stage by focusing on talent first and image second. Over a decade later, the initial intrigue has waned, and with hopes of avoiding becoming stale, the series is shifting gears.

After the upcoming Fall season, which will see the return of Niall Horan, Reba McEntire, Snoop Dogg, and back-to-back champion Michael Bublé, the series is inviting three former champions to battle one another through a series of twists and turns that seem more complicated than a regular season of Big Brother. The typical rounds of cycles past remain, but how they’re played changes. During the blind auditions, the three champion coaches will compete in a Triple Turn Competition that will provide the victor with a battle-round Super Steal that nullifies any rival’s attempt to steal a sought-after singer. In the Knockouts, the trio of coaches will bring back two artists each from their past teams to go head-to-head in an In-Season All-Star Competition, judged by original coach CeeLo Green.

The coach who earns the most wins in the face-offs will be guaranteed a second finalist in the Top 4. The semi-finals will comprise the Top 9, with the finale featuring the Top 4. The biggest change for this round will be watching a new voting block of superfans and in-studio Voice alumni playing favorites in real time. If you’ve stepped away from The Voice or are a new viewer, this is the perfect time to watch. If you’re a loyal fan, well, call the show something else, because this is not The Voice.

‘The Voice’ Puts Too Much Focus on the Celebrities

Let’s just say it: these new mechanics are remixing the show not necessarily for the better. With new games within the game that benefit the coaches rather than the contestants, it’s truly hammering home that victory belongs to the celebrity, not the singer. After being knocked out of the Emmy Award nomination field this year, it seems that this format change is an act of desperation rather than a change to enhance the show. Although the network claims that it aims to infuse fast-paced competitive elements, perhaps a better option would have been to make the entire season an All-Star redemption-style season. Invite those fan-favorite artists for another shot! But alas, that would mean the focus shifts away from the coaches, and frankly, any returning singer sadly lacks the fame needed to base the publicity around them.

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Adam David will use his victoy on ‘The Voice’ to bring his music on the road.

There is always that chance that this fear of change is just that and will ultimately be for the best. It currently feels as though The Voice is standing on its last leg and is doing anything it can to remain relevant. There’s a reason why the show doesn’t produce megastars like its rival American Idol. It’s near impossible to champion a future singer when their presence on screen is less than 50% of a season. American Idol doesn’t need award gratification because that show’s alumni have weight. The Voice needs the ability to shower itself in accolades to distract from the show’s revolving door of coaches.