‘The Voice’ Is Fixed, And It’s Time We All Acknowledge It [Opinion]


I’m just going to come out and say it: The Voice is totally fixed. That’s not the angry fangirl ravings of someone heartbroken because her “fave” went home. Nope, the evidence is right there on Twitter. Currently the number one trend in the United States? “#VoiceSaveKorin.”

In order for Braiden Sunshine to have the winning Voice hashtag, he would somehow have to have had his hashtag trend higher than Korin Bukowski…who had the HIGHEST trending hashtag in the nation. Do you see the problem? Also, Braiden’s hashtag did not trend. At all. Tell me, Voice producers: How does a hashtag win when the losing hashtag is the top tweeted hashtag in the entire United States?

So we’re not confused, let me tell you how Twitter hashtag trends work. Via the Twitter FAQS page:

“Trends are determined by an algorithm…This algorithm identifies topics that are popular now, rather than topics that have been popular for a while or on a daily basis, to help you discover the hottest emerging topics of discussion on Twitter that matter most to you.”

That aside, I’m a bit confused as to how Korin is trending so hard on the global level. The last time I saw this, a major celebrity was involved. Does Korin have someone very famous in her corner other than her coach? I’ll look into that. But for now, let’s focus a bit on the “deja vu” nature of this situation and how the timing of this stunt is unfortunate for The Voice.

As I discussed in the past and I mentioned quite recently, last season India Carney was able to stay on the show due to the help of an actor whose millions of Twitter followers voted for her. Most of these people didn’t watch the show or have any idea who India was. Because the actor asked, his fans answered.

That severely skewed the Voice outcome to such a degree that I’m fairly confident that had the situation continued unabated, people would have asked questions. Also, and as much as I like him, there’s no way Sawyer Fredericks would have won under those circumstances. It’s kind of why I suspected at the time that this turn of events was what doomed India.

What’s interesting is that one season later and with a ton of changes out of nowhere (Top 11 and Top 9? Only one singer going home each week?), the Voice still opts to nix a singer while using social media as a cover.

Really? If you want an artist gone, Voice producers, just do it. Do not pretend it was the “will of the people” when Twitter is utterly confused right now.

Korin as a top trend in the United States and around the world while Braiden Sunshine nowhere to be found? An algorithm created by Twitter selects only the most popular hashtags to trend in particular regions or worldwide? Puzzled internet users?

There really isn’t any other way we can see this except as proof that The Voice was just completely exposed as yet another scripted reality TV show.

Korin trended around the world. Where is Braiden Sunshine?
Korin trended AROUND THE WORLD. Where is Braiden Sunshine?

I guess the signs have always been there, really: More emphasis on product placement than producing stars. Helping famous people stay famous rather than focusing its energy on up-and-coming singing talent. The Voice brought back its most popular singer to plug Kohl’s. It’s amazing how many people, myself included, bothered to take this show remotely seriously knowing that last tidbit specifically.

The fact is that NBC’s cash cow doesn’t need to be authentic or honest with Voice viewers. People come back season after season to see the judges interact and hear good singers. Nobody has held anyone attached to this farce accountable.

But in the wake of what happened to poor Korin Bukowski, maybe it’s time we did. New York Daily News reported that even if a singer knows they’re being kicked off the Voice, they are bound by an air-tight contract to be quiet. If Korin knew she was cheated, she can only grin and bear it. Otherwise, she’d be sued.

Oh and by the way, that same contract states that producers can fix results whenever and however they want. How exactly is that honoring the Voice viewers? How is that an interactive experience? Sorry, everyone. You’re pretty much being taken for a ride every week.

So here is where I do my part. This will be the last time I watch or write about The Voice until the showrunners come out and admit The Voice is scripted, and the results are fixed. It would also be nice if they offered at least a half-sincere apology for leading people on.

How do you feel about this? Is there a “logical” explanation for what happened? Please share your insights below.

[Photo by Trae Patton/NBC Universal]

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