NBC’s ‘The Voice’ twist: No live playoffs featuring America’s vote

“The Voice” has introduced some pretty cool twists in the past, but we have to say that this year, the show is doing something that we’re not particularly a fan of: Reducing the number of actual “live” shows to only the top 12 and beyond. Following some rumors about there being another format change after the introduction of the second portion of the Battle Rounds, TVLine’s Michael Slezak confirmed on Twitter that this season, the coaches will take their teams down to the top 12 rather than America.

So why in the world do this? That is a worthy question, since with dropping ratings, you would think that you would want America to be more involved than ever. We can only surmise it to be one of the following:

1. There is a conflict that keeps all of the coaches from being available for live shows next week in the same way they usually are.

2. This is in some way a cost-cutting move, and everyone loves to cut costs in the TV industry right now. (To be fair, they have to if ratings decline and salaries for on-air talent go up.)

3. If Christina Grimmie is eliminated before the top 12, we’ll wonder if this is a “leveling the playing field” kind of move. While this may not be the case, the general concern for many is that Grimmie is going to get to the next round of the show and completely dominate, given that she has a pretty substantial fan following on Twitter and YouTube.

So we don’t dig the change, but we also have to say that we’re not really digging anyone too much on this entire season so far except for maybe Sisaundra Lewis and Josh Kaufman. Even then, there hasn’t been a single performance like Matthew Schuler’s “Cough Syrup” or Cole Vosbury’s “Let Her Go” that we’ve gone back and listened to multiple times.

What do you think about the change: Yay, or nay? Share your thoughts one way or the other below, and for our take on the most-recent battles from the show, be sure to click here. You can also sign up to get more news worth singing about via our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: NBC