‘The Voice’: Results provoke cries of ‘racism’; Are they valid?
Frustrated fans take to social media to vent their outrage
Pint-sized country crooner Chevel Shepherd was crowned the Season 15 winner of “The Voice” Tuesday night and not everyone was happy about it.
That’s no surprise. After every reality TV competition, fans whose chosen favorites don’t win tend to go ballistic. But this time there’s some extra bite to the outrage as many viewers took to social media to accuse the show’s voters — and in some cases, even the show itself — of being racist.
The problem? Chevel and second-place finisher Chris Kroeze are both white, while the third- and fourth-place contestants — Kirk Jay and Kennedy Holmes — are black. Clearly, the optics on that one are not great. “Eliminate the black people first,” wrote one Twitter user. “You’re not slick, but okay #TheVoice.”
The disdain was particularly forceful when it came to Holmes’ fourth-place finish. A 14-year-old R&B specialist from St. Louis, Holmes finished the competition on a strong note with three standout performances on Monday that had fans and critics raving. Many believed she had a great chance to win, or at least make it into the Final 2. So it was shocking to see her take fourth.
Among the baffled viewers was “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin, who tweeted, “Um I’m confused. How is it possible that Kennedy cane (sic) in 4th place?”
It’s sadly ironic that Holmes’ coach was Jennifer Hudson, the only black woman on “The Voice”‘s red-chair panel. (Again, bad optics). Fans of “American Idol” will recall that Hudson was a contestant on Season 3, when the show was accused of racism. That controversy was ignited when three black singers — Hudson, Fantasia Barrino and Oakland’s La Toya London — all wound up in the Bottom 3 one week. Hudson was eliminated and had to settle for a stunning seventh-place finish. Barrino, however, went on to win, quelling some of the racism talk.
Of course, it doesn’t help matters that “The Voice” had an earlier controversy this season when coach Adam Levine essentially lobbied voters to save Reagan Strange, a young white female contestant, over DeAndre Nico, a black singer.
Both Nico and Strange were in the Bottom 2 that week and the show’s rules call for the contestants to vie in an “Instant Save” sing-off. But Strange was ill and unable to perform. Still, Levine backed her and Nico was eliminated. (Strange was axed the following week).
In an interview days after the show, Nico said he felt like Levine “sold me out.”
Still, it is often a dicey proposition when it comes to accusing a reality show, and/or its voters of racism. Supporters “The Voice” will point out that the show has had three black men — Javier Colon, Jermaine Paul and Chris Blue — take the crown. Also, Tessanne Chin, an R&B singer from Jamaica, prevailed in Season 5.
And you can argue that genre and geography might play a bigger role in the results than skin color. Country singers and/or contestants from the South have traditionally fared incredibly well on both “The Voice” and “American Idol.” And Blake Shelton, the lone country singer on “The Voice” coaches panel, has six victories — way more than anyone else.
It’s important to remember, too, that when viewers of reality shows go to vote, they are voting for someone they’ve gown to love and appreciate. They’re not necessarily voting against another contestant. And in this case of Season 15 on “The Voice,” it’s easy to see how Chevel — labeled a honky tonk princess by some — would win over fans’ hearts with her powerful pipes and cutesy charm. And it probably didn’t hurt that her coach was Kelly Clarkson, a charismatic personality with a huge fan base.
Still, that didn’t keep many viewers from expressing their frustration.
Article via MercuryNews