So from Team Jessie it was Vince and Becky who became semi-finalists. It wasn’t particularly surprising. The market has looked fondly on the pair since their introduction and they have long been our pick for Team Jessie here at Sofabet. Saturday night’s closing performance by Toni Warne made me doubt having written her off, but ultimately ‘Sorry’ was the hardest (and also her last) word.
Team Danny, as I have complained time and time again, has always been the hardest to call and thus I can’t feel bad about falling a little short with my very tentative predictions. In my original prediction piece, I guessed that Aleks and David would qualify for the semi-final. In my post-show review on Saturday, I guessed that David would win the popular vote and Danny would save Bo. In the end, to the surprise of many, it was Bo who won the public’s heart and Max, to the surprise of more, who qualified on coaches’ save.
So the Egg of Damocles reached Ostrich-like proportions as it hovered over me with Saturday night’s results leaks. I had never even pictured Max in the frame for semi-finals and I expected David Julien to go a lot further, especially after a lot of favourable treatment. Why, then, has this category been so hard to predict? This is what I think:
- Placement of acts within the running order has swung between being extremely predictable and seemingly arbitrary (or perhaps deceptive). Jaz and Ruth were pimped to high heaven with their final slots and overwhelming praise. Leanne and Max were both saved from an opening slot and Toni went home from the pimp slot. At points, The Voice has followed the X Factor formula for using running order to push acts. At others, it has not.
- One possible reason for the above is that the BBC has caught on to the amount of negative opinion in the ether, regarding their favour of certain acts. Perhaps The Voice simply wants to mislead us.
- As Andrew pointed out, Toni performing last meant a clash with the football on ITV. Whether there is much of a demographic overlap is unclear but it does seem a possible justification for wasting the pimp slot.
So, overall, Sunday’s results were not our finest hour but, as any life long learner will tell you, people grow far more by getting things wrong than by getting things right. Let us not forget that The Voice is a new show with a new format and new rules. When it comes to Eurovision, X Factor or BGT, it’s easy to get things wrong even with a plethora of previous editions to go on. So far, The Voice has arguably been even less transparent than its Cowellian counterparts when it comes to the process by which its acts progress.
Our pre-lives prediction piece envisaged a final 8 of Vince, Becky, Ruth, Leanne, Jaz, Sophie, David and Aleks. To have overestimated Sophie and underestimated Tyler was my biggest error. On Team Danny, I have always been upfront about the challenge of predicting an outcome. In the post-show reviews, we guessed that Adam would progress over Leanne and David over Max but the other six we called largely right, excusing a little doubt as to whether Toni might magically trump either Vince or Becky. So, all in all, The Voice has so far been largely predictable with a small side of red herring. It’s a good reminder that we must never be too complacent when following patterns.
I stress again, The Voice is on its virgin flight and there have certainly been some clunky, turbulent moments. Whilst the closure of betting markets between live show and results is frustrating, it does present us with the opportunity to learn the show’s tricks, perhaps as a kind of warm up for next year.
If anyone has caught word of whether the semi-final will have live results, do get in touch in the comments section below.
Truth is its easier to see what’s in the producers minds on XF than the Voice because XF contestants have to sing 4 times before the lives even start. In The Voice they have sung 4 times to reach the semis.
Of course the whole XF model makes it easier to see week by week what acts are favoured to get through and it’s even easy to see what act they would save.
With The Voice it is much more unpredictable and that’s largely because lack of time to really see what the prods want.
IMO though getting rid of David is clearly to allow Bo to breeze into the final without even any kind of pimp slot and maybe they will leave the pimp slot for the final.
Apparently the BBC won’t be using the points system used in the Semis for every other country. (The coach or coaches would split 100 points between the two acts of each team – e.g Vince (70) Becky (30) which would be combined with the public vote like Strictly).
So maybe they have caught on to the complaints that there is too much bias in the show and the coaches have too much power? Or they just think it will be too confusing and want to try to salvage the dwindling ratings.
Actually Highlighted, I think Max may have a shot at beating Bo. I think it’s reasonable to suggest that the vote would have been somewhat split between the three blokes in Danny’s Team (especially David and Max) allowing Bo to slip through to an extent. So if the running order isn’t completely ridiculous he’ll perform after Bo and these elements may give him a decent edge.
Interesting, intereresting –
“For each team, the act with the highest number of public votes (between the two left in each team) will be announced and will represent his/her team in the Final.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00k96j4/features/terms-and-conditions
Presumably this means they’re confident from the votes so far that they can get their four preferred finalists without any need for judge intervention. Why else leave it this late to announce the format for semi to final?
No need to be so self-effacing, Dug! We’re all still figuring this show out, as by the looks of things are producers 😉
Agree with Boki on the last thread that with hindsight the dynamic on Danny’s team was three white males splitting the vote to allow Bo through. I continue to be baffled by Bo’s popularity and the Beeb’s desire to push her, but at least have a very early bet on Team Danny to console me if the Great British Public’s cap-doffery carries her all the way to the prize.
As other posters have commented, no explanations needed on your picks.
Good read as ever (as is the Eurovision stuff).
On the subject of pimping what about Becky Hill?? She fluffs her lines twice, yet there is no mention of it by any of the four judges, when Aleks gets plenty of stick (by The Voice’s standards) for being ‘safe’.
Is there any reason to think the four who won the public vote last week, won’t win again in the semi-finals?
Good point, Lee. If you look at other versions of the franchise, it does appear that the public winners going into the semis are more often than not the ones that make the final.
The petty grapes I have gathered from the vine seem to suggest we’re in for another pre-recorded final which is a shame, betting wise. Let’s hope at least for a live result in the final.
Yeah the actual final is indeed live. It’s 2 hours I believe.
So song choices for this Saturday:
Bo Bruce – Charlie Brown (Coldplay)
Max Milner – Every Breath You Take (The Police)
Leanne Mitchell – Run To You (Whitney Houston)
Ruth Brown – The Voice Within (Christina Aguilera)
Becky Hill – Like A Star (Corrine Bailey Rae)
Vince Kidd – Back To Black (Amy Winehouse)
Jaz Ellington – Let It Be (The Beatles)
Tyler James – Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen)
Lots of dull safe choices then.
Only ones that look interesting are Tyler and Vince’s choices. Becky’s could be good, but the song is too ‘samey’ and goes nowhere.
The rest are predictable or dull.