TV Review: An Unfair Voice

The Voice: 6:30, Sunday, RTÉ One

We are now into the final two weeks of RTÉ's latest talent show The Voice of Ireland. To be honest the show started out well in the first number of weeks. The novelty of  the initial stage, which saw the judges unable to see the singers, and then turn around if they liked "The Voice". The second stage the singers went head to head, and the judges decided who would move on to the live finals.  Both rounds were different and proved a certain amount of originality. As the series moved on it began lacking originality, and became little more than X-Factor or You're A Star.

In many ways giving some power to judges and mentors stops a certain kind of promotion of contestants in their home towns. You might even thinking that Brian Kennedy's saving of Alan 'OTT' Fitzsimons was, in part, to prevent such provincial marketing of contestants. However Last night truly showed how unfair the system had become.

Brian hymned and hawed over Alan and his competition, Richie Hayes, but as like so many times before Brian sided with Alan. Knowing that he couldn't possible give too much to Alan he divided his 100 points between them as fairly and as unfairly as possible. Alan was given 55, with Richie given 45. So no favoritism was seen. But on every other occasion Brian had saved Alan, who was in the bottom two nearly every week.

The unfairness of this show isn't just Brian, and it isn't even the fact that these types of shows are purely money making machines for producers and premium phone rate providers, often leaving winners behind after the show has end. The unfairness came when the results of the judges where provided before the public vote ended.

Kian Egan gave 70 points to Jim Devine with Sharon Gaynor getting just 30. Sharon Corr went 65/35 to Vanessa Whelan, while Bressie had a more difficult choice between Pat Byrne and Conor Quinn.

The announcement of these votes before vote lines closed meant that callers either felt that the Judges had made up the mind for the audience, A high 70 and 65 from Kian and Sharon swayed the audience into getting their star pupils, while Brian's marginal vote towards Alan was a gun to the head, since audience were seeing that Brian was saving a friend, while over looking other singers. Perhaps Brian was right to save Alan but it just looked bad for the singer.

The Voice of Ireland had many other flaws, but like other versions of the series around the world its biggest flaw is its unfairness.