‘Voice’ Fans Furious At Show After Team Kelly Battle Performance

The Voice / YouTube

Introduction Of Trios Raises Some Eyebrows

Season 16 of The Voice is only in the battle rounds, and we’ve already got our first uproar on our hands.

Prior to the season’s debut, the show announced that it would be allowing trios to compete for the first time. In the past, only solo singers and duos were allowed to try out for The Voice in the U.S., while iterations of the show in other countries have allowed trios.

In fact, a trio named O’G3NE actually won The Voice in the Netherlands back in 2014.

Even though trios have been part of the show in other countries for some time now, the U.S. fans weren’t as accepting when news came down that trios could now audition in front of coaches John Legend, Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson, and Blake Shelton.

People flocked to social media to express their displeasure over the addition of trios to the show.

https://twitter.com/stingertail11/status/1100617485479374848

The Battle That Brought On Backlash

But the decision to allow trios had already been made, and the first-ever U.S. Voice trio auditioned and blew the coaches away with their performance. Named The Bundys, the sibling group displayed their outstanding ability to harmonize with each other while singing the Indigo Girls’ “Closer to Fine.”

Both Shelton and Clarkson turned their chairs, and the trio ended up selecting back-to-back winner Clarkson as their coach.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LIBWWVgJFs

When it came time for the battle rounds, Clarkson paired The Bundys against one of her other most promising contestants…14-year-old Mikaela Astel.

The young singer’s blind audition impressed the majority of viewers, with many saying they felt she had the potential to win the whole show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M285635vTq4

But when it came time for her to compete against The Bundys in her battle, Astel let her nerves show through the sound of her powerful voice. Still, she managed to hold her own against the group, and actually sang lead for most of the song.

Following her performance, all of the coaches noted her nerves, but recognized that it must have been terrifying for her to compete against a trio.

In the end, Clarkson wanted to choose someone she felt was prepared for the lives, and because Astel had seemed nervous, she decided that someone, or rather, someones, were The Bundys.

Fans Vent Their Frustrations

Clarkson’s choice caused an immense amount of backlash from fans, who question why the coach pitted the well-experienced trio against the young Astel.

https://twitter.com/pbpetrey/status/1110348342511448065

Others are angry at the show itself for even allowing trios to compete in the first place. The recurring argument from fans is that since the show is called “The Voice” in the singular sense, that only solo singers should be welcome…no duos, and certainly no trios.

https://twitter.com/onebizzylizzy/status/1110354616208769029

No matter what the fans may say, the decision has already been made, and was actually made some time ago. The battle rounds are pre-filmed long before they air, so for all we know The Bundys may not make it through their knockout performance (also pre-filmed), or Clarkson may decide to bring Astel back as her comeback artist.

Despite the angering outcome, the quartet’s battle has been hailed as one of the best of the season so far. They performed Fleetwood Mac‘s “Songbird,” and it’s absolutely stunning. Go ahead and watch it below.

What do y’all think about this whole ordeal? Do you think it’s unfair to have trios on the show? Or do you like the potential that artists like The Bundys have? We’d love to hear your thoughts.