The Voice Nigeria is a quality show.
I think it’s important to start off on this note. I finally got to watch the incredibly hyped music reality television show on Sunday night and that was the recurring thought that kept coming across my mind.
From the gorgeous set to the styling of the judges and the contestants, to the lights, the awesome band (shout out to their amazing band!) and the stunning graphics, the organizers spent a lot of money on this show and there is no doubt about it.
This overt display of quality is no doubt one of the major reasons why Nigerians have become such huge fans of the show. The show’s quality is commendable and for the most part, the contestants lived up to the hype of the show. For the most part.
Amidst all the drama of the brilliantly produced show were four very distracting judges.
Anyone who has watched The Voice in the U.S. knows that the show thrives on the level of chemistry displayed between the judges.
Blake Shelton‘s rivalry with Adam Levine and CeeLo Green‘s goofy relationship with Christina Aguilera in their first season captivated audiences worldwide and made American Idol a thing of the past.
Why?
Their relationship was organic on screen and seemingly, off screen. It was like watching a group of best friends competing and it was glorious.
Let’s come down to our own Nigerian coaches. To say that our Nigerian The Voice coaches do not have organic chemistry would not be the whole truth. They seem like they could be acquaintances, friends maybe, but it does not translate so well on the screen.
When it comes to overcompensating for a lack of true chemistry, Patoranking is the most guilty.
He’s never on his chair, he’s always jumping around with the most awkward reactions and comments. Even down to his critique on the performances, Pato was a cringe-worthy watch the entire show.
Coming in second place is Stephanie Coker-Aderinokun. No, Stephanie is not a judge, but she’s an unnecessary co-host. Why the organizers of the show feel like Ik Osakioduwa, who does an amazing job as host, is not enough? We may never know.
All we do know is that Stephanie Coker has these awkward product placement heavy segments with the contestants that the show could definitely do without.
Timi Dakolo is also guilty of jumping around like Pato, but his is a bit more bearable. Waje has her moments but Yemi Alade, in actuality, is surprisingly the coolest judge.
Now to the reason why you even clicked this story. Why do the coaches of The Voice Nigeria suck? It’s very simple, they are not good judges.
Of course, we don’t know whether or not they are acting on a directive from the show’s producers, but it seems like the judges are either scared or unwilling to tell the contestants the truth.
Performance after performance, whenever Ik would ask for the judges’ reaction all we would hear is sugarcoated comment after sugarcoated comment. No one was ready nor willing to be a villain. God bless Simon Cowell.
Watching the judges give nothing but good reviews, even when they are not deserved, made the show a boring watch.
The show lacks the right dosage of drama and chemistry that it will need to have the shelf life it deserves.
We can only hope that one of the big guns running the show takes note of this before more fans do. Till then, someone should please tell Patoranking to have a seat.