Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Dylan John, Emily Clapp and Kollin Bailey of DEKi of Hearts from The Voice Season 28 perform during the playoffs on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

The Voice wraps up Season 28 this week with a pair of two-hour shows beginning at 9 p.m. on NBC.

Monday night, the show’s six finalists will perform two songs each, setting the stage for overnight voting.

Those finalists include Aubrey Nicole for Team Reba, Ralph Edwards for Team Snoop, Aiden Ross for Team Niall and Jazz McKenzie for Team Michael.

The other two finalists will be revealed at the beginning of Monday’s show.

Results will be announced at the end of a two-hour show on Tuesday. That show will feature a number of guest performers and duets between the contestants and coaches.

Here are some predictions, opinions and facts about the Season 28 finale.

Coming After Monday’s Show …
Song by Song Grades for the Top 6

Prediction: The wild card spot from Monday’s show will go to DEK of Hearts. The wild card spot from the first playoff show will go to Max Chambers or Rob Cole. Those are the contestants urging fans to watch on Monday and Tuesday.

Fact: This will be the first time Voice coaches and producers have hand-picked finalists. It’s also the first time there hasn’t been at least one live show between the playoffs and the finale. And the first time fans haven’t known the identity of all the finalists before the finals begin.

Prediction: Having had their talents bottled up all year, The Voice will go all out with the sets for Monday night’s performances. Some will make no sense. On at least one occasion, perhaps three or four, all The Voice’s extra splashes will detract rather than add to the performance. It happens every season.

Fact: This is a very talented group of finalists and The Voice casting department should be congratulated for continuing to find amazing musicians on a show that has seen move than 1,300 singers turn chairs in 28 seasons.

Opinion: It’s just a shame we didn’t get to see more of the Season 28 cast. Artists made the finals on the basis of three solo performances and one duet. In contrast, former champ Cassadee Pope had to perform 10 times to make the finals in Season 3. Including results night group numbers and duets, she performed on The Voice stage 20 times. This year’s finalists will perform a grand total of 7 times.

Fact: In a recent NBC/Voice press release on how to vote, Michael Bublé is quoted as saying: “This is about the artists, for the artists. It’s not about us (coaches). We love being here. We love being part of the process. There’s a reason why we’ve come and gone, and the people in the red seats change, but the show stays successful. It’s because they’ve made sure that they are so protective of the artists. And that’s the legacy of the show.”

Prediction: Each coach will get more airtime than any of the artists during Tuesday’s final show of the season.

See also …
What to expect on The Voice Monday and Tuesday
Former champ Sofronio Vasquez returns Tuesday
The Voice keeps making the wrong kind of history

Fact: The finale performance lineup includes Neal Schon and Journey, the South Korean girl group XG, Noah Cyrus, Riley Green and Khalid. None of them have a connection to Season 28, but all of them likely have something to pimp or sell.

Opinion: As noted before, there are 1,300 former contestants on The Voice. Many still make music. Many make a living through music. On a show that claims to care about its artists, guest spots should go to them.

Prediction: The Voice will shove a trophy into the hands of the Season 28 champ as the credits roll, leaving no time for a victory song or celebration.

Fact: American Idol has provided The Voice with 23 seasons of tape on how this should be done. The winner gets the trophy. Confetti falls. The winner launches into a victory song. The season’s other top contestants rush the stage to congratulate the winner. All celebrate together in a wonderful moment viewers can enjoy before the credits roll.

Opinion: The Voice will never learn.

Prediction: If DEK of Hearts make the finals, the country-pop trio will win. They’re great. Their fans will have had two weeks of practice on how to vote. That will be an unbeatable combintation.

If DEK of Hearts doesn’t get the wild card spot, momentum swings to Ralph Edwards. He’s superb, too, not to mention the type of artist Voice fans have a history of supporting. I also predict a strong finish for Aiden Ross, who has impressed every time he’s taken The Voice stage.

Ralph Edwards performs during the playoffs on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Jazz McKenzie performs during the playoffs on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Aubrey Nicole performs during the playoffs on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Aiden Ross performs during the playoffs on The Voice. (NBC Photo)