Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Todd Tilghman performs in the blind audition that started it all on The Voice Season 18. (NBC Photo)

Tonight’s finale of The voice will likely end with the crowning — remotely, of course — of Todd Tilghman as the show’s Season 18 champ.

At least that’s what should happen based on iTunes results and the way the pastor from Meridian, Mississippi, has connected with the show’s fans.

But don’t forget Season 12, when it appeared Lauren Duski and Blake Shelton had victory in sight.

Instead, Chris Blue was presented as the champ, a result I still suspect was a figment of producers’ wishful thinking.

Should something like that happen tonight, a fraud investigation should be opened. And pronto.

In truth, it’s difficult to take tonight’s results too seriously.

Remember, these finalists were selected on the basis of five performances, some filmed months apart. Fans selected a winner based on a grand total of seven performances, two fewer than ever before on The Voice and several fewer than most seasons.

The coaches handpicked nearly half the semifinalists for the first time ever. Because of the requirement that each coach have a finalist, we don’t even know if four singers who advanced based on last week’s overnight voting were the four fan favorites.

For all those who didn’t think Voice producers could do worse than the cross-battle nonsense of Season 16 … well, they did it. They served up a season even more abbreviated. And a show schedule which, it bears repeating, was in no way affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Let me state this simply: If producers think this format represents a legitimate singing competition, if they ever again plan to repeat this format, I hope there is never a Voice Season 19.

All of which isn’t meant as a knock against a very talented Top 5 that also includes Toneisha Harris, Thunderstorm Artis, CammWess and Micah Iverson.

As I’ve said before, they didn’t create the schedule or chose the show’s format. They’d likely welcome more performances because more weeks of live shows translates to more exposure for their talent.

And they are supposed to be the focus tonight. Though from the performance lineup, it seems like the coaches will spend more time singing than the Top 5.

I can tell you who won’t be performing. There isn’t a single Voice alum mentioned in the lineup for tonight’s show. In contrast, American Idol managed to have 11 past favorites take part on Lionel Richie’s season-closing “We Are the World” performance Sunday night.

But if you’re wondering what some of your former favorites are up to, here are some handy links to new music released in the past couple of weeks by 26 of them.

Keep checking back during the off-season. Each week, I highlight the latest released from Voice alum. (See that, Voice execs, it really isn’t that difficult to support former contestants).

Check out post-Voice music from …
Angie K (Keilhauer)
Chance Pena, Emily Keener, Kensington Moore
Abby Celso, Elia Esparza, Jeffery Austin
Riley Biederer, Paula DeAnda, Monique Abbadie
Matt New, Cali Wilson, Elise Azkoul, Lauren Hall
Josh Hoyer, Christiana Danielle, Christian Cuevas, Kalvin Jarvis, Judith Hill
Anthony Evans, Charlie Rey, Angela Wolff
Danielle Bradbery, Nicolle Galyon, Curtis Grimes, Emily Ann Roberts