Idol Chatter & Voice Views

When Jacqueline George’s knockout round aired Monday night, it was the first time Voice viewers had seen her perform since Feb. 17. (NBC Photo)

Each season, I keep thinking to myself, “The Voice can’t possibly get any worse.”

Unfortunately, the show often proves me wrong.

And The Voice is doing it again, slowly slogging its way to the worst season in the show’s 27-season history.

The problem isn’t the talent. Monday’s final knockout round episode included 12 solos. And more standout performances in those 12 performances than American Idol presented over two nights with its Top 24.

So how does The Voice build on that momentum?

By airing a recap show with no new performances this Monday.

Really?

Really. Tune in Monday at 8 p.m. only if you want to re-watch performances you’ve already seen.

Fans will have to wait until April 28 to see the first half of the playoffs. Fans will have to wait until the following Monday for the rest.

And that’s what’s made Season 27 particularly infuriating, the snail-like pace at which it’s proceeded.

With no Tuesday episodes to help speed things along, the blind auditions alone took five weeks.

And that means contestants disappear for weeks at a time.

One of Monday’s excellent performances came from Jacquelyn George. I didn’t remember her. Little wonder. We hadn’t seen her perform since Feb. 17.

Another came from Carlos Santiago. We hadn’t seen a full performance from Carlos since the season premiere. Way back on Feb. 3.

That was 10 Mondays ago!

Anyone who knows anything about singing shows knows you get fans invested in singers by putting the singers on the stage repeatedly.

Oh, letting fans vote to help determine a singer’s fate also helps.

American Idol seems to understand this. You could flash me a photo of any member of the Top 24 and I’d be able to tell you the singer’s name in a heartbeat.

The Voice? They haven’t got a clue, simply forcing the same tired format into whatever schedule they’re given by NBC and hoping viewers can follow along.

And now, in a strange twist, NBC is replaying the blinds auditions in the 9 to 11 p.m. time slot on Tuesdays, introducing viewers to singers who have already been eliminated from the show. It’s almost too stupid to believe.

Voting? Well, if you watch American Idol, you’ve already gotten two chances to do that, and you’ll get another on Sunday, and every Sunday after that through the season finale.

But there’s no need for Voice fans to limber up their fingers. They won’t be voting until May 12. And they’ll only get to vote twice. All season.

That’s right. You get just two chances to chime in on who should win, Voice fans.

Welcome to the show’s worst season ever.

County singer Jaelen Johnston is one of the standouts on The Voice, but have fans seen him often enough to get attached? (NBC Photo)