Fans Are SCREAMING for a Change – Here’s Why You Should Care! Forget the spinning chairs and predictable narratives – a growing chorus of frustrated “The Voice” fans believes the show is desperately in need of a major shake-up.

Fans Are SCREAMING for a Change – Here’s Why You Should Care! Forget the spinning chairs and predictable narratives – a growing chorus of frustrated “The Voice” fans believes the show is desperately in need of a major shake-up.

Does ‘The Voice’ need a format change? Frustrated fans think so

Season 27 contestant Conor James (left) was one of six contestants eliminated during the Playoffs premiere.Greg Gayne/NBC

Some fans of “The Voice” are frustrated with the singing competition’s current format.

Since season 26, which aired in the fall of 2024, “The Voice” viewers don’t get to vote until only eight contestants remain in the competition. During past seasons, the voting began earlier, often at the top 12 or the top 13.

Not only does the new format give fans fewer opportunities to weigh in, it also leads to some pretty dramatic eliminations. During the Playoffs round, each coach must pare their team down from five contestants to two, which means the competition goes from the top 20 to the top 8 in just two episodes.

It’s a bit of a bloodbath to watch six contestants — all of whom were talented enough to make it through the Blind Auditions, the Battles, and the Knockouts — get eliminated in a single episode.

“I don’t like how they go from top 20 to top 8,” one viewer commented on a YouTube video of a performance by season 27 contestant Conor James, who seemed like a potential winner until he was cut during the Playoffs. “Bring back top 12, top 10, top 8, top 5 & Finale.”

“Agreed. Cutting each [team] down from 5 to 2 [contestants] is brutal,” another person chimed in. “They should have saves or steals available in the playoffs.”

“I hate it,” a third fan wrote. “It gives such little time for the live rounds and barely allows the audience to get involved in the process.”

When the format change was first introduced in the fall, one fan wrote via Reddit that “The Voice” needs to “slow down the amount of eliminations.”

“It’s such a drastic cut in such a short time,” the viewer wrote. “It’s hard to get connected to artists when they’re gone so quickly.”

Another fan went so far as to say that the top 8 shouldn’t necessarily be comprised of two contestants from each coach’s team.

Britton Moore was eliminated during “The Voice” season 27 Playoffs premiere.Greg Gayne/NBC

“It’s not fair to kick off singers with the best voices to keep the teams equal. I say when you get down to the final 20 let the best singer win regardless of whose team they are on,” the viewer wrote. “I hate seeing favorites leave just because they’re on the wrong team. May the BEST voice win!”

“The Voice” has changed its format before, so time will tell whether the show reverts back to fewer eliminations ahead of the live rounds. Season 27 coaches Adam Levine and Kelsea Ballerini called it “brutal” and “uncomfortable” to eliminate three contestants each during the Monday, April 28, Playoffs premiere.

Coaches John Legend and Michael Bublé will be forced to do the same during round two of the Playoffs on Monday, May 5.

Keep scrolling to see who is left on season 27 of “The Voice.”

Team Kelsea

Iris Herrera
Alanna Lynise

Team Adam

Lucia Flores-Wiseman
Kolby Cordell

Team Legend

BD.ii
Olivia Kuper Harris
Renzo
Bryson Battle
Ari Camille

Team Bublé

Angie Rey
Barry Jean Fontenot
Jadyn Cree
Kaiya Hamilton
Adam David

“The Voice” airs on NBC and Peacock on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes are available to stream on Peacock the day after they air.

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