When Channel 10 hosted the show, each episode had some form of quality. There were several episodes per week, and we had quality time with the contestants and watching their learning curve, as well as the backing musicians.
Channel 7 has reduced it to one episode per week, and a laborious drag of a results show. We only see minimal interaction with the (very good) voice coach.
The backing musicians are awesome, it is unfortunate that we see nothing of them. It is they, who make the contestants shine.
Channel 10 would put the contestants through their paces, introducing styles outside their comfort zone. I always looked forward to the Big Band episode; many of the contestants had no real experience in that genre, yet most of them, when they performed in that style had the best musical experience of their life. Channel 7, the closest contestants had was a Judges Choice episode, where the judges choose 4 songs, for the contestant to select one.
There are only two meaningful judges. Harry Connick Jr, and Amy Shark. Meghan Trainor on occasion has helpful remarks, but her screaming throws her credibility out of the window. It was refreshing to have Marcia Hines return briefly. Kyle Sandilands is an enigma, most of the time he is a fool and brings the show down, yet on occasion, he can have the greatest insight. Harry Connick Jr is a real musician, he is really the most knowledgable. It's a shame though we haven't got an Australian as good.
Channel 7s revisioning is a train wreck. It may have the biggest live audience ever, it does not make it better. It's like they just want to get through to the end as quickly as possible, as cheaply as possible, much like their revisioning of Channel 10s Big Brother. (They wrecked that too). We are not seeing a journey, we can't see the contestants highs and lows along their journey, and most of all they are not pushed far outside their comfort zone. It is an insult to the contestants to rush them through and whittle them down as quickly as they have done in this new inferior format. Channel 7, you are an embarrassment.
