TV Talent Shows

I've never really been a fan of the television singing competitions like American Idol and X-Factor; in fact, I've never watched more than 30 seconds of either of those shows! Personally, they have just never really interested me. However, there is a relatively new show (in its second season right now) that I find really interesting. The show is called The Voice which features four judges (current artists) who chose their "teams" based on the voice only- their backs are turned to the performer/contestant. While this seems like a great idea, I'm not certain that it distinguishes itself from other shows. While I think many of the contestants are incredibly talented singers (and some musicians!), I always find myself questioning the legitmacy of the judges. I never believe that the judges are as qualified as I think they should be to be judging and coaching the contstants- in some cases, I think that the contestants have more musical talent, knowledge, and ability than some of the judges! As for the singers, I always find myself rooting for the musicians or the ones with musical backgrounds, and the distinction between the ones with a musical background and the ones without it really shows in their performances (not to say that I don't like some of the ones without a musical background or dislike those with one). For me, it is so much more fun to watch when there is real music playing instead of a computer generated sound that some of the contestants go for. Also, because of the nature of this show, there is a wide variety of singers that come on, and the voice and song choice of some are almost too weird and strange for me to enjoy. Nonetheless, the show is entertaining and I am discovering new styles of music that I like that I didn't give much thought to before.