The Voice has experienced some shocking snubs and twists this season, and at the centre of the drama is American singer-songwriter turned The Voice coach Richard Marx, who divided fans at the end of Blind Auditions with his “harsh” feedback and language.
Now, with The Knockouts underway, the coach has shocked the contestants, coaches, and host Sonia Kruger again with a move that no one saw coming.
Contestant and member of Richard Marx’s team, Dicko, told WHO about the brutal moment Richard broke a major rule on the show and the fallout that ensued.
What rule did Richard Marx break on The Voice?
During The Knockouts, each team is broken up into groups, with only one contestant from each group selected by their coach to progress to the Quarter Finals.
On Monday night, September 7, Richard announced that after listening to one of his groups perform, he would not be bringing any of them through to the next round.
“All three of these performances were worse than your Blind Auditions,” he said. “That just can’t happen.”
When asked who he will take through to the Quarter Finals, he began by saying that “at the end of the day, [he] has to do what [he] really thinks is right”.
“What’s tricky about this for me is that I don’t feel like any of you rose to the occasion,” he continued, leaving the other coaches speechless.
“This is so not personal because I really think the world of all three of you guys. So, I don’t know if I’m allowed to do this, I’m not going to take any of you through.”
When Sonia Kruger explained that this means Richard will be down an artist in the Quarter Finals, the coach simply nodded in understanding and stuck to his decision.
“I’ve done The Voice for 15 years around the world,” Ronan Keating said after Richard revealed his decision. “I have never seen this before.”
In the past, rules have been broken on The Voice to allow more contestants to make it through to the next round. Never before has a coach broken the rules so they can give fewer contestants a chance.
‘None of us saw that coming’
Richard’s reasoning was harsh but not unlike the feedback he has been giving this season on The Voice, explaining to the contestants that if they “can’t step up now”, how can he expect them to “step up when it matters” in the industry.
Dicko, one of the contestants who ended up on Richard’s team after being given a second chance by Tones and I, told WHO that this moment was just as shocking as it seemed on screen.
“I think none of us saw that coming,” he admitted. “But I respect Richard’s decision no matter what.
“It comes down to how we perform in that moment and it either pays off or it doesn’t.
“All we could do from that point was hope that one of the other coaches saved us,” he said. It didn’t come to fruition.
“I would have loved a chance to show what we can do.”
Dicko added: “I will always be grateful to Richard for fighting to have me on his team after my second-chance Blind Audition.”
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