The Voice: Final Four

Congrats to NBC on what’s turned out to be a hit in “The Voice.” From the get go, every aspect of the show has stood on its own without room for comparison to the granddaddy of singing competitions, "American Idol." Each step in the process has been unique and bold, from the blind auditions, to the battle rounds, and even the live performances; adding a much needed dose of freshness to the tired old singing competition formula. After weeks of great performances, we’re finally down to the semi-finals. Last night was the last set of performance before the final four are announced tonight, and next week's finale. So, here are my predictions for the final four.

Clockwise: Javier Colon, Vicci Martinez, Dia Frampton, Beverly McClellan

While Javier has been a standout throughout the show, Dia has been equally as good. Without seeing the final performances, I’m torn as to how America might vote, but I’ll hedge my bets and give it to Javier, with a caveat that in the end it will depend on song choice, and if anyone can pull off the upset, I think it will be Dia.

“The Voice” has a guaranteed fan in me for next year. Each one of the final eight performers was talented and unique, without being the cookie-cutter pop star which American Idol churns out most years (this year being the exception). In truth, even putting aside the age restrictions on Idol, many of the hugely talented performers that have reached the finals on “The Voice” wouldn’t have made it on Idol purely on aesthetics alone. As for the judges, I love Blake, Adam and CeeLo, but have really been turned off by Christina’s attitude on the show. My one and only gripe with the show is the fact that we’re forced to pick one performer from each team, as opposed to letting us pick any four we wanted. The overall favorites should make it through, even if it means one coach ends up having no performer from their team in the finale.

Tune in tonight to NBC at 8:00 pm to find out the final four, and also next week for the show’s finale.