I like NBC’s The Voice.
It’s one of these shows that part of me feels embarassed to like (possibly a topic for another post).

The show’s #UniqueSellingProposition: celebrity judges have their backs turned to the singing contestants. They pick them for their team (almost) solely on their voice (the almost: they also see the crowd’s reaction). A few other things that, in my mind, set this show apart, though:
1. Initial quality. Contestants WIN a spot in front of judges. They’ve already gone through an intense selection process to get there. There’s no interest in showing deluded singers and being mean to them, which is such a relief. As a result, the initial blind auditions send home some singers who are still fantastic & talented.
2. Note the phrasing: “their” team. The judges pick the team they coach and thus co-own success. Maroon 5’s Adam Levine and country star Blake Shelton coached the first two seasons’ winners respectively and are not shy about saying it.
There’s probably some HR/Leadership principles at play here. Just sayin’.

So my early pick to win is Trevin Hunte.
Apparently I’m not alone in early-picking him.
It’s not so much a professional odds-on prediction as much as a wish: he seems like a really authentic 18-year-old who’s got so much talent, he doesn’t seem to totally grasp it yet. A big part of his story is a major rejection from an earlier music teacher who didn’t believe he could “make it”. So he’s so genuinely appreciative of every chance he’s getting. It was quite touching and telling too: this big 18-year-old kid cried when he won his last televised battle, eliminating a team-member who’d taken him under his wing.

Some aspects of Trevin’s story remind me of me at a similar age. I don’t put it out there a lot but I had a meagre start in choir singing. I enjoyed being in the background and was okay with not getting solos, but one conductor saw something in me, trained me & put me up there (I shared the stage once with a guy who was semi-pro at the time and became a stellar classically-trained soloist).
I think back fondly to being picked in this way.
I also find it odd that that set of memories didn’t really surface while watching any of last season, and really only came back to me while considering Trevin’s case.

Wanted to slip this in a little bit before they start the Live Finales tonight.

Someone will win this thing. Someone amazing.
I’m really pulling for Trevin Hunte. Go Trevin! 

The-kind-of-odd-tangent-my-brain-does: I wondered why I wanted to spell Trevin’s name with a Y in it and it’s because his first name is close to Trayvon Martin’s: a sad note in 2012 American events. It’d seem a sort of cosmic redemption for Trevin to win this thing for that reason too.

My wife’s early pick is 35-year-old Scottish rocker Terry McDermott.
I think he’s a good emotional pick too.