The Voice Australia has a history of rule-breaking.
This year has been full of format-first changes. From Tones and I working behind the scenes during Blind Auditions to train up contestants for a second chance to the new ‘Block’ feature that has caused quite the stir with fans, many loyal viewers have threatened to turn off the show entirely.
After Richard Marx sent fans spiralling by swearing on national TV and providing contestants with harsh feedback that many viewers labelled “disgusting”, its been revealed that this coach isn’t done causing chaos on the show.
As audiences prepare for The Knockouts to commence this Sunday, promotions for this next round in the competition have featured everything from Melanie C breaking down in tears to Richard leaving everyone, from host Sonia Kruger and the live audience members to the other Coaches, absolutely speechless.
What does Richard Marx do on The Voice Australia that causes such shock?
While the exact details of what Richard does or says during The Knockouts – of course – remain to be seen, The Voice has teased that rules will be broken.
During The Knockouts, the contestants in each Coach’s team will face off, with only one from each performance group being selected by their coach to progress to the Quarter Finals.
However, there is a chance for the other coaches to save a contestant from another team who wasn’t selected, but the coaches only have one save that they can use.
While we don’t know exactly what Richard will do, we can assume that one of these Knockout round rules will be broken.
“I’ve done The Voice for 15 years,” Ronan Keating said after the promotion teased Richard breaking the rules. “I have never seen this before.”
Buckle up, The Voice fans!
Have rules been broken on The Voice before?
While news of Richard breaking the sacred guidelines of The Voice Australia is a shock, he isn’t the first coach to break the rules of this hit reality singing show.
In 2020, coach Guy Sebastian had a full team and yet still turned his chair for singer Wolf Winters during the Blind Auditions. While production let this slide, the coach was penalised by having to do a three-way battle in the next round, rather than a pair.
In 2019, Boy George and Kelly Rowland got into a heated argument after Boy George accused the former Destiny’s Child member of “cheating” as she allowed one of her contestants, Rapper Denzel, to perform an original song in the Knockout Round, rather than a cover.
During the 2023 season, coach Jason Derulo broke format rules during a battle round, saving contestants Callum Warrender, Alex Jeans, and Andrew Taylor Knight from a three-way elimination by turning them into a newly formed trio.
When it comes to rule-breaking on The Voice Australia, the list goes on.
While this doesn’t take away from the shock value, it also proves just how ruthless and unpredictable this show can be, and why it makes for the best kind of entertainment.