The Voice is used to massive eliminations once it gets to the live shows, but it looks like season 9 is going to be particularly brutal. On Monday (Nov. 16), NBC released its primetime schedule through Dec. 13, and in doing so, revealed the number of Voice contestants to go home each week.
On Monday night's episode, fans already learned that for the first time ever, only one singer will go home this week from the top 10, creating a top 11. But, the schedule, release on NBC's website, revealed that only one singer will go home for the next three weeks of the show, making a top 11, top 10 and top nine. Those final nine singers will go in to the semi-finals.
But, that doesn't mean that eight singers will move on to the finale, set to air Dec. 14. Instead, the Dec. 8 results show will cut the crop by 56 percent, sending five of the nine remaining singers home to create the top four.
That means, the voice progression for the live playoffs will go 24-12-11-10-9-4 and more brutal cuts in the semi-finals. Season 8, for instance, went 20-12-10-8-6-5-4.
The Voice NBC Schedule through Dec. 8:
Monday, Nov. 16: The Voice Top 12 artists perform
Tuesday, Nov. 17: Live Eliminations
Monday, Nov. 23: The Voice Top 11 artists perform
Tuesday, Nov. 24: Live Eliminations
Monday, Nov. 30: The Voice Top 10 artists perform
Tuesday, Dec. 1: Live Eliminations
Monday, Dec. 7: The Voice live semi-final performances: Top 9 artists perform
Tuesday, Dec. 8: The Voice live semi-final results; five artists go home
So, what does the new schedule mean for The Voice, its fans and contestants? Namely, the new schedule means that if a favorite singer has a bad week early on, they have more time to recover. Fans, meanwhile, will be able to see their favorite singers for a little longer, even if it means dangling their dreams like a carrot for a little too long.
