If you needed one image to sum up the state of "The Voice All-Stars" on Channel 13, you got it in the finale: an artificial, computer-generated audience, moving with unnatural drama and looking like a herd of zombies inserted onto the screen because there simply weren't enough people in the actual studio. Channel 13 explained they used AI technology for "technical considerations" and so "it wouldn't look strange." The bad news: it looked strange, it looked embarrassing, and above all, it reflected exactly what this show has been from the first moment: one big fake.
The numbers don't lie. 4.9% viewership on finale night. A dismal result, on the verge of collapse, for a commercial channel that invested millions in a format that was supposed to be its flagship.
The formula for successful reality TV isn't rocket science. The Israeli audience isn't foolish. They want interesting, brave people, the kind who aren't afraid to scratch their deepest wounds in front of the cameras. We saw it work brilliantly in "The Winning Kitchen": when Shay Turgeman and Avri Gilad exposed their scars, or when a single exit by Judy Nir Mozesm who admitted on air that she doesn't miss her children, set the network on fire. That creates conversation, that brings engagement, and above all: that brings ratings.
But in a music reality show, and especially in a format like "The Voice," the rules are even stricter. The event isn't just the contestants, it's first and foremost the coaches. The dynamic in the spinning chairs has to be tense, vibrant, creative. The coaches need to go head-to-head, challenge each other, turn on the burners and create fire. And what did we get this year? Noa Kirel and Eden Ben Zaken.
