Over the weekend (10/6 & 10/7) I got caught up on all my blind audition episodes of The Voice. That’s about 10+ hours (minus commercials). On Oct. 2 I watched the Best of the Blind Auditions show as it aired, which was an hour recap show.

That’s the advantage of have things on DVR. If you time things right, then when you’re ready to sit down and watch it, you can zip through commercials.

As I was watching the blind auditions I realized why I liked them and how different The Voice is from those “other” shows.

Carson Daly is the Host of The Voice.

First and foremost – Carson Daly. Not only does he carefully manage the entire show, he’s right there with the family and friends while the potential “Voice” is on stage, cheering them on, high fiving when they get picked, offering a sympathetic ear when they don’t.

Then there’s the judges – Adam Levine, CeeLo Green, Blake Shelton and Christina Aguilera. All music powerhouses in their own right; now in their third season together. The only infighting theses judges do is when they’ve all turned around for the same talented “voice” and are trying to get them on their “team.”

Even when the judges don’t turn around, they offer constructive advice which has actually brought several contestants back from previous years to try again. Two from Season 2 returned this year and were chosen to be on CeeLo’s team (Daniel Rosa) and Christina Aguilera’s team (Dez Duron).

The backstory of the contestants, which is a big part of the blind auditions, is inspiring and uplifting and sets The Voice apart from all of the other “performance” type reality shows.

Then there’s the BLIND auditions. Take for example Melanie Martinez who did her rendition of Britney Spears “Toxic.” She weighed 100 pounds and had a noticeable gap between her teeth. Half of her hair was brown and the other half was black. During her 90 seconds on stage she played the guitar, sang and played the tambourine with her feet. On any other singing competition, she wouldn’t have made it through screening. On The Voice, she got three judges to turn around. She chose Adam Levine who complimented her on her artistic vision.

http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/video/melanie-martinezs-audition-toxic/1417215

Brian Scartocci from Austin, Texas is a single father of two. He sang “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder. He got three judges to turn around. CeeLo said that Stevie had written that song for his daughter and asked Brian if that was his reason for singing it. Brian said yes, that he supports his kids with his music, “that he pays someone $60 to watch them so he can go make $25.”

http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/video/brian-scartoccis-blind-audition-isnt-she-lovely/1417248

Not all the backstories are sobering. The last chosen performer of Season 3 (though he didn’t know it at the time) was 27 year old Cody Belew. His father first recognized his talent for singing every time Cody would do yard work. He’s inspired by Dolly Parton’s greatest hits and stated that he thought he lived a past life as an elderly black lady because of his affinity for soul music. CeeLo, who was the last judge needing a team member hit his buzzer at the very last second of Cody’s song (who sang “Hard to Handle”). When he realized that CeeLo had actually hit his buzzer he ran across the stage and hugged CeeLo (still not aware that he was the last performer).

http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/video/cody-belews-blind-audition-hard-to-handle/1419237