The talent show is one of the most popular entertainment programs in recent years, attracting countless young people with musical dreams to participate, and also allowing the audience to witness their growth and competition. However, is it really so glamorous and fair behind the talent show? Recently, a netizen who claimed to be the former producer of "The Voice of China" broke the news that the female champion of a certain session was bought for 30 million, and also implied that the champion was Zhang Bichen. This revelation triggered extensive discussion among netizens. Some believe that Zhang Bichen has shown real talent, while others doubt that she has succeeded solely on financial resources and relationships. There have also been questions about whether the talent show is unfair and presuppositioned. Therefore, we need to explore whether Zhang Bichen's victory was really bought through money. What are the unfairness of talent shows? This article will analyze from the following aspects.
Does Zhang Bichen spend money on champions? Analysis from family conditions, singing strength, mentor selection and other aspects
Zhang Bichen, the female champion of the third season of The Voice of China in 2014¹, won the favor of Na Ying's mentor with her unique voice and singing style in the competition, and eventually beat other contestants to win the crown. However, after she won the championship, many netizens questioned her strength and background, thinking that she could only get the favoritism of her mentor and program group by spending money or going through the back door. This kind of skepticism has become even more popular after it was recently revealed that it was 30 million to buy the championship. So, did Zhang Bichen really spend money on the championship? We can analyze from the following aspects.
First of all, from the perspective of family conditions, Zhang Bichen is a rich second generation, her father is a low-key and powerful businessman, and her mother is a cultural person with a privileged family. Zhang Bichen has been influenced by her mother since she was a child and likes music. In 2010, Zhang Bichen stood out in the Tianjin Foreign Chinese University Singer Competition and became a "singer" in the eyes of his classmates with his unique singing style. After that, he participated in the talent show held by KBS TV in China and won the overall championship of the Chinese division. He then participated in the finals in Korea and won the best award.
It is said that during her stay in South Korea, Zhang Bichen's father sent her 1 million won (about 6,000 yuan) as living expenses. This was not a small amount at the time. In addition, before Zhang Bichen participated in "The Voice of China", she had signed a company called "Star Media". According to rumors, the company was also invested or controlled by Zhang Bichen's father. The company had provided Zhang Bichen with professional training and packaging, and bought her a bumblebee. It can be said that Zhang Bichen's father paid a lot of money for her musical dream. So, will he also pay more for her draft journey? This is a questionable question.
Secondly, from the perspective of singing strength, although Zhang Bichen has a certain level, he did not perform well in the competition. Her singing style is considered to be imitating Korean singer IU, lacking personality and innovation. Her voice was also criticized as too sharp and harsh for singing love and lyric songs. Her stage performance is also not outstanding enough, and she often appears nervous and restrained. In the competition, she was once blown up when she sang on the same stage with Wei Xueman, but was left by Na Ying to eliminate Wei Xueman. This made many netizens feel unfair, thinking that Wei Xueman's strength and temperament were stronger than Zhang Bichen.
In the final, Zhang Bichen also did not impress the audience, and her song "Where Did the Time Go" was considered an old song, with no novelty and highlights. Her opponent Parhati showed her talent and charm with a song "Chasing Dreams and Hearts". Many viewers thought that Parhati should be the champion, while Zhang Bichen could only be the runner-up or third runner-up. However, the final result was that Zhang Bichen won the championship, and Parhati was the runner-up. This made many people feel incredible and suspected that the program group had shady scenes.
Emphasizing the choice of mentor again, Zhang Bichen is a member of Na Ying's team, and Na Ying's sister Na Xin once founded the program "The Voice of China". Na Xin not only served as Na Ying's agent, but also had a close bond with the cadets of Na Ying's team. For example, several artists such as Ping An, Zhang Wei, and Jin Chi all participated in the "Masked Singer" program under the promotion of Na Xin. And it is speculated that the founder of "The Masked Singer" is likely to be Na Xin. In 2013, Naksin also carefully planned concerts by Zhang Hexuan, Zhang Wei, Jin Chi and others, and held a tour of Australia and other places.
To sum up, Na Xin obviously played a certain role in the career development of Na Ying's students after they became famous. This information is publicly disclosed, and much of it is edited by Nasin himself or his team. So, when Zhang Bichen participated in "The Voice of China", did Na Xin also make a difference? Does she use her influence or network in the program to help her sister and her fellow students? This is an unknown question.
Based on the above three aspects, Zhang Bichen is more likely to spend money to buy a champion, because she has rich family conditions, mediocre singing strength, and favorable mentor choices. Of course, this is not to say that she necessarily paid for the championship, maybe she was just lucky, or for some other reason. However, the existence of this possibility has made many people doubt the fairness of the talent show. And behind the talent show, there are more unfairness waiting for us to reveal.
The shady scenes behind the talent show: injustice, sponsorship, voting, etc
In addition to Zhang Bichen, there are other players who are also suspected of relying on money or connections. For example, when Hua Chenyu won the national championship in "Happy Boy", his song style was not popular with the public, and was even criticized by Cai Guoqing as "wolf howl", but he was favored by the program group. It was revealed that his family provided sponsorship to the program group, which affected the outcome of the competition. In addition, there are also unfair phenomena such as internal determination and voting in talent shows, which make many powerful players lose the opportunity to compete fairly, and also make the audience lose trust in talent shows.
First of all, it means that the program group arranges the promotion or elimination of certain players in advance, rather than deciding based on their performance and ratings. This phenomenon is not uncommon in talent shows. For example, in the first season of "The Voice of China", there were rumors that Li Daimo was the internal champion because he was a member of the Na Ying team, and Na Ying was an important partner of the program group. In the second season, there are rumors that Li Qi is the internal champion because he is a member of the Harlem team, and Haring is one of the bosses of the program group. Although these rumors have not been confirmed, they have also made many people question the fairness of the program group.
Secondly, sponsorship refers to certain contestants or the companies or groups behind them providing money or goods to the program group as a reward or incentive, thereby affecting the evaluation or arrangement of the program group. This phenomenon is also common in talent shows. For example, in the first season of "New Chinese Song", there were rumors that Jiang Yingrong was the daughter of the sponsor, because she always wore the costumes and accessories provided by the sponsor during the competition. In the second season, there are rumors that Zhang Shaohan is a relative of the sponsor, because she always receives special treatment and preferential treatment from the sponsor in the competition. Although these rumors have not been confirmed, they have also made many people doubt the fairness of the program group.
Third, voting means that viewers vote for their favorite contestants through their mobile phones or the Internet to support them to advance or win the championship. This approach may seem fair and democratic, but in fact there are many problems. For example, in the third season of "The Voice of China", there are rumors that the vote between Zhang Bichen and Parhati was artificially manipulated, because before the end of the vote, Zhang Bichen's votes suddenly skyrocketed, while Parhati's votes suddenly plummeted. In the second season of "New Chinese Song", there were rumors that the vote between Zhang Shaohan and Jiang Dunhao was artificially manipulated, because before the end of the vote, Zhang Shaohan's votes suddenly skyrocketed, while Jiang Dunhao's votes suddenly plummeted. Although these rumors have not been confirmed, they have also made many people doubt the fairness of the program group.
Based on the above three aspects, there are unfair phenomena such as internal determination, sponsorship, and voting behind the talent show, which not only damages the artistry and authenticity of the music, but also hurts the feelings and dignity of the contestants. We want talent shows to evaluate the strength of contestants fairly and impartially, not to be influenced by money or relationships, and not to fabricate facts or create controversy for the sake of ratings or hype. We hope that talent shows can respect music and contestants, and present the audience with the most authentic, best and most talented musicians.
Call on talent shows to be fair and impartial, respecting music and contestants
Whether Zhang Bichen spent money on the championship, we can't know the truth, but we can see the unfairness behind the talent show, which makes us doubt the fairness of the talent show. We are not denying the efforts and achievements of Zhang Bichen or other players, we just hope that they can win the recognition and love of the audience with their strength and talent. We are not trying to discredit the work and contributions of the talent show or the program group, we just hope that they will abide by the rules and principles and give the contestants and the audience a fair and transparent stage.