The Voice Australia has been forced to change its live format due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Sunday night’s episode saw international coaches Kelly Rowland and Boy George appearing on screen, from their respective homes in Los Angeles and London.
On Twitter, viewers also weighed in on producers choosing to play ‘fake laughter’, with the cancellation of live studio audiences.
Changes: Sunday’s episode of The Voice saw coaches Boy George and Kelly Rowland (both right) judging from afar, due to COVID-19. Pictured left are Guy Sebastian and Delta Goodrem
‘Can we please get rid of the fake audience on #TheVoiceAU, it’s so distracting,’ one shared online.
Another said: ‘#TheVoiceAU sort out the sound levels! No need for so much fake crowd noise – I can’t hear the singers. Awesome job compromising though.’
‘Okay stop with the fake crowd noise now. This is soooo irritating!’ one also wrote.
‘So distracting!’ On Twitter, viewers weighed in on producers choosing to play ‘fake laughter’, with the cancellation of live studio audiences
Others also shared their thoughts on Kelly and Boy George’s screens appearing on their red chairs.
‘The animatronic heads on the chairs [is] quite creepy. Also kind of ingenious,’ one wrote.
Another said: ‘How weird is it with the TV screens and Kelly Rowland and Boy George.’
Virtual Kelly: Others also shared their thoughts on Kelly and Boy George’s screens appearing on their red chairs. Pictured: a virtual Kelly next to Despina Savva
Online: Some found it ‘weird’ to see Kelly and Boy George appear virtually, while others praised producers for doing a stellar job amid tough conditions
However, it wasn’t all negative, with some praising producers for doing a stellar job amid tough conditions.
‘After watching the American version of The Voice, I have to say the way the Aussie crew have adapted to filming a show during COVID-19 has been amazing. The way they have George and Kelly judging is technology at its best!’ one said.
Meanwhile, despite Kelly appearing virtually, her feud with Guy Sebastian still escalated.
Kelly said it was okay for Boy George to choose the exact same song for his singers during the playoffs, causing Guy to weigh in.
‘She says that now!’ Despite Kelly appearing virtually, Guy still managed to continue to his bitter feud with the Destiny’s Child singer, calling her out
Boy George chose Whitney Houston’s iconic hit I Have Nothing for both Masha Mnjoyan and Elyse Sene-Lefao to sing in the playoffs.
After the performance, Guy wasted no time in saying: ‘That’s the same song.’
‘George has had a lot of time, there’s billions of songs in the world but he could only come up with one. And I guess it was sort of like a battle, but George, it wasn’t really a playoff,’ he continued.
Coach: Boy George chose Whitney Houston’s iconic hit I Have Nothing for both Masha Mnjoyan and Elyse Sene-Lefao to sing in the playoffs
Kelly encouraged Boy George to break the rules: ‘The rules must be broken then. Break it.’
Guy responded in jest: ‘Oh you say that now! She says that now!’
Kelly playfully attempted to quieten Guy, saying: ‘I’m not there. Shh Guy!’
Opinion: Kelly encouraged Boy George to break the rules: ‘The rules must be broken then. Break it’
It comes after Guy found himself at the centre of a cheating scandal on an episode last month.
The mentor turned his chair for contestant Wolf Winters, who performed a dark rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence.
This decision led to a showdown between Guy and Kelly, who still had a slot available on her team, and things became so heated a producer had to step in.
Having a laugh: Guy responded in jest, alluding to a previous cheating scandal: ‘Oh you say that now! She says that now!’