The first season of The Voice, the Australian reality talent show, premiered on 15 April 2012 and concluded on 18 June 2012, with Karise Eden being crowned as the winner.
Coaches and hosts
On 29 May 2011, it was reported in The Daily Telegraph that the Nine Network would broadcast The Voice in late 2011. However, two months later, they reported that the show would now air in early 2012, and that the Nine Network were in talks with signing at least one international artist (especially an American) to lead its panel of coaches on the show, which were rumoured to be Christina Aguilera, George Michael, Usher, Pink and Gwen Stefani. In September 2011, the Herald Sun reported that the Nine Network were planning to sign Australia's Got Talent judge Dannii Minogue as one of the coaches. Anthony Callea, Vanessa Amorosi and former Pussycat Dolls member Ashley Roberts all publicly expressed interest in coaching roles, however Delta Goodrem, Keith Urban, Seal and Joel Madden were ultimately confirmed as the four coaches for the first season.
Additionally, Ricki-Lee Coulter (with Seal), Darren Hayes (Goodrem), Megan Washington (Urban) and Benji Madden (with brother Joel) paired up with the coaches as mentors for their contestants.
Darren McMullen was announced as the host of the program in January 2012. Faustina Agolley was announced as the social media correspondent during the live shows in May 2012.
Teams Color key
Coach Top 48Seal Karise Eden Fatai Veamatahau Chris Sebastian Emma Birdsall Sam Ludeman Michael Duchesne Paula Parore Mitchel Thompson Yshrael Pascaul Casey Withoos Kieran Fraser Anthony Dellamarta Joel Madden Sarah De Bono Ben Hazlewood Prinnie Stevens Lakyn Heperi Laura Bunting Carmen Smith Yianna Stavrou Chris Ninni Mahalia Barnes Nick Len Mali-Koa Hood Michelle Serret-CursioDelta Goodrem Rachael Leahcar Glenn Cunningham Danni Da Ros Viktoria Bolonina Matt Hetherington Ben Bennett Adam Hoek Matty Chaps Sarah Lloyde Peta Jeffress Jerson Trinidad Jesse and AshleighKeith Urban Darren Percival Diana Rouvas Adam Martin Brittany Cairns Taga Paa Jimmy Cupples Brett Clarke Jaz Flowers Abbie Cardwell Kelsie Rimmer Cam Tapp Glenn Whitehall
Blind auditions
+ Key Coach hit his/her "I Want You" button Artist elected to join this coach's team Artist defaulted to this coach's team Coach had completed their team and were therefore excluded from the ability to select artist Filming for the blind auditions stage of the competition began on 19 February 2012 at Fox Studios in Sydney, with 121 artists featured in this phase of the selection process. The first day of filming resulted in hundreds of audience members being turned away from the studio due to overbooking of the event by an external booking agent.
Episode 1 (15 April) The first episode of the Blind Auditions was broadcast on 15 April 2012.
+ "The Blind Auditions, Part 1" Order Artist Age Song Seal Joel Delta Keith 1 Casey Withoos 22 "Samson" 2Adam Martin 24 "Apologize" — 3 Yianna Stavrou 19 "S&M" — — — 4 Jerome O'Connor 25 "Yellow" Eliminated 5 Carmen Smith 28 "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" 6 Jimmy Cupples 46 "Woman" — — 7 Melanie Dyer 19 "Domino" Eliminated 8 Karise Eden 19 "It's a Man's Man's Man's World"
+ Coaches' performance Performer(s) Song Keith Urban, Delta Goodrem, Joel Madden and Seal "Crazy"
Karise Eden (No.41) debuted on the ARIA Charts after her performance.
Episode 2 (16 April) The second episode of the Blind Auditions was broadcast on 16 April 2012.
+ "The Blind Auditions, Part 2" Order Artist Age Song Seal Joel Delta Keith 1 Sarah De Bono 19 "Price Tag" - 2 Cam Tapp 40 "Superman (It's Not Easy)" - 3 Gail Page 48 "I Put a Spell on You" Eliminated 4 Laura Bunting 24 "Wuthering Heights" - - 5 Brett Clarke 26 "Making Memories of Us" - - - 6 Rebecca Tapia 27 "If I Ain't Got You" Eliminated 7 Yshrael Pascaul 33 "Miss You" 8 Chris Sebastian 23 "Halo" - - 9 Rachael Leahcar 17 "La Vie en rose"
Rachael Leahcar (No.18) debuted on the ARIA Charts after her performance.
Episode 3 (17 April) The third episode of the Blind Auditions was broadcast on 17 April 2012.
+ "The Blind Auditions, Part 3" Order Artist Age Song Seal Joel Delta Keith 1 Matt Hetherington 41 "Evie" - - - 2 Kelsie Rimmer 20 "Teenage Dream" - - 3 Tom & Dakota 19/17 "Grace Kelly" Eliminated 4 Peta Jeffress 27 "Wonderwall" - - - 5Lakyn Heperi 19 "Kids" - - 6 Danni Da Ros 29 "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" - - 7 Juddy Mac 39 "Crazy" Eliminated 8 Adam Hoek 25 "Use Somebody" - - - 9 Paula Parore 35 "Don't You Remember" - 10 Michael Duchesne 21 "What a Fool Believes" - - -
Lakyn Heperi (No.29) debuted on the ARIA Charts after his performance.
Episode 4 (22 April) The fourth episode of the Blind Auditions was broadcast on 22 April 2012.
+ "The Blind Auditions, Part 4" Order Artist Age Song Seal Joel Delta Keith 1 Ben Hazlewood 23 "Breakeven" - - 2 Taga Paa 26 "Isn't She Lovely?" - - 3 Ben Bennett 17 "Teenage Dream" - - - 4 Mahalia Barnes 26 "Proud Mary" 5 Abbie Cardwell 36 "Ode to Billie Joe" - - - 6 Sarah Lloyde 24 "The Voice Within" - - - 7 Darren Percival 40 "Jealous Guy" 8 Ben Potter 20 "You're The One That I Want" Eliminated 9 Mali-Koa Hood 20 "American Boy" - - - 10 Rebekah Jensen 35 "Seven Nation Army" Eliminated 11 Shauna Jensen 57 "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" Eliminated 12 Glenn Cunningham 36 "Lately" - - - 13 Emma Birdsall 20 "Mercy" - - -
Episode 5 (23 April) The fifth episode of the Blind Auditions was broadcast on 23 April 2012.
+ "The Blind Auditions, Part 5" Order Artist Age Song Seal Joel Delta Keith 1 Sam Ludeman 26 "Not Over You" - - 2 Viktoria Bolonina 20 "Babooshka" - - - 3 Glenn Whitehall 33 "A Change is Gonna Come" - - 4 Diana Rouvas 28 "Work It Out" - - - 5 Mitchell Thompson 18 "The A Team" - - - 6 Esther Welch 22 "Fell in Love with a Girl" Eliminated 7 Jaz Flowers 24 "Big White Room" - 8 Kieran Fraser 38 "Same Mistake" - - 9 Cory Hargreaves 36 "We Are the Champions" Eliminated 10 Jerson Trinidad 39 "Ordinary People" - - - 11 Michelle Serret-Cursio 36 "Only Girl (In the World)" -
Episode 6 (24 April) The sixth and final episode of the Blind Auditions was broadcast on 24 April 2012.
+ "The Blind Auditions, Part 6" Order Artist Age Song Seal Joel Delta Keith 1 Prinnie Stevens 31 "Sweet Dreams" - - 2 Anthony Dellamarta 31 "On Broadway" - - - 3 Nick Len 21 "Grenade" - - - 4 Virginia Lillye 42 "Highway to Hell" Eliminated 5 Brittany Cairns 19 "Gravity" 6 Matty Chaps 28 "20 Good Reasons" - - 7 Tamara Stewart 36 "Dumb Things" Eliminated 8 Jesse & Ashleigh both 17 "Lucky" - - 9 Chris Ninni 34 "Always" - 10 Fatai Veamatahau 16 "Songbird"
Battle rounds Filming for the battle rounds started in late March 2012.
Episode 1 (30 April) The first episode of the Battle Rounds was broadcast on 30 April 2012.
Key Battle Winner Eliminated Artist
+ "Let the Battles Begin, Part 1" CoachArtists Song Seal Karise Eden Paula Parore "Back to Black" Joel Madden Ben Hazlewood Chris Ninni "The Only Exception" Delta Goodrem Glenn Cunningham Matty Chaps "Moves Like Jagger" Keith Urban Diana Rouvas Jaz Flowers "Mr. Know It All" Seal Fatai Veamatahau Mitchell Thompson "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" Delta Goodrem Rachael Leahcar Adam Hoek "Over The Rainbow" Keith UrbanAdam Martin Abbie Cardwell "Heartbeat" Joel Madden Prinnie Stevens Mahalia Barnes "Tainted Love"
Coaches' performance Performer(s) Song Keith Urban, Delta Goodrem, Joel Madden and Seal "One"
Episode 2 (1 May) The second episode of the Battle Rounds was broadcast on 1 May 2012.
Key Battle Winner Eliminated Artist
+ "The Battles, Part 2" CoachArtists Song Keith Urban Taga Paa Cam Tapp "Change the World" Delta Goodrem Viktoria Bolonina Peta Jeffress "Purple Rain" Seal Michael Duchesne Anthony Dellamarta "Living for the City" Joel MaddenLakyn Heperi Nick Len "Big Jet Plane" Delta Goodrem Danni Da Ros Sarah Lloyd "Hero" Keith UrbanJimmy Cupples Glenn Whitehall "Plans" Joel Madden Laura Bunting Mali-Koa Hood "What's Up?" Seal Chris Sebastian Yshrael Pascual "Firework"
Lakyn Heperi debuted on the ARIA Charts at #10 after his performance.
Episode 3 (7 May) The third and final episode of the Battle Rounds was broadcast on 7 May 2012.
Key Battle Winner Eliminated Artist
+ "The Battles, Part 3" CoachArtists Song Joel Madden Carmen Smith Michelle Serret-Cursio "We Found Love" Seal Sam Ludeman Kieran Fraser "Viva la Vida" Keith Urban Brittany Cairns Kelsie Rimmer "Turning Tables" Delta Goodrem Matt Hetherington Jerson Trinidad "Higher Ground" Joel Madden Sarah De Bono Yianna Stavrou "Heavy Cross" Keith UrbanDarren Percival Brett Clarke "Shower the People" Delta Goodrem Ben Bennett Jesse and Ashleigh "Fireflies" Seal Emma Birdsall Casey Withoos "At Last"
Ben Bennett (No.93) debuted on the ARIA Charts after his performance.
Live shows Week 1 (14 May) Original broadcast date: 14 May 2012 Coaches' performance: "Sing" with Top 24 contestants
+ Contestants' performances – "Live Show Final, Part 1" Artist Coach Order Song Result Fatai V Seal 1 "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down" Seal's Choice Matt Hetherington Delta 2 "White Noise" Eliminated Karise Eden Seal 3 "Nothing's Real but Love" Public Vote Ben Bennett Delta 4 "One Thing" Eliminated Michael Duchesne Seal 5 "Got to Get You into My Life" Eliminated Danni Da Ros Delta 6 "Alone" Delta's Choice Sam Ludeman Seal 7 "Summer Paradise" Eliminated Viktoria Bolonina Delta 8"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" Public Vote Chris Sebastian Seal 9 "Without You" Seal's Choice Glenn Cunninham Delta 10 "Heaven Knows" Delta's Choice Emma Birdsall Seal 11 "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" Public Vote Rachael Leahcar Delta 12 "Hands" Public Vote
Notes Karise Eden (chart position 9), Rachael Leahcar (15), Viktoria Bolonina (28), Emma Birdsall (36) and Fatai V (43) all debuted on the ARIA Charts after their performances.
Week 2 (21 May) Original broadcast date: 21 May 2012
+ Contestants' performances – "Live Show Final, Part 2" Artist Coach Order Song ResultDarren Percival Keith 1 "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" Public Vote Prinnie Stevens Joel 2 "Turn Me On" Joel's ChoiceAdam Martin Keith 3 "Lonely Boy" Keith's Choice Sarah De Bono Joel 4 "Listen" Public Vote Jimmy Cupples Keith 5 "Sweet Child o' Mine" Eliminated Ben Hazlewood Joel 6 "Lego House" Joel's Choice Taga Paa Keith 7 "Fight for You" Eliminated Laura Bunting Joel 8 "Somebody That I Used To Know" Eliminated Diana Rouvas Keith 9"Love on Top" Keith's ChoiceLakyn Heperi Joel 10"Forever Young" Public Vote Brittany Cairns Keith 11 "Different Worlds" Public Vote
Notes Brittany Cairns (chart position 7), Darren Percival (12), Sarah De Bono (13), Diana Rouvas (22), Lakyn Heperi (26) and Ben Hazlewood (35) all debuted on the ARIA Charts after their performances. Team Joel contestant Carmen Smith was disqualified from the competition before the live show. To keep the teams even, Team Joel only eliminated one contestant in the first live round while the other teams still eliminated two.
Week 3 (28 May) Original broadcast date: 28 May 2012 Group performances: Delta and her team (Glenn Cunningham, Rachael Leahcar, Viktoria Bolonina, Danni Da Ros) – "Born to Try" Seal and his team (Chris Sebastian, Emma Birdsall, Fatai V, Karise Eden) – "Kiss From a Rose"
+ Contestants' performances – "Live Show Final, Part 3" Artist Coach Order Song Result Chris Sebastian Seal 1 "I Can't Stand The Rain" Eliminated Danni Da Ros Delta Goodrem 2 "When Love Takes Over" Eliminated Emma Birdsall Seal 3 "The Look of Love" Eliminated Viktoria Bolonina Delta Goodrem 4 "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Eliminated Glenn Cunningham 5 "Closer" Delta's Choice Fatai V Seal 6"Ave Maria" Seal's Choice Rachael Leahcar Delta Goodrem 7 "Someone To Watch Over Me" Public Vote Karise Eden Seal 8 "Landslide" Public Vote
Notes Karise Eden (chart position 14), Fatai V (25) and Rachael Leahcar (41) all debuted on the ARIA Charts in the week after their performances.