The Voice ‘FIX scandal’: Guy Sebastian’s brother Chris denies the show is ‘rigged’ as viewers say he ‘shouldn’t have been allowed to audition’
The Voice’s new season has been plunged into scandal after just two episodes.
Many viewers claimed Guy Sebastian’s brother should not have been allowed to audition on Monday because his family link made it ‘unfair’ on the other contestants.
Chris Sebastian, 31, had anticipated the backlash, however, and denied the competition was ‘rigged’ before his audition had even aired.
Hitting back! Guy Sebastian’s brother Chris (pictured) has denied The Voice is ‘rigged’ in his favour, as viewers say it’s ‘unfair’ for other contestants that he was allowed to audition
Speaking to Woman’s Day on Monday, Chris said he had already ‘ruled out’ choosing Guy as his mentor because he wanted to step out of his brother’s shadow.
He said: ‘I had him ruled out from the beginning. I’d hate people to think I wasn’t there for my own abilities or it was rigged.
‘I didn’t want anyone to think I was getting special treatment.’
Chris auditioned during Monday’s episode, to his older brother’s apparent surprise.
‘I’d hate people to think I wasn’t there for my own abilities or it was rigged’: Chris told Woman’s Day on Monday that he had ‘ruled out’ having Guy (pictured) as a mentor before auditioning
‘Inappropriate and definitely a conflict’: Many viewers on Twitter felt Chris being on the show was unfair for the other contestants. Others said he should be respected as an artist
Guy and Boy George were the first to turn their chairs as Chris sang Jealous by Labrinth. He eventually chose Kelly Rowland as his mentor afterwards.
‘I absolutely feel like Chris shouldn’t of been allowed to audition,’ one viewer tweeted after the episode, while another added, ‘Chris Sebastian, Guy will hire him’.
One outraged fan described it as ‘so inappropriate’ and a ‘conflict of interest’.
But others came to the singer’s defence, and said people need to ‘get over’ the fact Guy and Chris are brothers and respect Chris as an artist in his own right.
Can he win? Boy George and Guy were the first to turn their chairs as Chris sang Jealous by Labrinth. The contestant chose Kelly Rowland (pictured) as his mentor afterwards
Chris, who qualifies as an all-star contestant after appearing on The Voice’s first season in 2012, said in a trailer released on Sunday that he feared his family connection would lead to humiliation if he didn’t get through the Blinds.
He had previously slammed The Voice four years ago, saying producers had portrayed him simply as ‘Guy’s brother’.
‘I really didn’t want to [do the show],’ he told The Music in 2016.
‘They did a lot of things that they weren’t meant to, like after my performance they played my brother’s song. And the whole point was for me to have my own identity. So it was a bit of a crappy experience.
‘It was a real slap in the face, and when I asked them about that they were just like, almost smug about it. Like they [knew] it all along, it was just rude… real dishonest.’
‘Crappy experience’: Chris first appeared on The Voice’s first season in 2012 (pictured then). He slammed the show in 2018, saying producers had portrayed him as ‘Guy’s brother’ rather than an artist in his own right