‘Reality Check’: Deserving Dads, Smug Blake, and can Fifth Harmony win?

Credit: FOX

On this week’s Reality Check, TVLine’s resident reality expert Michael Slezak and American Idol standout Melinda Doolittle discuss some pretty divisive issues concerning last week’s episodes of The X Factor and The Voice.

For instance, to what extent does Tate Stevens come across as though he’s entitled to the win?

And should Cassadee Pope be afraid that viewers will, once again, give the crown to a down-home family man?

And is Blake Shelton getting overly cocky about his acts?

Check out the new episode below:

Credit: TVLine

My take: I’m actually expecting Terry McDermott to win The Voice for exactly the reasons that are suggested towards the end of the video. He’s the kind of non-threatening, milquetoast personality (equipped with a perfectly serviceable, if unspectacular, voice) who tends to win this show. That said, I would love if Nicholas David won, and not just because we share first names. He’s quirky and unique in a way that feels authentic, and I genuinely love his sound, even if I don’t think for one second that he’d sell records in the mainstream market.

However, as much as I’d enjoy a Nicholas win, I’m 100% okay with Cassadee taking the title. She’s spent much of the season being a fairly standard pop-rock act, yet in the last few weeks she’s grown into someone I actually look forward to seeing each week. And realistically, if this season is going to produce someone who’s going to sell in the mainstream, it’s probably going to be Cassadee. Well, at least among the remaining three. Terry McDermott winning would be a full-scale disaster for the show though. The Voice gets transcendent ratings, but I don’t know how long that’s going to last if it produces another flop winner. People like to see a star being born. It’s part of why Idol endures, even if Scotty McCreery and Phillip Phillips aren’t the global successes of past winners like Kelly Clarkson.

As for The X Factor finale, I’m firmly in Fifth Harmony’s camp. Sure, Carly Rose probably deserves the win, and hell, as of this time last week, I would have been rooting for her. But Fifth Harmony making the finale changes the game. I’d love for a group to win this season, particularly one that’s gelled as well as these girls. Tate will probably sell more records than any of the remaining finalists, thanks to the popularity of country music and the loyalty of its fans, but I feel like Fifth Harmony is the act (of these three) with true mainstream potential. And finding a mainstream act is the stated purpose of this show, after all, not just finding the best singer.

But those are just my superfluous opinions. Feel free to discuss them, and the latest Reality Check, in the comments below! And keep it locked on Rickey.org for all The Voice and The X Factor you can handle during this huge finale week!