Andrew Furze, a talent scout for the The Voice, today told a forum audience that contestants on TV talent shows are psychologically evaluated before they appear on screen.
“We psych test every contestant,” revealed Furze, speaking at Face The Music's The Realities Of Reality Talent Shows forum in Melbourne this afternoon. “We take that responsibility very, very seriously.”
However, panel-mate Tim Morrison, a former season two contestant of The Voice (and one-time singer with Trial Kennedy) expressed concerns about the mooted 'Kids' version of the talent franchise to air on Nine in 2014. “There are fine lines between exploiting – and I'm not saying the kids version is exploiting at all, it still creates opportunity for kids, so it can be a good thing – but it is a very fine line.”
Furze, who was also associated with Ten's MasterChef Junior competition, adressed exploitation fears. He pointed out: "The level of stringent attention to child welfare is overwhelming… all the producers who have contact with the kids and guide the kids are very carefully cast.
“It's designed to be a positive experience for those kids… the worst that can happen with these things [happens] online.”
Another panellist, Mecury Records Australia's Peter Karpin, who looks after The Voice contestants signed to Universal, admitted that past winner Karise Eden has struggled with her sudden rise to fame in 2012. When Eden went to the UK after winning, Karpin said she was “a little bit all at sea because she'd never been out of Australia.” He added that she also “came unstuck during [a tour] with some issues she needed to address.”
Morrison noted: “You need to be an adult to deal with the pressure, the emotions and the sensitivities around you.
“The people who ail on reality TV have a false sense of that show and what it will do… it's just a platform, that's all these shows are set up for.”
