I recently started watching the NBC singing competition “The Voice” while dealing with some family issues. The following are my thoughts on the season so far.

Blake Shelton’s kind of a dick. I can’t tell whether he’s trying hard to be a curmudgeon, an aging rocker, the cool dad or a combination of the three. His dickish nature seems to be a response to the presence of Kelly Clarkson, who apparently loves to fight with Blake constantly.

The other two coaches this season are Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan. Chance, in case the name didn’t give it away, is a rapper. Who wears a hat with a “3” on it for some reason I can’t quite pin down. Maybe it’s a millennial thing. Horan is an Irish fellow who played in a band called “One Direction.” I have never listened to a thing either man has released.

Blind auditions of talent are where “The Voice” gets its name. As each potential contestant takes the stage, coaches listen with their backs turned. If a coach wants a singer for their team, they push a button on their chair to swing them around so they can see who they selected. Coaches can “block” another coach from selecting a talent by pressing a separate button on their chair before the other coach spins around.

Blocking seems to be a feature invented this season for Blake to fuck with Kelly and vice versa.

Speaking of Blake Shelton, this is his LAST SEASON coaching on “The Voice.” Viewers will be reminded of this multiple times each episode, usually by Blake himself. He uses it as a mechanism to entice people into joining his team, to the great consternation from his fellow coaches. He probably uses it to make Niall and Chance get him coffee.

Of all the coaches, Chance the Rapper (who a Spotify search reveals has five albums of rap music) is the one who’s piqued my interest the most in seeing how he brings out the best vocals in his artists. Dude seems to have a very unique way of approaching music overall, which I can respect.

Apparently a trio of sisters who sing harmonies together count as one act, not three. This doesn’t seem right, but I don’t make the rules.

Once the blind auditions conclude, the Battle rounds begin. This is where two team members must face each other in a head to head sing off with their coach deciding who stays and who goes. These battles are always against similar talents with comparable skill levels and each is inevitably a tough decision for the coach. Everyone else will weigh in but the coach must pick in the end.

Talent who don’t get the nod from their coach needn’t fret. Every coach has a “steal” usable once in a round that allows them to bring a rejected singer to their camp. Each coach has one “playoff pass” usable once that allows them to send an act past the upcoming “knockout rounds” and put them straight in the playoffs.

If a coach thinks you’ve got potential, then you’ll go far. If they aren’t completely sold on you, then you won’t be around long.

Is this thing more rigged than pro wrestling? I can’t say for sure, but according to Blake the show used about ten grand for a sign that read “Pick Blake Shelton” they used one time.

You be the judge.

Viewers who think a coach made a bad decision during the battle rounds will take to Twitter and tag the coach in posts outlining why said coach made a shit decision. If viewers are sufficiently upset about a coach’s shit decision, maybe they will tag other coaches in Twitter posts to let them know their colleagues made terrible choices.

In other words, it’s a normal social media interaction on a Tuesday.

That’s all for this week, folks! Happy Friday and remember: no matter how bad your week’s been, at least you’re not an Irish boy bander who calls Blake Shelton “pops!”

We’ll see you next time, everyone!