Sir Tom Jones, 84, faces calls 'to retire' after sparking fury with 'farcical' ITV The Voice decision: 'Big mistake!'
ITV The Voice: Sir Tom Jones has faced calls to 'retire'
ITV
Sir Tom Jones, 84, has been urged by a number of disgruntled ITV The Voice viewers to "retire" following this past weekend's semi-finals.
Along with his fellow judges will.i.am, LeAnn Rimes, and Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher, the coaches had to decide which of their acts would progress to next week's grand finale and compete for a chance to bag a record contract.
Jones had managed to whittle down his category to just three semi-finalists: Ace, Billy and Louie, and Hollie Peabody.
Peabody blew the audience away during the semi-finals with their rendition of Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody while Ace similarly brought the house down with a take on I'd Rather Go Blind by Etta James.
Meanwhile, Billy and Louie had 'toes tapping with their performance of George Michael's classic Freedom '90.
Following all three acts' performances, it was left to Jones to decide which one of them would make it to the final with just one spot up for grabs.
ITV The Voice: Sir Tom Jones prevented Ace from progressing - much to fans' disapproval
ITV
"The act I'm taking through is..." Jones began as he let the anticipation build. "Billy and Louie."
The singers were left stunned to hear they'd secured a spot in the final, throwing their heads into the hands before being congratulated by their fellow semi-finalists.
And while the audience broke into applause and cheers, it seems several ITV viewers at home weren't pleased with Jones's decision.
Reacting to a clip of the moment shared on the show's Instagram page, one fan fumed at the result: "What a farce! Changed channels after Ace wasn’t chosen. She was by far the best ! Outstanding! Wow still shocked. Won’t watch any more."
A second was similarly outraged: "Tom as had his days now he needs to retire them twins were terrible. Ace was amazing stunning."
"Seeing everyone agree with me just proves that ACE should have gone through. She would have won the whole show," a third hit out.
Meanwhile, a fourth raged: "Tom needs to retire...! Those twins are cruise ship entertainers at best... yet ACE was the clear outstanding performer. Unbelievable!!!"
And a fifth echoed: "Tom made the biggest mistake of tonight!!! Ace was outstanding! She is the winner!"
However, there was some defence of Jones among the uproar, with one fan hitting back: "There is only one Sir Tom Jones he has his reasons. I thought they were all equally amazing on the night. Always be kind x."
The Voice finalists Billy and Louie ignored the controversy soon after the semi-final aired, taking to their own social media platforms to express their delight at making it to the final and thanking Jones for the opportunity.
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ITV The Voice: Sir Tom Jones faced a barrage of angered comments for his decision
"So… We are @realsirtomjones finalists of @thevoiceuk 2024," they penned on Instagram alongside a snap alongside Jones.
They continued: "We can’t explain how grateful we are to have this experience and opportunity. ‘Freedom 90’ by @georgemofficial is such an important song and we were so pleased we could pay tribute to one of the most influential artists to us - George Michael.
"Thank you to Sir Tom for believing in us and selecting us as your finalists. We can’t wait to work with you!
"Thank you for all the love and support from all our friends and supporters and lastly, @ace_over_kings_ & @hfaith.music, we are super glad we met you and to now have you in our lives. Love you both so much and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for you both. Bring on the Final." (sic)
The semi-finals of this year's series of The Voice had already been marred in controversy before Jones announced his divisive decision.
Several viewers had previously expressed their dismay at the show for seemingly axing the "battle rounds" from the competition ahead of the semis.
In years gone by, acts would have to perform against one another on stage while both performing the same song at the same time.
But the format was revamped, a decision that not only left ITV viewers upset but Jones too as he said on Virgin Radio earlier this year: "I wish – not to go against the producers – but I think it could be longer, the singers could have more time with us."
Tom Jones has addressed retirement before the Voice controversy
PAWhile he may be facing "retirement" calls, the 84-year-old Delilah hitmaker put to bed any question marks over his touring future earlier this month.
Jones took to social media with a lengthy post expressing his gratitude to his band and team after wrapping up his latest world tour.
For the past 10 months, Jones has been performing for thousands of adoring fans in 22 different countries.
Despite previously admitting he had "less control" of his voice now he's gotten older, Jones promised fans he would "see them again" when it came to his performing future.
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