Revealed: The contract loophole that allowed Chris Sebastian to appear on The Voice and WIN – despite his brother Guy Sebastian being a coach
Chris Sebastian’s victory during The Voice finale on Sunday night wasn’t without controversy, with many fans calling the outcome ‘rigged’ and ‘unfair’ because his older brother Guy is a judge on the show.
But a Channel Nine spokesperson has confirmed that Chris won fair and square, adding that a loophole in his contract meant he didn’t break any rules by entering the competition.
Because he’d previously appeared on the hit singing show, Chris qualified as an ‘All Star’ and this meant he did not have to go through the same audition process or satisfy the same requirements as many of the other contestants.
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Conflict of interest? Channel Nine has confirmed that Chris Sebastian won The Voice fair and square, after fans claimed the result was ‘rigged’ because his brother Guy is a celebrity coach
‘All Stars do not apply to appear in the program through open casting due to the unique situation of having previously appeared on the show,’ the rep said.
‘The terms and conditions on My Casting Net [which state that an applicant can’t be related to anyone involved in production] are for direct applicants to the program only.’
The votes are ‘highly regulated’, the spokesperson said, making it almost impossible for them to be ‘rigged’, as some fans have alleged.
All above board: Because he’d previously appeared on the hit singing show, Chris qualified as an ‘All Star’ and this meant he did not have to go through the same audition process or satisfy the same requirements as many of the other contestants. Usually, singers would be banned from entering if they are related to somebody involved in production. Pictured: Guy Sebastian
‘The public vote for The Voice winner is highly regulated, operated by an independent third party and overseen by lawyers,’ explained the spokesperson.
‘This year’s result [was] the tightest ever, with less than half a per cent of the votes separating the winner and runner-up.’
The representative added that the coaches don’t have any say in what the other mentors do with their artists, so Guy had no influence on decisions Kelly Rowland made regarding his brother.
Completely separate: The spokesperson added that each coach doesn’t have any say in what the other coaches do with their artists, so Guy, 38, had no impact on fellow coach Kelly Rowland winning with his brother
After Chris was crowned the show’s winner on Sunday night, many viewers were left outraged, branding the show ‘rigged’ and ‘unfair’
‘The Voice has just lost its credibility,’ one fan tweeted, as others questioned why Chris had been allowed to audition in the first place.
The younger Sebastian took home the $100,000 cash prize and a record contract with EMI.
Cutting in: Having previously appeared on the hit singing show, Chris qualified as an ‘All Star’, meaning he didn’t have to go through the same audition process as many of the show’s other contestants
On Monday, Chris responded to the backlash on The Kyle and Jackie O Show.
‘I knew it was coming but I weighed up the risks,’ he said of the allegations of favouritism.
‘I was like, “Look, this isn’t even about me anymore.” I’ve got a family to provide for. I’ve been wanting to do this my whole life.’
‘I knew it was coming but I weighed up the risks,’ he later said of the backlash and allegations of favouritism