The chair-turning secrets producers don’t want you to know!

As The Voice Australia’s 2025 season captivates viewers once again, behind-the-scenes reveals some surprising truths.

From coaches who barely mentor their contestants to scripted moments and multiple endings, former contestants and insiders are spilling the tea on what really goes on beyond the blind auditions.

Here are 7 shocking secrets that show the reality behind the glitz and glam of the show.

(Credits: Seven)

There’s no mentoring

The coaches are meant to take them under their wing, but a former contestant reveals there’s barely any mentoring.

“They sell you this dream of being mentored by these huge names, but honestly, it felt so shallow,” the performer told Yahoo. “The coaches barely have time for you. It’s like they’re playing a role on TV and don’t really connect with you.”

Lachie Gill The Voice Australia Rita Ora(Credits: Seven)

You never hear from the coaches again

Thought the contestants and coaches kept in touch once filming wrapped? Lachie Gill, who won the show in 2022, told the Herald Sun that when the cameras stopped rolling, he never heard from coach Rita Ora again.

“I am going to be completely honest with you, I have not spoken to her since the show, which maybe is a bit sad for everyone, but also I totally understand that she is one busy woman,” he confessed.

Jess Mauboy The Voice(Credits: Seven)

What’s really in those red books

Guy also dished on what’s inside the red books the coaches have.

“It’ll sort of just say like, what state they’re from. There are no names, no gender or anything like that,” he said, adding they sometimes name the song, “If it’s a really random song, like one that’s some B-side… we get told that so that we don’t think it’s an original.”

The Voice Australia(Credits: Seven )

Yes, it’s scripted

Former coach Guy Sebastian once revealed the show is a big set-up, but the order of the contestants on screen is close to what happens on set. “I think the producers go into it with a fair bit of thought,” he told Yahoo.

“For example, they’ll have some people that are pretty good, and then towards the end of the session when we’re a bit tired and we’re desperate for a lift, they’ll put in this ‘wow’ singer. It might look like we’re over the top but we’ve probably sat through some mediocrity.”

Mel C The Voice(Credits: Seven)

They’re told when to turn their chairs

Perhaps the most jaw-dropping secret: the little red books tell the coaches when to turn their chairs!

“Sometimes if there’s one coach that goes in for a chair turn, to make it more interesting, you may as well go in there and have a crack at pitching,” Guy said.

“You want the artist to feel like there are two coaches fighting over them, otherwise, how do you make a good segment out of that? So, there are little things the producer will write in, stuff like, ‘If this is just a one-chair turn, maybe jump in.’”

The Voice Australia(Credits: Seven)

Bribed into auditioning

One anonymous source told another publication how her friend was approached to audition and guaranteed a spot on the show. “[She] came third,” they recalled of the outcome. “She didn’t even want to audition.”

However, producers kept asking her and ultimately convinced her to go through the audition process by promising she would get through to the Blind Auditions.

Reuben De Melo The Voice(Credits: Seven)

Multiple endings filmed

Last year’s winner Reuben De Melo confirmed the finale is pre-recorded, admitting it was hard to fake his reaction when there are four alternate endings.

In 2020, contestant Chris Sebastian said it was awkward to film different winner announcements. “Obviously they do the confetti, the sparklers up the back, it’s quite a spectacle and we had to go through that four times,” he told news.com.au. “It was a test of everyone’s acting abilities.”