“American Idol” and “The Voice” have both proven they’re excellent at what they do, even though they challenge their contestants in different ways and use contrasting mentoring techniques.  Discovering which musical competition show to tune into is up to you.

Since you’re the one who’s going to be listening to the winning voice on the radio, on TV and on your mp3 players, you should take note of what type of star each show is churning out.  It’s just a matter of picking which method you think will produce the star you want to listen to.  And it’s okay to like both methods – we do!

Check out how “American Idol” and “The Voice” turn an aspiring musician into a singing sensation:

MENTORING

“The Voice”
“The Voice” uses only the expertise of superstar musicians Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine and Cee Lo Green to mentor its contestants.  The contestant’s progress is tracked by the same mentor each week.  The advice offered is flowing from one musician to the next; the mentors are all singers themselves who have experimented with singing techniques and know how to pinpoint which sounds work for specific material.

“American Idol”
One the flipside, “American Idol” uses the vast amount of different musicians and industry experts to offer advice week after week. On one episode it’s a pop artist giving advice, the next it’s a rock musician, and then it’s a composer.  All of the contestants receive advice and direction from the guest mentor of the week.

JUDGING THE VOICE

“The Voice”
Each judge on “The Voice” picks the talent he or she wants to mentor based solely on the sound of the person’s voice.  Age, gender, appearance or any other information about a person is unknown and therefore irrelevant in the choosing process.  If they’ve got a good voice, you can bet those chairs will swing around in seconds.

“American Idol”
Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi – “Idol” has proven that having a non-musical representative on the judging panel is essential to picking a star.  Not only does the contestant have to have the right voice, but he or she also needs to have what it takes to be a star.  Record execs give feedback based on stage presence, the ability to make a song personal, general marketability, image, personality; it’s all about preparing the winner for the challenges ahead once the singing competition is over, and that includes factors other than just hitting those high notes.

ELIMINATION CONTROL

“The Voice”
In a nutshell, the judges on “The Voice” control who gets to be in the final four of the competition.  As they mentor the contestants, they eliminate them based on how well the person is listening to critiques and improving his or her performances week after week.  They take into account viewers’ opinions when they have the final eight (giving the audience 50% control of the elimination process) before handing them full control for the final four.

“American Idol”
The judges on “American Idol” critique the contestants and offer them feedback to improve their performances, but the elimination process rests solely with the viewers.  Sometimes less favourable singers are pushed forward and fan favourites are eliminated (a good example is Jennifer Hudson in season three).  However, they keep the power in our hands because after all, we’ll be the ones buying the winner’s album when it comes out. 

MOVING ON TO THE NEXT ROUND

“The Voice”
Instead of having the contestants sing different songs, they pair two of them together to sing the same song.  Just like the blind auditions, the emphasis isn’t necessarily on the performance itself, but on who sings the material better.  The winner of the duets, called battles, is pushed forward to the next round.

“American Idol”
“American Idol” created the “Judges’ Save” twist in later seasons of the show.  If they feel a contestant shouldn’t have been eliminated, judges can choose to keep them in the competition for another round.  However, all of the judges must be in agreement on the person being saved, and they can only use the save once in the season. In addition, the save can’t be used once the show is down to the final four singers. 

So which program is for you? Both shows produce talented winners with different strengths.  Is “Idol”’s mix of musicians and record execs shaping the singer’s performance week after week up your alley? Or is “The Voice”’s method of judging the singer solely on the sound of their voice the way to go? 

If you can’t decide, it’s okay.  Like we said before, it’s cool to like both.  Just make sure you save two spots in your music collection when the winners come out with their albums!

Don’t miss all-new episodes of “American Idol” Wednesday at 8/7C on CTV and Thursday, Feb. 9 at 8 pm ET/PT on CTV two.

A new round of blind auditions on “The Voice” begin on Monday, Feb. 20 at 8/7C on CTV.