Mixing The Voice Australia with cute as  button children sounds like an easy sell but the syrupy cotton candy soaked result was a lot to stomach – especially for this fellow who doesn’t mix children with his reality show competitions.

While the grand prize is well thought out – a $50,000 music scholarship, the idea of putting children onto the stage and having them being open season for savaging on social media (MKR’s Chloe and Kelly and The Blocks Steve and Chantelle anyone?) is somewhat a little off-putting.

Opening up the hugely popular singing competition to “the next generation of great Australian talent” i.e: kids aged between 8 and 14, The Voice Kids is a sugar coated and tamed down version of the show we have come to watch and sometimes scoff at.

The format is the same as we’re used to seeing but with the added presence of eager stage mums and singer Prinnie Stevens on-hand to give the widdle hopefuls some encouraging words of wisdom before being thrust onto the stage.  Premiering last night, of all the contestants to ‘audition’, only one act – identical twins Katie and Emily missed out on turning a chair – but to ease the pain of rejection, they were given a spin in coaches Joel and Benji Madden’s chair.

Speaking of Joel and Benji Madden, they, along with Spice Girl Mel B and former The Voice Australia coach Delta Goodrem are there to build their team while playfully fighting among themselves and fawning over each cute little contestant.

So the big question is, Is there any real talent?  Possibly, and if so, it’d come from those edging towards the 14 year old cut-off, but in general, this fluffy and bubbly answer to bring us more The Voice is one I can happily do without.