‘We already knew’: The Voice runners-up react to controversial win

After controversy erupted over the crowning of last night’s The Voice winner, the trio of runners-up have since addressed the result.

The Voice runners-up have reacted to the show’s finale, which saw Lachie Gill from Rita Ora’s team take home the crown.

Controversy erupted on social media after the winner was unveiled on Sunday night, in which the 24-year-old Melbourne PE teacher beat a diverse trio including Thando Sikwila from Team Keith Urban, Jordan Tavita from Team Guy Sebastian, and Faith Sosene from Team Jess Mauboy.

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Lachie took out The Voice on Sunday.

Faith, 25, took to Instagram to say she was “so proud” of Lachie, before seemingly suggesting there was a wider issue at play.

“We already knew Australia was gonna love & pick you! You’re simply perfect for them.”

Faith has since edited the caption, deleting “for them” and replacing it with, “You’re simply perfect.”

She added: “[Thando and Jordan] We must work harder for our future generations to win. Off to work we go.”

Faith edited her Instagram caption to say “You’re simply perfect” rather than “You’re simply perfect for them.”

Elsewhere, Thando, 29, said Lachie was a “legend” and that he “absolutely deserves it.”

“Can’t wait to see where this victory takes you,” she wrote, alongside a photo of the pair.

Jordan, 23, echoed Thando’s sentiment, as he also threw his support behind his fellow runners-up.

“My sisters WOW!! We got a bright future ahead,” he wrote. “One door closes and 1000 will open for us!!!”

The Voice finalists from left to right: Lachie, Faith, Jordan and Thando.

Meanwhile Lachie, 24, posted a lengthy statement on his Instagram page congratulating his three finalists.

“Jordan Faith & Thando. What can I say other than Thankyou,” he began.

“Thankyou for sharing your gifts with me and Australia. You will continue to inspire me every single day moving forward and I KNOW and I MEAN IT! That you will have amazing careers in this industry and have so much too (sic) offer to Australia and beyond.”

Fans rushed to Twitter last night to express their disappointment that “three people of colour” lost out in the all-important finale, which saw Lachie nab $100,000 and a Universal Music Australia recording contract.

Of course the white boy’s gonna win #TheVoiceAU

— kip in sydney (@KGinSydney) May 29, 2022

Not happy at all with the result on @TheVoiceAU you had 3 amazing singers with beautiful voices and the white guy with an average voice wins please make it make sense #TheVoiceAU

— DonskiJazz (@DonskiJazz) May 29, 2022

I spoke too soon! of course #TheVoiceAU viewers would choose the only white person in the line-up🥴 get it together Australia https://t.co/agbVz82EsXpic.twitter.com/3Kwv5fjEOJ

— Ayan (a-yarn) 🇸🇴 (@waa_ayan) May 29, 2022

Yep a white boy with no voice won #TheVoiceAU 🙄
What more could go wrong aye? Stop white washing everything. Stop making us all look bad. We must demand to see all the votes that came in @TheVoiceAU

— Ted Lundy (@teddy_lundy) May 29, 2022

It comes after some viewers were left confused last week as public voting was open ahead of the grand finale, yet previews of the episode were already shown on TV. How could fans vote if the finale had already been filmed, some viewers wondered?

News.com.au can clarify that the grand finale had been prerecorded, but viewers’ votes were promised to “entirely determine the winner” because alternate endings had been recorded.

That means each of the four finalists had to act out their winning (and losing) moment, and the ending that aired was then determined by the public votes.

So while viewers watched Lachie win on Sunday night, his was one of four reactions filmed.