Dark Secrets The Voice Contestants Tried To Hide

This article contains allegations of child abuse, sexual assault, domestic abuse, addiction, and suicide.

"The Voice" got its start in the Netherlands, where it began in 2010 under the name "The Voice of Holland." The American version debuted the following year, as did "The Voice of Albania," "Glasat na Bulgaria," "The Voice of Finland," and several others. Editions of the franchise can now be found in dozens of countries; everywhere from Nigeria to Lithuania to the Philippines. In some nations, there are even multiple versions of the show. In Poland, for instance, there is the regular adult competition series in addition to "The Voice Kids" and "The Voice Senior." 

While thousands of people have appeared on these programs in hopes of becoming a star, few have gained widespread recognition. And though a lot of contestants have found a small nugget of fame, these 15 minutes have not always been positive. After all, once a person hits TV screens, their secrets rarely stay secret for long.

Since so many of these wannabe superstars have shady secrets, a list like this could probably be written for each edition of the show. Therefore, we focused specifically on contestants from the three big editions most popular in the English-speaking world: "The Voice" (USA), "The Voice" (Australia), and "The Voice UK." Here are some of the dark secrets that the contestants on these shows tried to hide.

If history has taught us anything, it's that celebrities don't always do the right thing. And, sure, reality television singing competition participants are not quite celebrities, but they would fall into that general territory. One group of people we expect to do the right thing — although history has also taught us this does not always happen — are clergy.

Steven Flockhart is both a former "The Voice" (and "American Idol") contestant and a pastor, but he allegedly didn't completely abide by the moral code of the latter. In November 2023, Flockhart was arrested on charges of identity theft and theft of merchandise. His arrest came three years after the alleged crime, and nearly a decade after his stint on "The Voice."

Flockhart — who was selected to be on "The Voice" in 2012 – became a pastor at 901 Church and is alleged to have opened a credit card using a fellow church member's personal information. The member first gave the information for the purpose of opening a joint church-related account. Instead, and without permission, Flockhart opened another card solely under this person's name and racked up just over $6,000 in unpaid charges. All theft charges were dismissed in December 2023, but this does not mean Flockhart is innocent. Per Action News 5, prior to this fiasco, he had faced a lawsuit in 2020 for past instances of forgery and impersonation at a different church.

Unlike many of the other crimes on this list, it should be stressed that this particular one has not been proven in a court of law. Still, the allegations that came out against former "The Voice" contestant Melanie Martinez were troubling. On the third season of the singing competition show in 2012, Martinez immediately stood out to many when she auditioned thanks in part to her funky aesthetic and to her stripped-down guitar version of Britney Spears's "Toxic." She joined Adam Levine's team and made it all the way to the Top 6 before her elimination.

In December 2017, singer Timothy Heller accused her former best friend, Martinez, of sexual assault in a since-deleted post to X, formerly known as Twitter. Martinez immediately denied the story by claiming Heller "never said no to what [they] chose to do together" (via CBS News). "I am horrified and saddened by the statements and story told tonight by Timothy Heller," Martinez responded. "What she and I shared was a close friendship for a period of time ... And although we parted ways, I am sending her love and light always."

At the time, Martinez was one of the most successful singers to come from "The Voice," and she charted multiple songs on Billboard after this story emerged. While Nylon called out the "victim-blaming" that occurred and the problematic way that the singer's fans blindly defended her, no charges were filed in this case.

Though many of the dark secrets harbored by "The Voice" contestants are related to crime, that's not true for every single one of them. In Anthony Riley's case, the darkness didn't come from impacting someone else (or society) negatively, but due to his own internal battles that led him down a tragic path. Riley was a contestant on Season 8 of "The Voice" and was regarded as a frontrunner from the beginning. A well-known street performer in the Philadelphia area, Riley's audition of "I Got You (I Feel Good)" turned all four coach's chairs within the first few seconds. His time on the show was cut short when he mysteriously withdrew from the competition prior to the Knockout round.

At the time of his departure, "The Voice" only said Riley left due to "personal reasons." Not long after, Riley explained to the Philadelphia Inquirer that he exited the show to enter a two-week rehab program — which NBC actually paid for — after realizing that the nearly 16-hour days were "more responsibility" than he could take on at the time.

Riley left the show in January 2015, disclosed his addiction and rehab stint publicly that March, and tragically died three months after that. After Riley committed suicide, Philadelphia Magazine published an article about his life, written by an acquaintance and sparing no details about the struggles he faced in the years before and the brief period after the show.

Josh Murley is another "The Voice" alum who made the news for committing a crime, although the stakes were relatively low as far as impact goes. The singer appeared on the American edition of "The Voice" in Season 6 airing in 2014. That season had several notable contestants including the late Christina Grimmie and country singer Morgan Wallen, who is the biggest star ever to come out of the show despite only making it to the playoff rounds. Murley's blind audition landed him a spot on Team Adam Levine, and he was stolen by Shakira after losing his first battle ("The Voice" experimented with multiple battle rounds that particular season) but got cut for good after the second round.

In June 2015, Murley was arrested after stealing a selection of food items from a Texas Walmart. He had entered the self-checkout line and left without paying — something more and more people are doing, which is why stores like Walmart and Costco now check receipts at the door. Murley's bounty was of chips and dip, drinks, and bread, all totaling a mere $57. But theft is theft, and he was lugged off to jail after being arrested for the misdemeanor charge. Little has been heard about him since his snack-filled crime spree, but some Instagram sleuthing revealed he is still playing small gigs in the Texas Hill Country region.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a million people in the United States are arrested every single year for driving while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. Needless to say, this is a huge problem in America, and even big celebrities such as Tiffany Haddish, Justin Bieber, Tiger Woods, and Chris Pine have been arrested for drunk driving. Even Olympian Michael Phelps and actor Keanu Reeves have DUIs, so it is a bit unsurprising to see this charge on the record of a contestant on "The Voice."

Olivia Henken competed on Season 5 of "The Voice," landing herself on Team Christina Aguilera and making it all the way to the Top 20 and the live shows before being eliminated. A couple of years after her 2013 reality show run, Henken was pulled over for speeding and subsequently arrested for being under the influence. While the story made the news when Henken — who is married to another former "The Voice" competitor, Josh Logan — pled guilty to the charges in 2015, her sentence was never reported. Since then, much of Henken's social media presence has focused on her journey to motherhood, welcoming her and her husband's first child on April Fools' in 2023.

There really is no excuse for driving under the influence, but someone needs to put a memo to "The Voice" contestants. Delvin Choice is yet another of the show's alumni who have been cuffed for the crime.

Choice was working as a barista when he auditioned for the show in Season 5 but failed to turn any chairs at that time. He came back the next season with a performance of "A Song For You" that wowed all of the judges and earned him a four-chair turn, joining Team Adam Levine. Choice sailed through all of the rounds and landed himself in the live shows, ultimately finishing in the Top 8. After leaving Team Adam, Choice also left Starbucks to devote all of his time to his singing career.

In 2014, Choice was pulled over and arrested for a DUI soon after his appearance on Season 6 of "The Voice." He was later released on bail. It is unclear what punishment he faced for his DUI, but the laws in South Carolina are rather lax for a first offense (the maximum sentence is 30 days in jail). The singer went on to work as a vocal and performance coach in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and also owns a God-inspired online store called Kingdom Over Culture Clothing.

Though "The Voice UK" films in England, the show has featured competitors from all around the United Kingdom. Take, for example, Jeff Anderson, a singer who hails from Newtownards, a small town in Northern Ireland. Anderson was already a reality television alum when he auditioned for "The Voice UK" in 2014, having appeared on Andrew Lloyd Webber's competition show "Superstar" two years prior. Despite his singing skills, Anderson is far more famous for his numerous sex crimes, which have resulted in not one but two high-profile court cases.

In 2016, Anderson was charged with a series of offenses that occurred between 2005 and 2013. Of the 16 charges he faced, 15 were for sex crimes and included assaults on children, recording people without their consent, and possession of indecent imagery of a child. He was handed a three-year suspended sentence, but failed to learn his lesson and was back in court not long after.

That second time in court, Anderson was convicted for committing a lewd act and public indecency after exposing himself to a 12-year-old girl in 2018. Throughout the court sessions, the singer maintained that he was sitting in his mother's BMW playing a "mini guitar" and not pleasuring himself, but the jury did not buy it. In late 2021, Anderson was sentenced to nine months in prison and in 2023, released a social media video about how much people hate him and his self-forgiveness.