An Eagle Scout on ‘The Voice’? I’m listening…

Memo to NBC: You didn’t need to run all those ads for The Voice during yesterday’s Super Bowl.

To get me to tune in, you could’ve just said this: An Eagle Scout is among the hopefuls.

Now that we have someone to root for, my wife and I plan to watch every episode of the popular singing competition.

The aforementioned Eagle Scout is Phillip Arnold. “Pip,” as he’s known to fans, started singing at local Scout functions and Courts of Honor while a member of Troop 287 in Marietta, Ga. As his voice grew, so did his audience. Soon he was singing at church, formal events, coffee shops, and diners.

Pip’s stage is about to get a whole lot bigger — think 10 to 14 million viewers — as he pursues his dream of becoming a recording artist by competing on the hit show.

If you’re new to The Voice, here’s how it works: Current chart-toppers Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton serve as judges, selecting their favorite singers to join their respective teams. Then, the judges become mentors, helping their team members reach the grand prize: a major recording contract.

Singers are eliminated each week, and eventually the viewing audience will vote to keep their favorites on the show. If Pip gets that far, he’ll need the help of the Scouting community to stay alive.

But first things first: the audition phase.

Pip’s parents tell me there was a quick clip of their son at the beginning of the post-Super Bowl episode, but his full audition hasn’t yet aired. And though contractual obligations prevent Pip’s mom and dad from revealing whether their son will advance to the live shows, I’ve got a good feeling about it.

If that happens, we all can cheer him on from the couch.

Want a sneak peek of Pip’s voice? Watch a video of him performing for Atlanta’s “11Alive” news channel by clicking here. And if you like what you hear, be sure to Like him on Facebook.

The Voice airs at 8 p.m. (7 Central) on Mondays on NBC.


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.