Sing-Off Season 5 to air Wednesday, December 17, 2014

There is no need to stay home from black Friday shopping to watch Season 5 of the Sing-Off during the NBC winter-season break this Thanksgiving holiday. The formerly all A Capella, now instrument backed vocal competition show will not debut until Wednesday, December 17th at 9 p.m. for what is being celebrated as "A Special Holiday Event."

I am looking forward to the new format with morbid curiosity. How will strict A Cappella groups fare against vocal groups using backing instruments? How do you judge apples to apple pie? Although I love Sing-Off Season 3 winner Pentatonix as a strict A Capella group, I am much more impressed with their collaboration with expert fiddler Lindsey Stirling on an extraordinary cover of Imagine Dragons' Radioactive. In this rendition, Pentatonix' beat boxer Kevin Olusola (KO) also pulled out all the stops to accompany the group on cello:  

 

The judges will have a challenging time discerning the quality vocal groups from those groups who perhaps have less vocal talent, but are musical geniuses in supplementing their lack of vocal prowess with a difficult-to-emulate horn section or harpsichord. 

I am happy to report that both Dr. Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men (Now using a PhD by his name on twitter, Stockman received an honorary doctor of humane letters from Drexel University in 1996) and Jewel are returning as judges on the Sing-Off. Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees is also returning as host. 

Former judge Ben Folds is passing this year, he says due to scheduling conflicts as he took his concerto tour to the southern hemisphere, too far to hop on a jet plane to bounce back and forth for the show's tapings. However, it is no secret that he is an A Cappella purist and I'm sure the show's format change to allow the addition of instrumentation must have ruffled his feathers. 

Replacing Folds is Patrick Stump, lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist and composer for the popular pop punk alternative band, Fall Out Boy. Stump is currently an advisor for The Voice, joining "Team Adam" just this Monday to advise contestants on correct vocal styling. Known for his quality two-octave baritone tenor vocal range, he will bring an interesting and fresh set of opinions to the judges' box. 

Final Three Finale of the Sing-Off Season 4 to air tonight

Home Free from Minneapolis, one of three finalists to perform tonight. 

I am so sad.

The final episode of this season's Sing-Off will air tonight, Monday December 23, 2013 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on NBC. 

The show is unlike any other in that it is an all vocal, unaided, untuned, raw a cappella competition show featuring groups from across the continent dressed in colorful costumes performing vocal renditions of hit songs. The only requirement is the groups must have at least five members, and all sounds must be made with what God has given you: your voice, and the occasional rare clapping, snapping, and foot stomping. Drums and bass, horns, and any other instruments are emulated with voices.

Judging the show are Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman, and Jewel and hosting is Nick Lachey of 98 degrees, all of whom will be performing in the pre-taped two hour finale airing tonight. The three remaining groups, Vocal Rush from the Oakland School for the Arts, Ten from Dallas, and Home Free from Minneapolis, are all competing for a chance at a $100,000 Sony recording contract. 

The Filharmonic from Los Angeles was eliminated during last Thursday's show, episode 6. 

The 2011 Season 3 winner Pentatonix, who will also be performing tonight, has not disappointed, having charted at #10 on Billboard's 200 with their latest release, PTX Vol. 2. 

In addition, the one and only Pat Benetar, a classically opera-trained vocalist turned rock star, will be performing on tonight's show with her husband Neil Giraldo. 

This will be the seventh episode of the fourth season of a hit show which has aired over the course of a mere 2.3 weeks. It is not long enough. But, I must admit, I'm glad we finally did get a season 4 after a year of campaigning to #SaveTheSingOff on twitter, Facebook, and in an online petition which garnered 39,139 signatures.

Changes

I must say, this has been the best season ever since the show's inception five years ago in 2009. The a cappella groups are much better, so good that any one of the ten competitors would have been a finalist in Season 1.

The judging is finely honed, given more time for explanations and definitions, and reached an even higher note with the brainy addition of Jewel. Surprised? I know I was. I love her. I hope she's back to stay next season. 

I enjoyed the mentoring moments where the judges helped the groups during their rehearsals. 

I also found the sing-off rounds, where two groups go head to head, to be fun and adventuresome, as would-be-competitors became best friends (in some cases) and put on incredibly entertaining and fun shows. I don't think the judges made too many decisions based on these performances, since I'm pretty sure each had already decided who they thought should stay and who should go, but I do find it informative for those of us at home to truly see the contrast of why one group is a better fit to win the recording contract than another. 

Judge Shawn Stockman, when commenting on a particular Sing-Off round between the acoUstiKats and VoicePlay, said, "You know, It was a mixture of Looney Tunes and Monty Python. It was fun… This is something that's very unique to this show. You'll never see anything like this anywhere else on television on any channel, and that's what's cool about the whole thing."

I don't love all the changes. 

I would prefer that the show air once a week and that viewers at home get an opportunity to vote for their favorites, typical of other talent competition shows. 

I also noted that the lengths of songs were inconsistent, with some groups given more time to perform their a cappella renditions of hit songs than others. Two minutes seems to be a good number.

In addition, I'd like to see some original songs introduced into the mix, if not part of the competition, then as video links on the website for added interest, with options to buy the songs on itunes.

The ratings

A friend of mine who's a huge fan and follower of The Sing-Off show asked me to list the ratings for each night that the show has aired, in hopes of a Season 5 (fingers crossed). I'm not a fan of Nielsen, due to the minimal way in which viewership is tabulated, but it is what advertisers look at. Advertisers buy commercials, which then fund wonderful shows like the Sing-Off.

Ratings include the five non-cable major networks: NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and CW. Mondays' ratings were higher both weeks. The first show followed The Voice finales, which boosted ratings. In my own neighborhood we were all watching our Orlando hometown girl, Sierra Deaton, compete in the finals on the X-factor on FOX with her boyfriend Alex Kinsey on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and win, I might add (Congratulations Alex & Sierra). Thursday at 8 also happens to be the time the Big Bang Theory airs, the number one show on primetime. Time slots make all the difference in the world. Mondays between 9 and 11 after The Voice seem to work well. 

Episode	date	time	position	18-49 rating	18-49 share	Million viewers
S4E1	M 12.09.13	9-11	1st	2.4	6	8.39
S4E2	W 12.11.13	8-10	3rd	1.8	5	6.03
S4E3	Th 12.12.13	8-9	2nd	1.3	4	4.58
S4E4	M 12.16.13	10-11	1st	2.0	6	7.28
S4E5	W 12.18.13	8-10	4th	1.2	4	4.44
S4E6	Th 12.19.13	8-9	4th	1.2	4	4.48
S4E7*	M 12.23.13	8-10	1st	1.3	4	5.19

* Update note: The ratings for this finale episode, S4E7, were added later after this blog was published.

Post Show Addendum

Added on April 26, 2014. 

Home Free was announced as the winner during this show.

This season, the winner was chosen solely by the panel of three judges. The viewing audience was not allowed to vote in the final round as in years past.

Home Free released their first album "Crazy Life" as a digital download on the Columbia Records label on January 14, 2014 and followed it up with a CD on February 18. The album reached an impressive #8 position on the country charts in the United States, and #40 overall. 

Sing-Off Season 4 Accepting Applications

On Wednesday, March 13, the producers, cast, crew, and loyal fans of The Sing-Off received the wonderful news that their beloved show had been picked up by NBC for a fourth season in 2013.  A call for applicants to audition was posted and word is spreading among the predominantly college-based a cappella community that group auditions will begin on Saturday, April 27th in Chicago.

Group Audition Dates:

Chicago	April 27
Nashville	May 4
Los Angeles	May 11
New York	May 18

More information can be found online at sing off casting.

The Sing-Off is an a cappella competition show that began airing in 2009 and features all-vocal musical performances of groups of four or more members competing for a $100,000 Sony recording contract. Acts are judged on their live performances by a panel of three experts and are encouraged to perform unique vocal arrangements of popular songs. Microphones are the only equipment permitted and are supplied by the show. The sounds of drums, horns, bass and other instruments are created solely through vocals.

The show had meager beginnings. It was slotted as a season end filler which ran in December 2009 in Season 1, then again in November and December 2010 in Season 2 where it gained high viewer ratings. In the fall of 2011, the Sing-Off was awarded a regular primetime Monday night spot. Unfortunately, it did not compete well against Dancing with the Stars which aired in the same time slot, and therefore was not renewed for 2012, instead being replaced with The Voice. However, confident that they had a healthy fan base, show owner Sony continued to shop the Sing-Off around to other networks.

What is unique to the Sing-Off are its overly enthusiastic fans. After the Sing-Off was not renewed by NBC for a fourth season in 2012, a fan named Dan St. John launched a #savethesingoff twitter and facebook campaign to gather signatures in an online petition to save the show. To date, over 38,000 signatures have been gathered, bringing the popularity of the show to the attention of the network.

During the Sing-Off's one year hiatus, a cappella music as a commercially viable art form has risen from the level of goody-two-shoes obscurity into the popular mainstream, thanks in part, to the Emmy award winning FOX TV show Glee; the hilariously funny $110 million-high-grossing hit movie Pitch Perfect; and the Sing-Off's own Season 3 winners Pentatonix, who have stormed across the country making musicial history by charting on Billboard and itunes.

Money talks, and a cappella is hot!

NBC finally saw the light and on March 13, word was leaked that the Sing-Off would return in 2013. On March 20, NBC made it official in a press release. The show is returning as a regular season ending filler during the holidays.

At the helm in Season 3: Dr. Ben Folds, Sara Bareilles, and Shawn Stockman.

What is unclear is who will head up the helm at the judges desk. Though Sony still owns the show, and Deke Sharon is still a producer and huge contributor, a new executive producer, Mark Burnett of Survivor and The Voice fame, has been brought in to help boost the shows ratings in its fourth season. Burnett may make changes.

In the past, the show's format consisted of three judges who made all of the preliminary decisions on which group shall move forward and which shall stay behind, with audience participation not allowed in the decision making process until the finale. A fourth regular cast member is a host who introduced the acts.

All three judges and the host are well-liked, admired by fans, and have the street-cred needed to be worthy of their roles:

I personally do not feel that the show can go on without the clever quips from "Professor" Ben Folds, who not only evaluates competitors objectively, but also is a veritable encyclopedia of musical and vocal terminology. Folds simply IS the show.

Shawn Stockman has become a regular feature as well, without whom the show could not survive. As an cappella performer with 25 years experience performing with Boyz II Men, he comes in tow with real-life working knowledge.

Sara Bareilles came on board as a judge in Season 3 to replace Nicole Scherzinger, who left to join the X-factor. Bareilles, though new, is a good fit for the show with her recent experience competing as a member of an a cappella group while attending college at UCLA. Her amazing vocal prowess, youth, and star success are a much needed asset. [Update: As of April 5, Sara Bareilles announced that she will not be returning to help judge the Sing-Off.]

The show's host, Nick Lachey, is perhaps underutilized. His 18 years with 98 Degrees have given him real life experience and yet he is given the neutral position as announcer. I am curious – how would he work as a judge? Perhaps he could slide into a judges chair if one of the others is unavailable. Or, perhaps his role could be expanded to help vet the applicants during the auditions before they are chosen to compete in front of the panel of judges.

All four celebrities have cleared their schedules by early August when the show usually begins taping.

Shawn Stockman and Nick Lachey are currently touring together through August 5 with The Package, a three-act power house featuring Boyz II Men, 98 Degrees, and New Kids on the Block. Ben Folds is touring with Ben Folds Five through July. Sara Bareilles is touring through May.