This season on the Sing-Off,
sixteen groups came to Hollywood
for a shot at greatness,
bringing passion, talent,
and unbelievable vocals.
Last week, the nation's top eight vocal groups
pushed themselves to the limit
in our hard-hitting hip-hop episode.
Dope, y'all. Dope!
Six groups survived,
leaving the Yellowjackets and The Collective
to fight for their lives in the first-ever Sing-Off battle.
And in our most dramatic elimination yet...
I chose the Yellowjackets.
The Collective sang their final goodbye.
Tonight, our top seven face their toughest challenge yet...
We're planning on bringing home this trophy.
Rocking not one but three hits
from music's greatest superstars
in a single performance.
We want to take this all the way.
It's going to be an epic night of music
as they try to prove why they deserve
the once-in-a-lifetime Sony recording contract
and $200,000.
Plus, we've got an electrifying
special guest performance from season two champs Committed.
And, to get into the Halloween spirit,
we're busting out with a ghostly opening number.
Who you gonna call?
All voices, no second chances.
The Sing-Off starts now.
Happy Halloween, everybody!
I'm Nick Lachey, and welcome to another
spectacular night of the Sing-Off.
Our vocal groups just gave us
a spirited performance with a medley
of Halloween songs, kicking off an evening
of musical treats and exciting competition.
Now, six weeks ago, the journey began...
Sixteen vocal groups,
and here they are...
Texas techno-wizards Pentatonix.
Inspiring New York undergrads, Rochester's Yellowjackets.
Powerful Sing-Off sirens Delilah.
Wholesome and handsome college guys, Vocal Point.
Rap-appella kings Urban Method.
The sophisticated and smooth singers, Afro-Blue.
And Ivy league showmen the Dartmouth Aires.
For these groups, the quest continues
for the top prize... $200,000 cash
and the coveted Sony Music recording contract.
But if they want to step closer to the title,
they'll have to impress three very important people...
Indie rock's incomparable musical mind, Ben Folds.
Our captivating and chart-topping songstress, Sara Bareilles.
And R&B's Grammy-winning golden boy,
Shawn Stockman.
So far our groups have withstood challenges
in all kinds of genres,
but tonight they'll be pushed even further
with superstar medleys honoring iconic artists like Elvis,
Britney Spears, Queen, Alicia Keys, and many more.
They'll have to put their all-vocal spin
on not just one song, but a three-song medley
that spans these musicians' incredible careers.
When the battle is through, the judges will weigh in
and the top seven will become the top six.
Someone will be going home tonight.
After the break, the title fight reignites
as our hip-hop experts Urban Method
take on a medley by R&B hit-maker Rihanna.
And later, a special performance
by last year's champions, Committed.
The Sing-Off sings on.
On the Sing-Off, putting together a superstar medley
is harder than it looks.
The groups have dozens of hit songs
by each legendary artist to choose from,
but the pressure's on to pick the perfect three
to showcase their talent
and make their Mark with the judges.
Let's get it going with some Denver studio artists
who are making a name for themselves
with their rap-heavy style.
But tonight, Urban Method is gonna have to push
their singers into the spotlight
to honor one of the top vocalists in the world.
Last week, Urban Methods took off with the Airplanes,
but the judges were dissapointed
with the female members of the group.
Girls, I wanted more from you.
I almost wanted to hear you guys at that breaking point,
and it wasn't really getting there for me.
The only thing to take from a situation like this,
you have to welcome their feedback.
We'll come back next time and amaze them.
Yeah, 'cause we don't wanna go home.
This week, we're doing a superstar medley,
and our superstar is Rihanna.
We're doing three of her biggest hits,
bringing you "what's my name,"
"umbrella," and "only girl in the world."
We're gonna have to tighten it up.
We've gotta make our girls shine.
After the judges' comments last week,
we feel that it's really important to showcase the girls.
One of the challenges with doing a Rihanna medley
is that she is very sensual,
and for me it's kind of scary to just let loose
and put it all out there.
It's kind of difficult for the Rihanna stuff we're doing,
because everything's in a different key
and everything has a different beat to it.
Can I just keep rhythm on my own?
Sure. Cool.
I'm feeling nervous about it all.
I want this song to be so good,
and we are up against some incredible competition.
Sometimes we think, "I can't do this."
Last week we were in the bottom two of our bracket.
No one in the group wants to be there,
so the girls have to kill it.
They gotta stand, they gotta deliver,
or else Urban Method could be going home.
Making sure the judges know their name,
performing a superstar medley by Rihanna,
here is Urban Method!
One, two, three, four.
Urban Method starting us off with a little Rihanna.
Sara, what'd you think?
There are so many things that you guys do
that I really, really love.
And I feel like that was such a strong finish.
I'm like getting up out of my seat at the end there.
So, like really, really well done.
I loved "only girl in the world."
There were some weak moments there for me.
Starting out, I feel like it's a confidence issue for you guys.
Um, I love that you took the criticism of last week
and you said, "forget you,"
we're gonna put the girls in the front."
You know what I mean? I love that.
I think that was an amazing choice and way to go.
And I feel like you got to a really confident place
by the very end of that medley.
And it was a really nice transition
and progression to see from you.
I want you guys to just sing, sing your butts off
because it's there, and I see it
and I really am rooting for you guys. Way to go.
Shawn?
Yeah, it's really cool that we got a chance
to actually highlight the ladies of Urban Method.
You know what I'm saying?
We want to find out what the little candy type things
that we can find in each group member.
Mike, obviously, is the guy
that obviously stands out out of everybody.
Not just because he's a rapper, but because his intensity.
And to have somebody like that is really hard
to step up to that same type of intensity.
I like the fact that the ladies
actually showed that potential.
Katie, you did well, you did great
with, uh, "only girl in the world."
I loved how you...
With that performance you showed how much
you can really give, and we want to see more of that.
Liz, same thing, I love the fact you came out.
Again, I think it's just more of a confidence thing.
Come on girl, you know what I mean?
Get, you know, shake that off, now.
But, overall it was a good performance.
Ben?
Well, first of all, your transitions were really cool.
I think your production sense,
the fact that you come from the studio,
they sounded like really cool edits
rather than whee! And you're off to the next one.
I thought it started strong with "what's my name?".
The entire group came a little unglued in "umbrella," to me.
And then the, um, "only girl in the world," was great.
You know that your strengths are your production
and the fact that you have a really strong rapper.
So, that's your bread and butter.
I don't think that you should have too much pressure on you
to make everyone total stars.
You did great, and I thought the girls did just fine.
Nice work.
Thanks, judges.
We'll find out later if Urban Method is moving on in the competition.
Thank you, guys.
Don't forget... If you love what you hear,
go to iTunes to download all the songs from tonight's show.
Coming up, nine men of faith shake their hips
to the music of the king himself, Elvis Presley.
And at the end of the night we'll learn which groups
survive a critical elimination.
The Sing-Off! It's on.
It's always nice having all these great people backing you up.
I felt like we did a really good job.
For seven weeks on the Sing-Off,
our vocal groups have reimagined
stand-alone hits by amazing artists,
but on tonight's medleys they've gotta capture
the essence of a superstar's entire career.
Next up are nine Utah gentlemen brimming with enthusiasm
and nice-guy attitude.
But to master the music of the original rock idol,
the men of Vocal Point have to channel their inner bad boy.
Vocal Point gave an emotional tribute to Ben's father,
but it failed to hit the right note with the judges.
This is the first time I've heard
any sort of pitch problems with you guys.
The performance put them in jeopardy for the first time.
The group that will definitely advance in the competition
is Vocal Point!
Well, that was a new experience for us,
getting kind of some negative feedback.
We're human, you know, everyone's gonna make mistakes,
and so we're just gonna get right back up on the saddle
and do even better next week.
Okay, so this week we're doing Elvis,
the king of rock 'n' roll.
We're singing Elvis songs in our medley this week,
and the first song is "don't be cruel."
Representing Elvis properly is a bit of a challenge.
We need to avoid, like, doing an impersonation of Elvis.
It's been kind of frustrating for us
to walk the line between impersonating Elvis...
And paying tribute to Elvis.
We wanted to dedicate the second song,
"Can't help falling in love," to the women in our lives
who are putting up with our absences.
My and my fiancee would be on a honeymoon right now
if we hadn't come to the Sing-Off,
but we've delayed the wedding plans a little bit
so I'd have the opportunity to come here and support Vocal Point.
It's gonna be the last song in our medley,
so it needs to be, like, powerhouse.
We want to be here till the end.
The longer that we're here and the further we make it in the competition,
the more it makes you want to win
'cause you realize you have a chance.
This week we're gonna remind the judges of the Vocal Point
that doesn't have pitch problems.
Trying to rock 'n' roll their way to the next round,
performing a superstar medley by Elvis, here is Vocal Point.
One, two, three, four!
Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome the King!
Elvis has left the building!
Well, one thing's for sure.
Vocal Point has not left the building!
Good job, guys. Ben, how'd they do?
Oh, you're back. That's good. Nice work.
I love that you had a medley within the medley
because "I can't help falling in love" had several transitions
and you did different grooves
and reggae in the middle of it.
That's a great choice. That's good.
That's taking you a long way from Elvis.
I don't know if he made a reggae album,
so that's very cool.
And Jake I really loved the lead on, uh,
"Can't help falling in love." That's great.
And, of course, McKay, you killed it.
I liked that Mike came out
not even thinking about sounding like Elvis.
That was good.
It was an honest, plaintive delivery, and it was good.
You guys sounded great. Nice work.
Sara?
This is, uh, really seeing you guys in your element,
which is really fun to watch.
I thought you guys chose great vocalists for this.
Mike, welcome to the front showmanship position.
Um, and I am, I'm a huge Jake fan.
And Jake, I know your lovely wife
is here in the audience, right, tonight? Where is she at?
Yay. You're so sincere.
It's just really nice to watch you mean every word you say
and I know, um, Tanner,
you were talking about your lovely lady as well.
So, I know that that song had a lot of meaning to you guys,
and I also appreciated that you were really pushing
the arrangement in terms of modulation
and changing the groove up.
I thought that was really interesting
and made the song that much more special.
I was just along for the ride.
So, well done, Vocal Point.
Shawn? Your thoughts?
See, I'm the type of person that like, I'll substitute
a couple of little, you know, quirks here and there,
vocally, for entertainment.
And as far as I'm concerned, I laughed, I cried.
I was forever changed after this performance.
Nah, seriously, it was like the appropriate mood changes with every song,
and I was engulfed. Like I was like, "what's next?"
I was like, "what are they gonna do next?"
What are they gonna do next?" You know what I'm saying?
Like it, it was really just entertaining.
Great job.
Thank you, judges.
We'll see if that's enough to carry Vocal Point to the next round.
Thanks, fellas.
When we come back, the smooth singers of Afro-Blue
take control of their destiny
with the pop jams of Janet Jackson.
And later, the judges make a tough call.
Six groups will sing on,
but one will sing their swan song.
The Sing-Off. Keep it tuned.
I felt the words of the song tonight,
and it was for my wife.
We had a great time tonight!
Vocal is back! Vocal is back in action!
I'm Nick Lachey, and tonight on the Sing-Off,
our top seven are entering the fight with nothing
but their mikes and their voices,
trying to impress our trio of judges
with medleys from massive recording artists.
Next up are some Howard university singers
with a classic style inspired by an early 20th-century sound.
For their superstar medley, the members of Afro-Blue
are taking on a pop diva who ruled the charts
in the '80s and '90s.
Last week, Afro-Blue effortlessly blended hip-hop
with their unique jazz sounds.
The judges couldn't help but sing their praises.
Honestly, I could hear that on the radio,
on a record.
I could hear that in a live concert.
It was just that impressive.
Dope, y'all! Dope!
One, two, three, four.
This week, Afro-Blue's superstar medley is Janet Jackson,
which we're really, really, really excited about.
Or maybe it's just me. I don't know.
I'm not really familiar with this song.
What do you mean?
Well, I wasn't alive in any of the '80s.
Oh! '80s! '80s! '80s!
The three songs we're doing are
"What have you done for me lately,"
"Miss you much," and "When I think of you."
Five, six, seven, eight.
I'm sure there's gonna be tons of dancing
'cause Janet Jackson is an amazing dancer.
If you're gonna do a tribute to her,
you have to do it right,
you have to do some of the stuff that she does,
and it's just gonna take a lot of work.
Neck, neck! I have a neck injury.
I don't care.
It's not a game.
People love these songs, so you have to give them
at least that favorite part.
Hold it longer.
The challenge with medleys is transitioning between
songs in different keys, songs with different tempos,
and making it continuous.
All right, y'all, let's go back from the top.
We're rolling through the chorus once, right?
This week, our biggest challenge is to just keep moving higher.
There's no turning back now.
We've set a standard for us.
We don't want to fall under that.
Trying to conquer the rhythm nation,
performing a superstar medley by Janet Jackson,
here's Afro-Blue.
I know he used to do nice things for you.
But, um, what has he done for you
That's the end?
All right, all right.
Afro-Blue putting their spin on miss Jackson.
Very nice. Shawn, what are your thoughts?
First of all, I would like to say
it's nice how you gave tribute to Janet Jackson
not only with the choreography and the clothes,
but with the hairstyles.
I see you got each era. That's amazing.
Boy, man... Reggie, you're a bad man.
Like...
It's amazing because you're on key,
you follow the rhythm changes, everything.
You're like the anchor to the whole thing,
so big ups to you, reg, first and foremost.
I wanna say the transitions were interesting,
really ambitious arrangements in certain spots.
You know what I'm saying?
There were times where at first I didn't recognize the song.
You guys are so good that sometimes
you might overthink some parts of the arrangement
where you may not really need
any of that stuff that you're most known for,
but overall, you guys make it look so easy
and so effortless at the end of the day,
so good performance.
Ben?
Mr. Folds if you're nasty.
Whoo!
I'll write that one down.
Yeah, yeah.
Well, uh, Danielle, your love of Janet came out.
It was awesome.
And, Mariah, you did a great job on it for not like,
you know, having been around during that time.
And...
Uh, Eliza, nice, nice lead.
It was nice to hear you come out.
That was a radical arrangement.
There was a lot of space at the top when you came in,
uh, "What have you done for me lately?".
You made a choice to let it really breathe,
which I assume was because you were getting ready to pack it
full of a lot of other stuff,
and so that's smart arrangement.
I loved Christie's scat, of course.
And, um, yeah.
I thought it was really, really good.
Thank you.
Sara, your thoughts?
You guys have personality for days,
and this was such a wonderful showcase of that.
You are so much fun to watch,
and you obviously really, really enjoy singing together.
You're really good at this.
Um...
This, as a medley for me, you might be too good at this.
This was maybe too ambitious.
I don't think it wasn't that you guys weren't delivering what you chose to deliver;
I think for me I got a little lost in the middle.
You guys have amazing lead vocalists.
Uh, Danielle...
Mariah, you sounded amazing. I loved it.
Eliza, it was really sweet to see you shine out there.
That was awesome.
And of course, Christie, you're untouchable in my eyes.
You guys are such an amazing, strong group.
There's something really, really special in Afro-Blue.
And I wanna continue to see that blossom and grow.
Thanks, judges. We'll hear if Afro-Blue
gets a pass to the next episode at the end of the night.
Thank you, guys. Great work.
After a break, the Dartmouth Aires
try to become Sing-Off kings with the smash hits of queen.
And later, special guests Committed pick up the Mikes
to show us why they won it all last season.
The Sing-Off is on!
We went out and we did our best,
and we really gave it all we had.
I really felt a lot of energy from the performance,
so I'm pretty pleased.
It's always difficult to reinterpret
one hit song with an all-vocal arrangement,
but tonight on the Sing-Off our contenders
are doing it with superstar medleys.
They've got to tackle three iconic songs,
each with a different tempo, key, and groove,
making this the toughest challenge yet.
Next up, some singers who have relied
on their showmanship and energy
to propel them ahead every week.
Now the fellas of the Dartmouth Aires
have to push their vocals to new heights
to match the monumental sound of epic rock legends.
Last week, the Dartmouth Aires brought a party to the stage,
showing that this college group can do college right.
This is what this whole thing is about.
It's about tagging the whole show with your style
and what your swag is,
and that's what hip-hop is all about, so good job.
To see Shawn standing up there
loving what we were doing was an amazing feeling.
Oh!
The Dartmouth Aires are doing Queen
for the superstar medley.
My mother raised me on Freddie Mercury and Queen.
Freddie Mercury has one of the best voices of all time,
so it's really daunting to try to sing queen,
but we're gonna try our best.
God, this song is so hard!
Queen is brilliant, but so difficult.
The harmonies are so intricate,
and it just moves in ways that you don't think
it's going to. It's really hard.
I'm sorry.
So, the last couple weeks
we've gotten some comments about the low end
and our rhythm weren't locking in as much as the tenors were.
We kind of have a unique challenge
because we had to figure out how to address
the judges' comments while not taking away
from what Queen really is.
We have to make sure we nail it
because otherwise it'll sound like nothing.
We might be over our heads.
It's been the toughest week we've ever experienced.
These three songs are so iconic.
If we do this wrong, we have a chance of going home.
We wanna be number one, but we do know how hard that will be,
so we're taking it week by week,
and hopefully we'll make it to the top.
Hoping to ascend to the throne in the Sing-Off championship,
performing a superstar medley of the music of Queen,
here's the Dartmouth Aires.
The Aires!
Taking on rock royalty.
Man!
Sara?
I think that was my favorite performance
of this entire competition at this point.
I think that was brilliant.
I am a huge Queen fan,
and I love Freddie Mercury.
You executed it... Flawlessly.
I didn't write a thing down while you guys were singing.
I couldn't take my eyes off the stage.
Nick and Jack, the back and forth
That is so good!
And, Henry, "I'm just a poor boy."
You ain't poor, baby.
Okay. And Justin, your multiple characters,
your conductor and... That was awesome.
And then, yes, Michael, you're a superstar.
You're a superstar.
Thank you, guys. That was great.
Shawn, what did you think?
That was just amazing.
Like, the arrangements of those original records
are so hard to do!
I'm amazed at how you guys nailed it, man,
in all the leads.
Brendan, you came out firing.
It was like I was watching a Broadway play.
It was great. Michael!
Goll-y, man!
Like, you really took the song and made it your own record.
It was awesome, y'all!
You guys nailed that, man.
That was great!
Great!
Ben?
Well, the most valuable player was each one of you.
The whole group was really...
Really worked together really well.
That was a great arrangement.
The Gallileo part, the whole thing in the middle,
was absolutely perfect.
You guys nailed it.
Like, you actually nailed it.
Now, there were some sick high notes coming out of Nick...
Yeah!
And it is impressive that they were high,
but because they were right at the top of your range,
you were hitting them flat every time.
And the rest of you guys were hearing that
and you were bringing the pitch center down a little bit.
The thing is it was so dynamic
and just so well-sung.
And you guys were just nailing it.
You picked the right person to drive it home.
Michael, that was insane.
You brought your personality to that completely.
I didn't think about Freddie for a second.
All I thought about was you needed somebody to love,
and so it was like I wanted to give you
a big hug there at the end...
Wow, that's incredible. Nice work.
All right, thank you, judges.
And in just moments we'll learn if the aires are gonna advance.
Thank you, gentlemen, great work.
When we return, Pentatonix
puts their futuristic spin on three tracks
by the princess of pop, Britney Spears.
The biggest artists, the biggest songs.
It's the Sing-Off.
When Sara said that she thought this was the best song
she'd heard in the entire competition so far,
I was floored. I just can't believe it.
Still to come tonight on the Sing-Off,
our final three groups blast the stage
with spectacular superstar medleys.
Then, season two champs Committed blow the roof off
with a heart-pounding performance.
And later, one group will leave our stage forever.
The Sing-Off continues next.
If you're just joining the Sing-Off
after an evening of trick-or-treating,
we're watching America's best singing groups
rock out with superstar medleys.
They're taking the stage with not one but three songs
by some of the most acclaimed artists in music.
Next up is the smallest group on the show,
an electrifying vocal band made up of only five performers.
So, to master an entire medley
of solos, beats, and instrumentation,
the singers of Pentatonix
are gonna stretch their voices to the limit.
Pentatonix brought the house down
with an explosive and emotional performance
of Kanye West's "Love locked down."
That was primal.
It just had this primal thing to it.
Nice work, guys.
I was shaking at the end.
It was literally just so much emotion coursing through me.
It was the most amazing performance of my life.
I feel like last week was so emotionally draining
that the couple days after we didn't really know what to do
or have a lot of ideas.
We can speed it up, too.
But the second we heard about the superstar medley,
we knew we wanted to do Britney.
We are doing "Oops, I did it again,"
and then "Toxic," and then "Hold it against me."
At the beginning, I think the beat should be
a little less ghetto and more, like, '90s hip-hop.
Usually at this point we have our complete arrangement done,
but this time we have to perfect three different sections
Do you get the progression for that part?
We're going on two days of arranging
and still it hasn't really come together,
so this has been the biggest freak-out we've had.
I really, really feel like this should pick up.
I really feel like it should. I do too.
I really feel like we should do this,
so this is a full-on disagreement.
This whole process has been flying by.
I feel like there was 16 groups yesterday,
but we're getting close to the end now.
Now the $200,000 and the recording contract is in sight.
Not all our risks have gone really well,
and this week we're taking a risk
by mashing up all the songs at the end.
It could come across as a mess,
but it could be amazing,
and so we're just gonna take that risk.
Trying to hit it one more time,
performing a superstar medley of hits from Britney Spears,
here's Pentatonix.
One, two, three, four.
It's Pentatonix.
Pentatonix with a little Britney remix there.
Very nice. Shawn, how'd they do?
This is a really good show.
This is a really, really good show, man.
Damn... um, Avi and Kevin.
Now, you two guys alone fill up so much space,
and it's amazing how big you sound.
Kevin, dude...
Do you have an on and off switch on your throat?
Guys, you guys are techno a capella DJs
to me, man, or something.
The mash up at the end with all the songs,
seamless, perfect, sounded great.
Just all the transitions.
Kirstie, ah!
Who would've known Kirstie was a little kitten?
Rwar! Oh, girl! Little Britney dress.
That was just entertaining.
Again, what a great show tonight!
This is a great show.
Like, great show, you guys. Great. Great.
Ben, your thoughts?
I agree with Shawn. It's like for so few people,
so many colors going on.
Really smart arranging.
You place people in the right spaces.
Kirstie came out and killed it from the top,
so it was already going.
Avi, I loved it when you came out and said, "Pentatonix."
That was my favorite part. That was great.
But, I mean, all the transitions were great.
You don't miss a beat.
The freaking out that you obviously were doing over the week,
just pulling your hair out trying to get this stuff together,
completely paid off. Keep freaking out.
Sara?
I think what's great about you guys as a group
is that you have a really, really high standard
that you've set for yourself,
and so you won't settle for anything less.
I think you gave us...
You packed a punch tonight, you guys.
This is awesome.
Kirstie, I'm so stoked that you sang the vocal on that.
That was just really amazing.
And I've been seeing you shine in small moments
in some of these other songs, but it's really great
to hear you take the lead and take it with such gusto
and a sparkly, tiny little dress.
I thought the transition especially between "Toxic"
and "Hold it against me" was just rad.
I felt like we were in a club
and hearing a remix of something.
It was really good.
Your rhythm section is untouchable.
You guys are so good.
So that's Kevin and Avi.
Every time so consistent, so spectacular.
So spectacular.
That's what that means.
Charlie brown.
Oh, my God, I'm not drunk, I promise.
Anyway, I really, really enjoyed that.
You guys were fantastic. Thank you.
All right, judges.
We'll find out later if Pentatonix will make it
on to the next show. Thanks, guys.
After the break, the beauties of Delilah
bare their souls with the poetic verse of Alicia Keys.
And later, the results that everyone's waiting for.
Who will go big and who will go home?
Find out on the Sing-Off.
It was really scary for us to take it on,
but I feel like we proved that we can step up to the occasion
even if it's a really hard challenge
and we won't fall short if we're thrown a curve ball.
I hope we did Britney so proud. I think we did.
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Check out nbc.com and follow Internet sensation Sam Tsui
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with all our groups.
Yay!
It's obviously that all our Sing-Off groups
have a natural love for music and performing,
but this is no recital for them.
Each group knows that $200,000
and record deal are at stake.
Every time they walk on this stage,
it's one more shot at their dream.
Our next passionate performers are Sing-Off veterans
from seasons past.
Now the women of Delilah are putting their girl groove
on the heartfelt music of an R&B goddess.
Last week, the women of Delilah left their hearts
on the stage with an unforgettable rendition of "How to love."
You guys have a very strong, powerful feminine energy.
That works the best for you. Don't forget that.
The fact that I can touch other people
and have a greater message to them
is something that... I can't be happier.
Yeah!
We definitely feel like we are getting our momentum back,
and our choice for our superstar medley
is beyond perfect for us.
How can you go wrong with Alicia Keys?
I mean, you can go very wrong.
But we're not gonna get into that.
We are so excited about Alicia Keys
because we like to take pop songs
and bring a soulful aspect to them.
So, the fact that she is soulful in essence
is really, really good for us.
She just has a... She's so cool.
Of all the groups that are still here,
we've had the hardest time being consistent.
That's been really difficult for us to try and shake off.
I really believe in this competition
and I really believe in Delilah.
It is becoming more real and more tangible
as the finale's approaching.
Winning the Sony recording contract
would be a dream come true for us.
Hoping to land in next week's show,
performing a superstar medley by Alicia Keys, here's Delilah.
Yeah. Delilah singing their hearts out.
Sara, your thoughts.
You were singing your hearts out,
and it was fantastic. You guys, that was great.
I love that you chose Alicia Keys.
I think that was absolutely perfect for you.
And I think she's such an awesome example
of how to do it right in this industry.
She's, you know, so powerful
and obviously an incredible artist
and she's a class act all the way. I just love her.
You started with "Fallin'," which is one of the songs that...
I was nervous about it because it gets overdone sometimes,
and I loved how you guys did that.
I would go buy that song tonight, right now.
I love that. That was amazing.
Hannah, there you are.
Your vocal on that was, in my own words, so sick.
That was so perfect.
"A woman's worth," your middle song,
got a little squirrelly for me, girls,
um, rhythmically and just sort of hearing that tonal center.
But you brought me back with "I ain't got you,"
and I just... it's always a special performance from Delilah
when I can really connect to the emotion behind the words
and in the song.
You really delivered that for me tonight.
Great job.
Shawn?
Another smart arrangement by using the right vocalist
for the right leads, first and foremost.
Hannah, I loved the way
you flipped that riff in the beginning.
That was ill.
That was... I was wondering where you were going,
and when you ended I was like, "oh, snap!"
That was crazy." Um, it was sassy.
It was humble. It was sexy.
It was, uh, strong.
It was engaging, like you had the type of performance
that I'm sure a lot of guys were here blushing
just because of the fact that it just was just so beautiful.
Kendall, Candace, Amy, and Hannah,
you guys nailed the leads.
You guys delivered them the way
that you were supposed to deliver them.
Like, again, it was just a very engaging performance.
It was a powerful performance, ladies. Good job.
Ben?
Hannah, a-plus vocal. Just killer.
And, actually, Kendall, Candace and Amy,
a-plus, a-plus, a-plus.
Great lead vocals from the beginning to the end.
You followed the vocal the whole time.
So you followed the song, the song was first.
The arrangement was great because you started out
as sparsely as you did.
Everyone's now working together as a group.
It allows jo to anchor the whole thing,
and you have those really satisfying moments of low end.
That's a huge feat for female vocals.
And, Amy, you're just a great singer,
and that's the way to highlight Amy there.
That gives her a chance to be a brilliant vocalist
and be heard.
Yeah, and Candace, I love your voice.
You sang with more confidence that time
than you've had a chance to yet,
so you just took it and ran with the Baton.
Can't say enough good things.
That was really great. And, Gina...
The percussion. You're holding it together.
No rock band ever was a great band without a star drummer,
and you've got on in your group.
Nice work, girls.
Thanks, judges.
We'll find out later if Delilah advances to next week.
Thanks, ladies.
Remember, to go behind the scenes for videos,
blogs, and treats from your favorite groups,
check out nbc.com.
When we return, the snappy dressers
of the Yellowjackets key in on the piano hits of Billy Joel.
Plus, a special performance
from last year's champs, Committed.
The Sing-Off! The beat goes on.
My mom's an entertainer, too, and I think that she's
just gonna be really proud to see that I'm just up here
doing what I love with girls that I love,
and it's just right.
I feel very, very, very blessed
and very honored and very happy and thankful.
It takes a special kind of musician
to make it in a vocal band.
Not only do these competitors have to sing like pros,
but they've got to arrange the music, blend perfectly,
and captivate an audience without any instruments.
And balancing all these skills is even more difficult
for our next group, one of the largest in the competition.
For their medley, the Rochester Yellowjackets
are tuning their 15 voices
into the 88 keys of the piano man himself.
They still found themselves in the bottom two,
battling in the very first Sing-Off.
Sara, looks like you're the tiebreaker.
I chose the group
that I felt took the right risks.
I chose the Yellowjackets.
Sometimes we don't meet everyone's expectations,
but looking up in the audience
and knowing that our parents were there,
that was that extra little bit of strength
to make sure that we would get through to the next round.
This week our superstar is Billy Joel,
and we are honored to be able to do three of his songs.
Just kind of hanging on last week,
we never want to be in that position again,
so this week we really want to focus on incorporating
the judges' comments into our performance.
What Sara said was that she chose us
because that song was a completely different style
than what we had shown them in the past,
so I think we gotta continue rolling with that.
This week in our medley,
we're having three very different songs...
"Uptown girl," "River of dreams,"
and "She's always a woman."
None of our songs have really been ballads yet,
and I think that getting to do a ballad
is going to show that we're not always
the goofy college kids that everybody might think we are.
Throughout all the pressure,
what continues to make this such an exciting process
is all of our families.
To look up and see our parents there and our friends,
it just makes us almost tear up.
Look at their hopeful faces.
We can't let them down. We're staying.
Even if we're the underdog here, we're gonna stay.
Hoping they can strike a chord with the judges,
performing a superstar medley by Billy Joel,
here are the Yellowjackets.
Yellowjackets taking us all uptown!
How'd they do, Ben? What'd you think?
Yeah, great. The start was really great with "River of dreams,"
and I think you brought in some of the African influence in a good way.
And, oh, "She's always a woman" employed a kind of percussion,
vocal percussion, that I generally disapprove of,
which is the use of percussive mouth cymbals,
but it was really cool.
It was like you brought the wind.
So, Jordan, nice work. You brought the wind!
I really like the transition in "Uptown girl,"
and, again, that's Jordan.
That was a nice little drum fill-in to it,
and that was great.
John, you sang your butt off.
That was really pretty.
You're all singing with loads of heart.
It's all locked and everything.
The only thing I ever worry about with you guys
is that you have a group personality.
And you've got really strong singers.
We've got to know who the lead singers are when we shut our eyes.
And you're coming together
more and more as a group in every musical way,
you don't have a character voice,
so you really have to lean on your personality as a whole.
But I thought it was a really great arrangement.
Nice work.
Shawn, your thoughts?
You guys did show another side of you guys
with the arrangement, especially with "she's always a woman,"
like, the way you guys broke it down
and pianissimo-ed the whole thing
and just made it very sweet and just endearing
and sincere was a different side of you
that I've never seen, you know...
Aaron, hey man.
Again, nailing your lead, doing what you do, man.
It was a little trouble holding that high note at the end,
but you found it and your guys helped you out
to make it all come clean at the end.
You know, John, you said taking on a ballad is gonna be the challenge,
and I, I think you guys did it well.
You guys really showed another side to the yjs,
and, um, I dug it.
Sara?
I heart the Yellowjackets too.
I think you guys were great.
Um, I think this was a really, uh, strong choice
of a medley for you guys,
and this was as well as I've heard you blend,
um, overall.
I loved your lead vocalists.
I loved Jamal.
Oh, my God, I just love you so much.
And I would've gotten rid of the vocal percussion in,
in the, in the middle section.
Not the wind?
I wasn't a fan of the wind. I'm sorry.
But that that was a choice, but for me...
It's the wind!
It's creepy.
It is Halloween, though, a little creepy wind?
Um, I think the challenge for you guys
is harnessing some of that just raw energy that you have.
You have such a family unit up here.
It's so obvious.
But I felt like by the end,
you'd sort of overpowered Aaron a little bit,
but well done, you guys. Well done.
Okay, judges. We'll find out in moments
if the Yellowjackets will stay in the hunt for the crown.
Thanks, guys.
All seven contenders have performed
and the judges are deliberating,
but before we reveal the results,
we've got some very special guests.
After our break, last season's winners Committed
return to give a master class in R&B
with Chris Brown's biggest hits.
The Sing-Off is heatin' up.
We've had sort of a model along the way
that has been strong and sensitive,
and the fact that Sara brought that up, that hit home.
That was exactly what we were aiming to do.
We're moments away from a heart-wrenching elimination
here on the Sing-Off.
But first, we've got a special treat
from some one-of-a-kind performers.
Since they took the Sing-Off title,
they've gone from Alabama gospel group
to nationwide headliners.
Now the faithful men of Committed are back
where it all began to show our new crop
of contenders how it's done.
Please welcome the winners
of NBC's the Sing-Off, Committed!
Committed!
Winning the show was the best thing that ever happened to us.
It gave us the opportunity to show America what we really could do.
This show is what made it happen.
It's just been a dream come true.
Committed is very excited and fortunate to be
in the position where we are.
We've been dreaming about doing music full-time for years,
so to have won the Sing-Off is just a surreal experience.
This is definitely our dream job,
singing and performing.
It's great. It's definitely a lot of hard work,
but it's definitely worth it.
Since we won the Sing-Off, we started touring
and performing around the country.
We did TV shows.
Look who is here with us now.
Committed, what's up, guys?
Comes out today. You must be thrilled.
We recorded a lot of songs for our album.
It's been a roller coaster.
We're so excited to hit the stage again,
especially as guest artists, you know.
We get to show America how far we've come.
We're coming on stage, and we're gonna rock it.
Hope you guys are ready.
Bringing back their championship vocals
performing a superstar medley of songs by Chris Brown,
here is Committed!
Committed!
Still got it.
Now, guys, since you won the Sing-Off championship last season,
you guys have performed for packed houses across the country,
been featured on numerous television programs,
and now you're realizing your dream come true.
Your debut album just dropped.
Terry, can you explain how this whole thing
is feeling for you guys?
It's just been a whirlwind of...
Of awesomeness.
We recorded an album which is a lot of fun,
a lot of fun songs on there that just released,
and, you know, we recorded a music video,
which we never thought we would do.
And then we've been touring and meeting fans
that we never thought we'd meet,
so it's been a dream come true.
Well...
There's a lot more videos to come, my friend.
Congrats on the new album, and thanks again to Committed!
Thank you, guys.
All right, we're moments away from decision time.
When we come back, the judges reveal their pick.
Six groups will raise their voices
in the next episode,
but one will set down their microphones forever.
The Sing-Off! Hold that note.
We're back on the Sing-Off,
and all night long we've witnessed
an incredible battle of music and talent.
Seven powerful vocal bands have lit up the stage
with their superstar medleys,
and they're standing with me now
awaiting their faith. Urban Method.
Vocal Point.
Afro-Blue.
The Dartmouth Aires.
Pentatonix.
Delilah.
And the Yellowjackets.
For one of these groups, the music is about to end.
I have the judges' decision right here in my hand.
Only six of these groups will continue their quest
for the Sing-Off glory.
One group will be left behind.
The first three groups that are moving on
to the next episode are:
Dartmouth Aires!
Pentatonix!
And Vocal Point!
Congratulations.
You're all safe from elimination.
Head on up to your boxes.
We're down to four contenders.
Only three of you will make it to next week's show.
The next two groups who will continue
their Sing-Off journey are...
Delilah
and Afro-Blue.
You did it. Head on back.
That leaves Urban Method and the Yellowjackets.
Urban Method, you blazed a trail with your unique rap style.
Last week the judges came down on your female solos
and, although they agreed the girls delivered tonight,
Sara and Shawn wanted to see more confidence.
Ben said you started and ended strong,
but came unglued in the middle.
Will you be sticking around in the competition?
Yellowjackets, since the start you've impressed the judges
with your big sound and uplifting message.
Last week, you triumphed
in a do-or-die Sing-Off showdown.
Tonight, Shawn loved your sensitive side,
but Ben warned that you needed to find your group's character,
and Sara said your raw energy overpowered your leads.
Will you power through to next week?
One of you will stay on the road to the championship.
The other will take the long road home.
The group that still has a chance
to win the Sing-Off is...
Urban Method!
Congrats. You'll be singing again next week.
Go ahead and return to your box, guys.
Yellowjackets, you've brought so much positive energy
and inspired us all with powerful performances.
I know for a fact you made the university of Rochester very proud.
Jamal, do you have anything to say about your time here on the Sing-Off?
We're so grateful for the opportunity.
I mean, to be out here, it was an amazing experience.
We learned so much from all the groups,
made tons of friends,
and we know we made our family up there proud
and our fans back in Rochester, too.
So, this isn't the last you heard of the Yellowjackets.
We're going to keep making music,
and we're going to keep making y'all proud.
Great attitude.
I'm sorry, but you have to raise your Mikes
one final time to sing your swan song.
Leaving the Sing-Off stage with their swan song,
it's the Yellowjackets.
Let's do it, guys.
That was the Yellowjackets singing "Tub thumping" by ChumbaWumba.
Don't forget, you can download
all the songs you heard tonight on iTunes.
Next week, our top six dust off their cowboy boots
and spike up their hair for a double challenge.
They'll each perform twice,
singing the biggest country hits and epic rock anthems.
It'll be another night of do-or-die music
with one group cut from the roster
at the end of the show.
And it's all leading up to our live finale
where America cast its vote to our next champion.
Till next week, I'm Nick Lachey signing off from the Sing-Off.
Sync and corrected by dr.jackson for www.addic7ed.com