Last year, NBC announced that they would once again bring their winter favorite The Sing-Off back for a third season. However, with judge Nicole Scherzinger jumping ship to join FOX’s The X Factor, it was a wonder who would replace her. Now, NBC has officially announced who will be sitting in the show’s middle chair. It’ll be the beautiful, talented and three-time Grammy winning singer Sara Bareilles.

I am honestly so excited about this news. While Nicole may have sold many records and may be popular with the masses, her critiques were a bit Paula-esque and annoying to listen to at times. With the addition of Bareilles on the panel, I feel that the singer/songwriter will give helpful insight to the competition much like Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman. Paul Telegdy, executive vice president of alternative programming at NBC and Universal Studios Media is also thrilled about the new addition.

“I love the fact that on this show, the judges are each so rooted in the world they preside over. Simply put, they can do what the contestants are doing and that means a lot. Sara will bring a sublime technical knowledge and huge appreciation for The Sing-Off.”

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Tonight, it all comes down to your votes America. Last week, the judges were faced with an impossible decision: Who to send to the final of The Sing-Off. Between Committed, The Backbeats, Street Corner Symphony and Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town, the judges couldn’t decided and in the end, sent all four groups to the finale. You voted and tonight, we will crown the champion of this season.

When I saw that the show was going to be two hours tonight, I knew that we were going to have a lot of filler and boy, I was right. During the opening credits, we learned that there would be a few guest appearances from Sara Bareilles, Sheryl Crowe and Neil Diamond. We begin the night with a group performance from the final four groups. It honestly was my least favorite of the entire season. I was really hoping that with it being so close to the holidays that they would sing an epic Christmas tune but alas, they sang a generic song that didn’t sound all too together.

Now that the competition is complete, we were treated to a lot of performances for the sake of hearing our final four groups perform.

Watch all the performances after the jump…

Tonight is the night that really matters. Which groups will give it all the got when it counts, and which groups will crack under the pressure? Tonight, the competitors will not only have to suffer one, but two heartbreaking eliminations. Tonight, the groups have two challenges. The first, singing a medley of songs from most influential artists of all time. If they survive this round, they are on to round two. The judges have heard these groups for a while, and its there turn to pick which songs they’d like to hear.

We begin the night with a captivating group performance. All together, they sing With A Little From My Friends by The Beatles. I absolutely loved the arrangement of this piece. They picked the right people to take on lead vocals and the harmonies of the ensemble was absolutely inspired. I’m also a sucker for a good Beatles tune so that didn’t hurt either. What did you think of the group performance? Once Nick describes the challenges of the night, we are on the first performance.

Watch the performances after the jump…

Last week, the groups took on the challenge of performing some of the biggest hits from artists over the last few years. Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town impressed with their take on an Amy Winehouse classic, while some tackled rap and R&B. Unfortunately, we lost Eleventh Hour and the beloved Whiffenpoofs. Tonight, the competitors not only have one challenge, but two. First, they must take on big rock classics without any guitars (of course). Then, they will perform their own guilty pleasure songs. Who’s going to rock out and who’s going to rock and roll out of here? Plus, who will perform YOUR favorite guilty pleasure?

The night starts off with the groups pulling together once again for another stunning group performance. They sing the musical version of Green Day’s 21 Guns. I can’t say enough about this performance. The arrangement and harmonies were fabulous and the lead vocals were stunning. The choreography was crisp and paid such a great tribute to the musical and song nicely. I wouldn’t say that I loved it as much as last week’s performance of Use Somebody but it was still great. What did you think? Which performance did you like better?

Watch the performances after the jump…

On Monday, a breath-taking opening performance kicked of Season 2 of The Sing-Off. Now the nations top music groups compete for the grand prize which includes a recording contract with Sony Music. With incredible talent, great voices and extraordinary styles, the premiere was nothing but magical. Emotional solos, heavenly harmonies and a legendary singers inspirational comeback had the judges in awe of the groups that hit the stage. We’ve lost two groups already but eight still remain. Tonight they pour their hearts and souls into some of the top songs that have hit the charts in the last few years.

The evening begins with a group performance of Use Somebody by King of Leon. WOW! This vocal arrangement and melding of voices couldn’t have been more beautiful. It made the hair on my arms stand up and gave me goosebumps. The song itself is powerful, but with the amount of voices on stage captivate the emotion of the song entirely. So beautiful. What a great way to start the night.

Tonight, the eight groups will be split into two brackets of four. At the end of each bracket, the judges will save three of the groups and one of them will go home. Let the talent begin.

Watch the performances after the jump and find out which two groups were eliminated…

Welcome to the first episode of The Sing-Off Season 2. Last week, I introduced you to the 10 a cappella groups that would grace the stage this year and tonight, we get to hear them perform for the first time. This year, the show is bringing it to the next level with new challenges and more groups than ever before. The vocal battle is on and tonight, two groups will fall.

We begin the show with an amazing a cappella rendition of Music In Me with all 10 teams singing together. The harmonies and individual sections really bring out the best in each teams musicality and style. It really sets up the evening well to show you what we can look forward to tonight. There are some wailers this year and some great looking guys too. So lets see who has what it takes to stay and not be one of the two teams to be eliminated tonight.

Host Nick Lachey welcomes everyone to the show and introduces us to the judges that will be critiquing the 10 teams. Ben Folds, Nicole Scherzinger, and Shawn Stockman. Tonight, the teams will be singing their signature song to show off their strongest skills but the judges will only save 8 out of the 10 teams.

Video Performances after the jump…

Last year, NBC changed the game of singing competitions when they introduced their new reality competition The Sing-Off. Unlike other shows where the contestants sing to back-up tracks or live bands, the teams on The Sing-Off rely solely on their own voices to get them through to the next round. This season’s show will feature 10 of America’s hottest a cappella groups, singing popular songs like you’ve never heard them, vying for your votes. The winners will receive a Sony Music recording contract and $100,000. This competition kicks off Monday, December 6th on NBC.

Last year’s winners Nota brought their Puerto Rican flare mixed with smooth harmonies and a great RnB style to the competition. What will this years winners bring to the table. Hosted by 98 Degrees member Nick Lachey and judged by Nicole Scherzinger (Pussycat Dolls), Ben Folds (Ben Folds Five) and Shawn Stockman (Boyz II Men), this season is sure to be a hit the right note once again. Lets meet this season’s teams.

Meet the contestants after the jump…

Well, if you’re already going through Glee withdrawals, you’re in luck with some more musical medicine heading your way. Tonight, a new show called “The Sing-Off” debuts, hosted by Jessica Simpson’s 98 Degrees ex, Nick Lachey. Dubbed “The Ultimate A Capella Competition” The premise of the competition is eight a cappella groups “sing-off,” battling it out for the grand prize of $100,000. Unfortunately for the larger size groups, this means a much lower payout in comparison to some of the smaller groups. If they all agree to split evenly, the biggest payout is $25,000 per person, and the lowest is $8,333.

“The Sing-Off” will take place over four-nights premiering tonight (8-10 p.m. ET) and continue on December 15 and 16, finishing off with a live finale on December 21 (8-10 p.m. ET each night).

Are you going to watch?

Here’s the song list for tonight’s 2-hour premiere, according to EW:

Opening all-group number: “Under Pressure,” Queen/David Bowie

“Unwritten,” Natasha Bedingfield
“I’m Yours,” Jason Mraz
“Watcha Say,” Jason Derulo
“Magical Mystery Tour,” The Beatles
“Dancin’ Queen,” Abba
“Somebody to Love,” Queen
“Livin’ On A Prayer,” Bon Jovi
“Think,” Aretha Franklin

Now, meet the competing teams…

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