The Sing-Off – Season 3
The third season of The Sing-Off premiered on September 19, 2011. The number of a cappella groups was increased from 10 to 16, resulting in a new format. The show created two brackets, with only half the groups performing each week for the first few weeks. Nick Lachey stayed as host for the new season, as did Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman as judges. New to the judges' table was Sara Bareilles, who replaces Nicole Scherzinger, who left after 2 seasons to become a judge on The X Factor. The program ran for 11 episodes, and was concluded on November 28, 2011 with Pentatonix winning the title.
Episodes
Season Premiere: Part 1
Eight of the 16 competing acapella groups perform as the competition kicks off. Sara Bareilles joins Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman on the judging panel.
Season Premiere: Part 2
Eight more groups perform together and separately. The groups include Messiah's Men, North Shore, Pentatonix, Sonos, Soul'd Out, The Collective, University of Delaware Deltones, Vocal Point
Radio Hits & 60's Classics: Part I
Theme: Radio Hits (first round), 60's Classics (second round) Group performance: "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane
Radio Hits & 60's Classics: Part 2
Theme: Radio Hits (first round), 60's Classics (second round) Group performance: "Rhythm of Love" by Plain White T's
Top 10 Groups: Guilty Pleasure Music
Theme: Guilty pleasures Group performance: "All Night Long (All Night)" by Lionel Richie*
Top 8 Groups: Hip-Hop Hits
Group performance: "Nothin' on You" by B.o.B. featuring Bruno Mars
Top 7 Groups: Superstar Medleys
Group performance: Halloween medley of "This Is Halloween" by Danny Elfman, "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon and "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker, Jr.
Top 6 Groups: Rocking Out & Goin' Country
Theme: Rock classics (first round), Country hits (second round) Group performance: "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire
Top 5 Groups: The Rhythm & Blues Revue
The top five groups open the show with a medley of "I Feel Good" by James Brown, "ABC" by The Jackson 5 and "Crazy in Love" by Beyonce. Later they each perform their favorite R&B hits in an attempt to woo the judges for their votes. The group that remains standing at the end of the season receives the prize of $200,000 cash and a Sony Music recording contract. Nick Lachey hosts and Sara Bareilles, Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman serve as judges.
America Votes: Group Mastermixes
Theme: Master Mix (combining 2 songs from different artists) (first round), Judges' Choice (second round) Group performance: Master Mix: "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve, "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani, "Baba O'Riley" by The Who, and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" by Katy Perry
Live Finale: Top 3 Finalists
The final three groups perform for the last time before finding out who America voted as the country’s best a capella group.