So, “The Sing-Off” wrapped up the way all these types of competition shows do — lots of singing, some cutesy-poo skits, some guest performances (Pat Benatar! 98 Degrees!), and then roughly three minutes of actual results. In this case, the whole of the two-hour season ender was considerably more entertaining than most of these shows, simply because the level of talent on the show is so phenomenal, the judges are plenty impressive as performers, and hey, there were Christmas songs!
But in the midst of all the revelry and hoo-ha, the three finalists — Vocal Rush, Home Free and Ten — each performed, giving the judges a last chance to pick a winner (they also each performed a Christmas song with one of the judges). And so, the end results (spoilers, people)…
In third places, the high school students of Vocal Rush. But then, for me, the surprise — Ten, the back-up singers, came in behind the country-flavored Home Free.
The audience clearly seemed to adore Home Free. Tim’s crazy-deep bass was always a showstopper. But never once did I think these guys (despite Rob’s fully awesome gopher imitation) were as skilled or talented as the members of Ten.
Home Free wasn’t memorable to me, to be honest, and most of their performances reeked of old Oak Ridge Boys numbers. Their version of “Ring of Fire” just made me miss Johnny Cash. But Ten’s rendition of “Skyfall”? Heartstopping.
Still, they’re more than worthy of the win, in that everyone in the final three was amazing — as much as I enjoyed seeing last year’s winners Pentatonix, I couldn’t help but wonder if they would have even made the finale this season.
If the finale also proved anything, it’s just how supremely talented our judges are. I think Jewel’s take on “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” is right up there with Judy Garland’s, and though Ben Fold’s performance of “Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth” didn’t reach Bing Crosby/David Bowie heights for me, I loved that he was so happy to cede the spotlight to the kids. Shawn Stockman and Ten, well, I’d pay to go see them in concert, even without an opening act.
I’ll just assume Ben, Jewel and Shawn saw something in Home Free I didn’t. God knows the audience seemed to see it. No matter what, “The Sing-Off” accomplishes something important regardless of who wins — it turns people on to a cappella singing, which is never a bad thing.
What did you think about the results?