Host Nick Lachey (center) flanked by The Sing-Off's judges

While promoting tonight's premiere of The Sing-Off hosted by Nick Lachey, NBC has blatantly referenced FOX's reality giant American Idol, as well as the increasingly popular dramedy, Glee. So it looks like the peacock is plucking a few ideas from the competition.  The Sing-Off is what would happen if you took the best of both American Idol and Glee and mixed them together, at least that's what NBC is hoping for. 

Much like Idol, The Sing-Off is, at its core, a singing competition, but instead of solo singers being featured, the new show is taking a Glee-ful approach by featuring a cappella groups.  The show's Monday, December 14th 2-hour premiere will be followed by subsequent 2-hour 2nd and 3rd rounds of competition and elimination on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 15 & 16 and will culminate in a live finale on December 21.  During the live finale, the winning group will be awarded an Epic Records/Sony recording contract and a cash prize of $100,000.

In all fairness, this isn't NBC's or Lachey's first foray into reality singing competition shows.  It's not even the first time NBC has enlisted the help of Lachey for a reality singing competition.  Back during the holiday season of 2007, Lachey lead a choir to victory on NBC's Clash of the Choirs. Lachey also acted as host of 2008's ABC reality competition series High School Musical: Get In The Picture and produced and guested on MTV's recent Fame rip-off, Taking The Stage.  Let's not forget Nick's very first jolt of reality, as part of the doomed famous married couple, Newlyweds with then-bride Jessica Simpson.

The Judges

Joining Lachey each night will be the usual panel of celebrity judges.  On board for The Sing-Off are Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman and Nicole Scherzinger.  In a bit of shameless self promotion, celebrity judge Ben Folds just so happens to be signed to Epic/Sony.  

Ben Folds

Folds is best known as frontman of Ben Folds Five.  Folds knows a little something about musical competition.  Back in 1988, he formed a band called Majosha with friends Millard Powers and Dave Rich.  As on of the group's first gigs, the trio entered and won Duke University's Battle of the Bands.  Eventually, Folds got a music publishing deal with my old boss, Scott Siman and moved to Nashville.  Hoping to pursue a career as a performer, rather than a songwriter, Folds eventually left Nashville for North Carolina and formed Ben Folds Five with bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee.

After nearly a decade of moderate success, the group disbanded and Folds embarked on a solo career. As a solo artist, Folds has contributed songs to the soundtracks of  two popular animated films, Hoodwinked and Over the Hedge.  Folds performed at Bonnaroo in 2008 and his song Rockin' the Suburbs was featured on the short-lived ABC Sitcom, Surviving Suburbia, which starred Bob Saget.

Shawn Stockman

Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men fame will join Folds as a judge on The Sing-Off.  Of course everyone knows that Boyz II Men enjoyed huge success, but what some may not realize, until they are no doubt reminded tonight, Boyz II Men got their beginnings at Philadelphia's High School of the Creative and Performing Arts.  They got their big break when they snuck backstage at a Bell Biv DeVoe concert and performed an impromptu a capella version of New Edition's Can You Stand The Rain.  Michael Bivins, who happened to be a former member of New Edition and a then-rising music entrepreneur, offered them a deal right then and there.

With five #1s, including the a capella hit, It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,  and sales in excess of 60 million between 1992 and 1997 Boyz II Men became the most successful selling R&B male group of all time.  Originally a quintet, but more famously a quartet,  and now a trio consisting of original members, Stockman, Wayna Morris and Nathan Morris, the Boyz released their latest CD, Love in November of this year.

Nicole Scherzinger

The sole female judge for The Sing-Off is Nicole Scherzinger.  Best known as lead singer of the hugely popular Pussycat Dolls, Scherzinger rose to fame as part of the girl group, Eden's Crush, which was the result of yet another reality TV singing competition, WB's Popstars.  While Popstars came to the US in 2001 courtesy of the WB network, and seemed to American audiences like a rip off of American Idol, the show's international origins actually pre-date Idol by a few years.    While a member of Eden's Crush, Scherzinger achieved moderate success, due largely to the group's debut single, Get Over Yourself (Goodbye) which peaked at #1 on the Canadian charts and #8 in the US.  

Scherzinger left Eden's Crush to become part of the Pussycat Dolls as a dancer for the then-predominately burlesque troop.  When the group signed a record deal, it was Nicole front and center as lead singer, as well as primary background vocalist.  Thanks to Nicole's vocals, the Pussycat Dolls achieved success with their 2005 debut CD PCD, they even earned a Grammy nomination for the single Stickwitu.  2008 saw the release of their second album, Doll Domination and subsequent success of the hit singles When I Grow Up and their oddly infectious reinterpretation of Jai Ho! from the film Slumdog Millionaire.  In between the two Pussycat Doll releases, Nicole has attempted a solo career.  Despite the fact that she is the primary vocal talent in the group, solo success has alluded her.

The Contestants

Eight a cappella groups are vying for the recording contract and $100,000 prize.  Among them are university groups, lifelong friends, moms, businessmen and a group of friends looking for a better life for themselves and their families

Beelzebubs

Of the eight groups competing in The Sing-Off, Tufts University's Beelzebubs are the oldest, in years of existence, not actual age of the members.  Established in 1962 and comprised of 12 men, Beelzebubs are the show's only all-male collegiate group.  Over the years, The Bubs, as they are called, have recorded 29 albums, 26 studio albums and three live ones, they are credited with pioneering the modern collegiate a cappella movement, being one of the first groups to incorporate vocal percussion into their routine.

Maxx Factor

Four moms from the Baltimore, Maryland area make up Maxx Factor. They have performed regionally, nationally and internationally.  The took top honors at the recent 2009 National Harmony Sweepstakes Championship.  They are also  current reigning Mid Atlantic Harmony Sweepstakes winners.  They placed third in the 2010 Sweet Adelines International competition.

Solo

Hailing from Omaha, Nebraska, the ironically-named seven member group are sure to tug the heartstrings of the viewing audience.  Of the three female group members, two are single mothers and one of them is homeless.  According to their bio, the three women and four men that comprise the group came together in an attempt to revive the dying music scene of their home town.

Voices of Lee

Tennessee is represented by Voices of Lee from Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee.  Comprised of ten co-ed students, this group favors high-energy patriotic number and heart-felt gospel favorites.  Originally formed in 1994, over the years, Voices of Lee have appeared on Good Morning America, as well as concert appearances as part of Bill Gaither's Familyfest and Praise Gathering.  The  group has traveled from Ontario to Israel performing for various groups and events.

SoCals

SoCals are another co-ed group in the competition.  The eight-member group first came together in 1996 and is comprised of former and current USC students.  They  pride themselves in redefining a capella as only Southern Californians can.  The group enjoys a variety of musical styles from jazz to rock.

BYU Noteworthy

If Maxx Factor represents moms, BYU Noteworthy represents the girls.  Based in Provo, Utah, at the famed Brigham Young University, the current line-up features nine female students.  Over the years BYU has been home to nationally acclaimed groups like Vocal Point, Inside Out, moosebutter and others.  The mostly made dominated collegiate a capella music scene of BYU has also seen successful women's groups like Sweet Honey in the Rock, the Mint Juleps and Mary Schmary.  BYU Noteworthy is a relatively new to the scene, having gotten its start in 2004. They quickly proved they were a force to be reckoned with when they won the 2007 International Championship of Collegiate A Capella.

Nota

Coming to the competition by way of San Juan, Puerto Rico is Nota.  The all-male sextet met in college and have been pursuing their love of music since.  With Spanish as their primary language, the guys smartly list Boys II Men among their inspiration according to their website.  In addition to smooth vocal harmony, the group reproduces not only percussion, but the sounds of keyboards, bass and all other instruments.

Face

Still another all-male sextet is Bolder, Colorado's Face. Face first performed publicly in 2002. It was in 2005 in their third year of competing, when the group really began to see success by sweeping the Rocky Mountain Regionals of the Harmony Sweepstakes a Cappella Competition.  Not only did they take home the grand prize, they also won, Audience Favorite, Best Arrangement and Best Soloist.