| The Sing-Off | |
|---|---|
| Season 4 | |
| Hosted by | Nick Lachey |
| Judges | Ben Folds Shawn Stockman Jewel |
| Winner | Home Free |
| Runner-up | Ten |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | December 9 – December 23, 2013 |
| Season chronology | |
The fourth season of The Sing-Off premiered on December 9, 2013. The number of a cappella groups was decreased from sixteen back to ten, resulting in a new format. Nick Lachey stayed as host for the new season, with Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman returning as judges. New to the judges' table was Jewel, who replaces Sara Bareilles, who left after one season. Deke Sharon returned as music director and vocal producer. The music staff included Ed Boyer, Ben Bram, Rob Dietz, and Nick Girard. The program ran for seven episodes over the course of two weeks and concluded on December 23, 2013.[1]
Though the show's status was unclear after the third season concluded in 2012, NBC announced in March 2013 that it would bring back the program as a special like the first two seasons.[2][3]
A group was eliminated from the show each week in a new feature called the "Ultimate Sing-Off", where the two groups ranked lowest at the end of each show would compete by singing the same song.[4] The groups took turns alternating verses, before ending the song singing together.[5] Also unlike previous seasons, the winner was chosen by the judges instead of by the general public.