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LOS ANGELES — The two a cappella singing groups with Utah ties — BYU's Vocal Point and Delilah — are still in the running for a $200,000 cash prize and a Sony recording contract after seven weeks of competition on NBC's "The Sing-Off."
On Halloween night, the seven remaining groups competed with superstar medley arrangements following a fun holiday opener that featured ghosts and creatures from the dead.
Introduced as the "wholesome, handsome" group from Provo, Utah, Vocal Point, in striped shirts, jackets and green slacks, did Elvis proud with three songs that showed his — and their — versatility and range: "Don't Be Cruel," "Can't Help Falling in Love" and "Jailhouse Rock."
They danced. They rocked. They sang with a sincerity that moved the show's judges.
The nine-man group purposefully avoided impersonating the King, telling the audience in their pre-performance video that they want to come back as "the Vocal Point that doesn't have pitch problems," reminding the judges of their comments the week earlier.
Ben Folds, the first of the three judges, said he appreciated the performance. "Oh, you're bad! That's good!" he said. He praised Jake Hunsaker for his lead vocals and Mike Christensen "for not even thinking about sounding like Elvis."
Sara Bareilles said it was fun to see Vocal Point in their element, pushing the arrangement and going for modulation.
"I laughed. I cried. I was forever changed," said Shawn Stockman. "What's next?"
The female group that includes two students from Brigham Young University's Noteworthy group sang songs made famous by Alicia Keys: “A Woman’s Worth,” “If I Ain’t Got You" and “Fallin.’”
They too earned hearty praise from the trio of judges as well as a chance to return next week to sing country and epic rock.
Delilah is an all-women group comprised of singers from groups who competed in the first two sing-off seasons.
The Yellow Jackets from the University of Rochester were eliminated, leaving six groups: Vocal Point, Delilah, Urban Method, Pentatonix, Afro-Blue and the Dartmouth Aires.
Originally 16 groups were chosen to be on the show from hundreds of audition tapes sent in from across the nation.
In the final show, the television audience will weigh in to choose the winner.
"The Sing-Off" airs on Monday nights on NBC from 7-9 p.m.
