SIX GROUPS BATTLE FOR FIRST PLACE ON WEDNESDAY, DEC. 17 IN THE TWO-HOUR SPECIAL EDITION OF "THE SING-OFF"

Two Teams From Nashville, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and New Haven Compete for $50,000 Grand Prize

Home Free Performing with Host Nick Lachey and Judges Jewel, Shawn Stockman and Patrick Stump While Pentatonix Also Set to Appear

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - Nov. xx, 2014 - NBC has announced the six groups competing for a first-place prize of $50,000 on the two-hour Wednesday, Dec. 17 special (8 p.m. ET/PT) of the popular musical competition series "The Sing-Off."

Returning judges Jewel and Shawn Stockman will be joined by Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump while Nick Lachey is once again set as host.

· From Nashville, Timothy's Gift is comprised of six women who met at church and often sing at maximum security prisons around the country to inspire inmates to have hope.

· Also from Nashville is Melodores, a group of 12 male students who attend Vanderbilt University. Founded in 2009, Melodores strives to be the best all-male collegiate group in the world. Lead singer Ted Moock is featured in the upcoming film "Pitch Perfect 2."

· From Los Angeles, several members of The Exchange battled against each other on different teams in season three but have now combined forces to bring their united voices to a new musical level.

· From New York, Traces are five spirit-filled divas who give gospel a modern twist with voices as big as their personalities. With their roots firmly entrenched at church, these women find time away from work to perform afternoon shows in front of appreciative and awe-filled audiences.

· From Northern California, San Fran 6 has a passion for pop. After having formed just a little more than a month ago by compiling the best a capella talent from the Bay Area, the group has all-star talent that is ready to shine.

· From New Haven, Conn., A. Squared is offering their innovative take on a capella reinvented. In fact, leader Jacob Reske turned his senior project into an hourlong 12-song performance.

Also performing on the special will be season four "Sing-Off" champions Home Free, who will sing with Lachey and all three judges, as well as season three winner and hugely popular group Pentatonix.

Home Free saw their debut album release "Crazy Life" climb to #1 on the country iTunes chart and #4 on the overall iTunes chart before dropping at #40 on the Billboard 200. After headlining the 32-city, 36-show "Sing-Off Live!" tour in this past spring, they embarked on their own headlining tour that included high-profile appearances at CMA Music Fest in June, the MLB All-Star Game in July, and a 34-show tour in support of "Crazy Life" through the fall. Their holiday release, "Full of Cheer," released on Oct. 27, debuted at #65 on the Billboard 200. The band has a 10-city tour in support of the record slated for December.

As another sign of the influence of "The Sing-Off," Pentatonix have become a musical force since winning in 2011. The quintet has released four EP's and their first full-length CD, selling more than 800,000 copies combined with three of the releases debuting in the Top 10 on Billboard's Top 200 chart. Having recently eclipsed 6.7 million subscribers and over 670 million cumulative views, the Pentatonix official YouTube page is currently the 13th most subscribed-to music channel, having surpassed the subscriber totals of both Avicii and Beyoncé.

"The Sing-Off" is produced by United Artists Media Group (a joint venture among MGM, Mark Burnett, Roma Downey and Hearst Corporation) along with Outlaw Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television.

Mark Burnett (NBC's "The Voice") is the executive producer. Deb Newmyer, Sam Weisman and James Sunderland are also executive producers.

Please visit the official show site at http://www.nbc.com/sing-off/

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