You've heard of American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance and America's Got Talent, but NBC has something new up its sleeves.
They are introducing an a cappella talent search called The Sing-Off to the lineup and they may be featuring a Miami University favorite, the Misfitz.
"We are just a bunch of girls who love to sing and perform," said junior Meredith Schoenberger, treasurer. "I joined because I've been singing, acting and dancing forever and when I got to college I didn't want to stop."
President Mallory Jennings said this is her third year with Misfitz.
"I saw them in concert once and realized how much I missed performing," Jennings said. "I auditioned and it was the best decision I made. It's literally an experience that will change your life. We're like a tight-knit family. All the girls are really special and unique and it only gets better every year."
The Misfitz auditioned Sept. 14 for the new reality television show called The Sing-Off in Chicago.
The show features a cappella groups from around the country in a singing competition competing to win an Epic Records/Sony Entertainment Recording Contract, according to NBC.com.
The shows casting director, Holly Gardner of McNulty Casting, said the competition is aimed to "creatively exploit a cappella to the world and show what talent is out there."
According to Jennings, the Misfitz heard about the opportunity to audition from alumni, who urged them to consider trying out for the show.
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"About a month and a half ago, we got bombarded with emails from alumni about the Great American Singing Auditions," Schoenberger said. "They thought it was a great idea and we all got pretty excited about it. It's one of those lifetime opportunities and even if we don't make it, when will we get a chance to do it again?"
The Misfitz had a lot of competition from all over the country to try and beat out.
"There were a hundred throughout the country that came out," Gardner said.
However, the audition process ran smoothly for the girls.
"We drove up Sunday and rehearsed at night and in the morning," Jennings said. "When we got there we warmed up, mingled with other groups and people from the show, and just waited for our audition slot."
In the audition, they had to prepare only two songs to sing. They sang "Fallen" by Alicia Keys, and "Used To Love You" by John Legend. But after, the casting director asked them to sing a third song and they sang "Mercy" by Duffy.
"We were all pretty nervous," Schoenberger said. "It was so hot, there were like a million lights on us. When they asked us to sing a third song, we were shocked but we said, 'Of course we will do it.'"
Overall, the experience proved to be worthwhile, as the girls met other singers and even participated in an impromptu "beat-boxing showdown" between their own beat boxer, Marielle Wakim, and another group called "Solo."
Gardner said she is happy with the performances.
"The auditions went really well," Gardner said. "We saw some really great talent and we should come out with a really great product. The first season show will be working with Sony and NBC and we are looking forward to see what comes out."
But for the Misfitz, all they can do is wait for news from the show.
"We find out sometime mid-October to see if we make it," Jennings said.
Schoenberger said the whole thing was a surreal experience.
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