Better get to the groups (just 8 on the first night, 2 will be eliminated promptly) and keep it short!
YellowJackets, from the University of Rochester in New York. Only five of these 15 dudes (who wear bright yellow blazers) are from the Eastman School of Music? Maybe it's so prestigious that people are too busy doing solo tours around the world to be in acapella groups? I just thought all of them would be voice majors or something, not athletes. They had a really sweet video segment where they went to Kenya and sang with a ton of schoolchildren. In keeping with that theme, they sang a rendition of a World Cup song, "Waving Flag", which showcased their range well. Not exactly vocal range, but the superb beatboxing and choral support. I agreed with Sarah that the song didn't showcase everything they could potentially do, with a lack of intricate melodies ("but maybe it was the song and not you.... What? I'm new here, sorry!") so real judgment will have to wait.
Fannin Family, 8 siblings from Wisconsin. And that's not even all of them. There's 11, but 8 in the group, 3 guys, 5 girls. The youngest girl (14) is also their lead singer. They did a pretty, but kind of sleepy rendition of "Who Says" by Selena Gomez that put their harmonies and blend front stage, but quality didn't equate to excitement - they have less of a beatboxer than others, and they don't do almost any choreography. I think they picked a solid, easy first song for their lead so she could get past any stage jitters the first day and could come out with something more upbeat in the future. But will they have a second day? Looks like there will be an elimination after the first 4 groups...
Afro-Blue, from Howard University. A traditionally black university, but there's a white girl in their group? They sang "Put Your Records On", which is a great song for showcasing the abilities of the group, but if the lead had more to give, that's not the song that gave it. Beatboxer was great, though.
Delilah is a patchwork of girls from Season 1 and 2 groups. There was a bit of this in Season 2 already, so I personally don't mind, but I can see how others may object to this sort of repeated attempt. They sang "Grenade", which emphasized the great lead and the great beat and bass (yes, quality bass, no idea) but the middle chorus section didn't quite fill it in, which I suppose is a fundamental issue with all-lady groups.
----After a commercial break, that's it for Fannin Family, they got eliminated. Whew, that was quick.
Urban Method from Denver purports to be different because they have a rapper, but really, if you're doing remixes of songs, just about anyone can do the rap parts? I always thought a real rapper is the one who comes up with the rhymes, because repeating someone else's isn't actually terribly hard? Maybe I've been misinformed all this time. Anyhow, they are a group that was created by a mastermind, and I never like those. They did "Love the Way You Lie," which I also don't like, so this is probably going to be biased, ready? The song is unbalanced, and hardly showcases either the female lead, the male rapper, or the chorus. The group is unbalanced, because the male rapper is better at what he does than the female lead, and the part where they sing at once turned into a mess.
Cat's Pajamas, from Branson, Missouri, is a group that performs in one of the tons of live show theatres / inns there. There's only 5 of them - some of the other groups have had a bass and a beatboxer separate, so they seem to be at a disadvantage there, but they must certainly have the best choreography and stage experience. They sang "Some Kind of Wonderful" which is a little low on the excitement-scale, but technically well-executed.
Kinfolk 9 is supposed to be just a bunch of extended friends and family from Los Angeles? Judging by the opening number that included all the groups, they have the most talented individual lead singers, but somehow their beatboxer and chorus is not gelling? Or perhaps it was their arrangement of "Secrets"? I hope they get another chance, because all that showed me was that the two main singers have awesome potential, and the rest of them need some time and coaching together.
Vocal Point is from Brigham Young, 9 Mormon dudes singing "Jump, Jive, and Wail". It turned out really interesting, because it's a song full of instruments, and each one took an instrument. They were down one baritone / bass dude, because he flew home to Australia to be with his ailing father, so that may have hurt their robustness just a touch, but any more from the chorus, and the lead would've been smothered. It was fun, though, and I couldn't say that about all the other groups.
-----It comes down to Kinfolk 9 and Cat's Pajamas (Vocal Point and Urban Method are safe). It's technical perfection against huge potential for excitement. Honestly, I was hoping for Kinfolk 9, even though technical perfection should probably win it. Naturally they don't, and Cat's Pajamas are sent back to Branson, MO.
