Maldonado’s Pentatonix Wins NBC’s “The Sing-Off”

Kirstie Maldonado and members of her a cappella group are $200,000 richer and have a new recording contract with Sony Music after winning NBC’s The Sing-Off.

The 19-year-old Latina singer’s five-member group Pentatonix—the smallest singing group in the reality show—beat out the Dartmouth Aires and Urban Method in Monday’s finale to win the title…and prize package that came with it. The group won by claiming the majority of the reported three million viewer votes cast.

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In all, 16 teams competed in the singing competition where participating groups couldn’t use instruments other than their own voices.

Throughout the competition, Pentatonix stood out as a small yet mighty group of talented singers and vocal percussionists, and they were praised regularly by show’s judges Ben Folds, Sara Bareilles and Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men.

Along with Maldonado—a National Hispanic Scholar and University of Oklahoma musical theatre major—Pentatonix consists of Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kevin Olusola and Avi Kaplan.

Maldonado was credited by the judges for bringing some serious sass and class to the group as the only female member.

“I don’t even know what to say … I’m just so humbled to have shared the stage with my best friends. They’re my family,” said Hoying after winning the competition. “And these 16 amazing groups; I can’t believe this is happening.”