Welcome to 2012 with the return of many of your favorite shows coming back for another season. Amongst many of our returning favorites are several competition shows, several of which revolve entirely around singing abilities. Watching talent competitions has long been a favorite amongst television viewers, but for some reason, we particularly enjoy watching others sing, or attempt to sing, and marvel when an unlikely contestant approaches the mic and stuns us with their vocal ability.

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This year, starting in January, we see the return of “The Voice” on NBC, where judges such as Christina Aguilera and Maroon 5′s Adam Levine encourage singers on their “team” to out-sing the others. Some viewers have enjoyed taking jabs at Christina Aguilera’s weight struggles including observations from fellow celebrities such as Kelly Osbourne. Maybe in 2012 we’ll see Aguilera join the celebrity weight-loss band wagon and choose from a variety of celebrity diet trends. Aguilera’s choices in outfits were often discussed more than the singing last season as she seemed to go through a phase of neglecting pants in lieu of leggings and stockings of every kind. Aguilera and Levine also had a fair share of feisty arguments and it seemed sometimes as if they were minutes away from name-calling. No matter how good the singers on the show were, viewers realized in the back of their mind that Christina could always blow them away with her unbeatable vocals.

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What would the year be without another season of “American Idol”? I don’t know where most of the past winners have ended up after the season has ended and their debut album hit stores. It almost seems as though the objective of the show is less about finding another hit recording artist and more about gaining viewers to watch embarrassing auditions and hear new renditions of our favorite old songs. Steven Tyler as a judge still makes me uncomfortable. I feel as though he’s leering at female contestants through squinty eyes like he’s picturing them on a set of a music video of his own in days gone by. He’s looking more and more like an elderly old lady, the kind who sells home-made dream catchers in her backyard. I don’t know that I’d necessarily feel all that flattered to have Steven Tyler make up some fantastical description on how my singing made him feel tingly and he saw the stars in the heavens when I sang the chorus. More likely just awkward.

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“The Sing Off” on NBC is slightly different from other singing competitions as it features A-Capella groups who are hoping to make a name for themselves versus one singer who seeks fame. The hosts aren’t as memorable but many of the past groups have really wowed us as several all-male or all-female groups have taken hip hop classics and turned them around to soothing and thoughtful ballads.

Other talent competitions such as “X Factor” and “America’s Got Talent” also feature countless singers including children, opera hopefuls, and show tune enthusiasts, so there is certainly no shortage of options this year to see who has staying power.