<P> Fox credits fifteen main cast members for the season: Morrison as glee club director Will Schuester, Jane Lynch as cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, Jayma Mays as guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury, and Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Heather Morris, Amber Riley, Naya Rivera, Mark Salling, Harry Shum, Jr. and Jenna Ushkowitz as glee club members Quinn Fabray, Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson, Artie Abrams, Rachel Berry, Finn Hudson, Brittany Pierce, Mercedes Jones, Santana Lopez, Noah "Puck" Puckerman, Mike Chang and Tina Cohen - Chang respectively . Criss and Shum, Jr. received contractual upgrades, having formerly been recurring cast members . According to journalist Michael Ausiello, one main cast member who is no longer a series regular is Jessalyn Gilsig as Will's ex-wife, Terri Schuester . O'Malley, who plays Kurt's father Burt, was a series regular during the second season, but is listed among the guest cast for this season . </P> <P> Murphy has revealed that some of the original characters will depart at the end of the season . He explained, "This next season will be their senior year, and then that they will graduate . We didn't want to have a show where they were in high school for eight years . We really wanted to be true to that experience ." It was initially reported that the third season would be the last for Michele, Monteith and Colfer . However, during the 2011 San Diego Comic - Con panel, executive producer Brad Falchuk stated that while Michele, Monteith and Colfer will graduate by the end of the third season, "because they're graduating doesn't mean they're leaving the show ." Falchuk insisted "it was never our plan or our intention to let them go...They are not done with the show after this season ." </P> <P> Chord Overstreet, who played glee club member Sam Evans during the second season, did not return to the show at the start of the third season . According to Falchuk, Overstreet was invited back to guest - star for ten episodes "with an eye towards becoming a series regular at midseason", but Overstreet declined . It was reported on October 18, 2011, and confirmed by Murphy six days later, that Overstreet would be returning as a recurring character starting with the season's eighth episode . With Sam gone at the beginning of the season, Falchuk said that Mercedes "has this new boyfriend she met over the summer who's pretty cool". Friday Night Lights' LaMarcus Tinker is portraying Mercedes' new love interest, Shane Tinsley . Formerly known as "Bubba" and then as "Marcus", he is "a massive linebacker for the McKinley Titans". Their relationship was compared to Cuba Gooding Jr. and his wife in Jerry Maguire, as he "encourages her to want more for herself". Ryan Murphy has said they plan to introduce four new cast members, "kids that come in with their own stories ." At least two of these are female students: Sugar, who is well - off, self - confident, and has a tin ear, and Sheila, "a modern - day Joan Jett". The recurring role of Sugar Motta is played by Vanessa Lengies . Both Tinker and Lengies appeared in the season premiere, as did a character named Sheila played by Raven Goodwin, who is one of the Skanks, a group of outcast girls that includes Quinn . Another new recurring character is Sebastian Smythe, played by Grant Gustin, a "gay Dalton Academy Warbler who sets his sights on Blaine". Idina Menzel reprises her role as Shelby Corcoran in a story arc that has her teaching at McKinley; she first appeared in the season's second episode . Jonathan Groff returned for a third season as Jesse St. James, appearing in two episodes as the new coach of Vocal Adrenaline . Murphy also intended for guest star Gwyneth Paltrow to return as substitute teacher Holly Holliday . Other recurring characters who are returning include former glee club member Lauren Zizes (Ashley Fink), Principal Figgins (Iqbal Theba), football coach Shannon Beiste (Dot - Marie Jones), cheerleader Becky Jackson (Lauren Potter), school reporter Jacob Ben Israel (Josh Sussman), and TV news anchors Rod Remington (Bill A. Jones) and Andrea Carmichael (Earlene Davis). Closeted gay athlete Dave Karofsky (Max Adler) also returns, as does Finn's mother Carole Hudson - Hummel (Romy Rosemont) along with Quinn's mother Judy Fabray (Charlotte Ross) and Puck's mother (Gina Hecht). </P> <P> The Glee Project, a reality series featuring auditions for the show, started airing on Oxygen on June 12, 2011, and the final episode of the season was broadcast on August 21, 2011 . The winning prize was a seven - episode guest - starring role in the third season . The show was originally intended to air on Fox ahead of season two, but was cancelled due to Murphy's desire to concentrate on the main series . The project was revived when Oxygen purchased re-run rights to Glee, and Murphy committed to executive produce the series as it is part of the Glee brand . Di Loreto served as an executive producer, alongside Embassy Row's Michael Davies and Shauna Minoprio . Assisted by Glee's choreographer Zach Woodlee and casting director Robert Ulrich--who screened over 40,000 applicants--they selected the winner over ten episodes, from a shortlist of twelve contenders . After the show completed shooting, Murphy announced that the winner would play Sue's archenemy on the show . However, there were two winners of The Glee Project prize of a seven - episode arc, Damian McGinty and Samuel Larsen . The other two finalists, Lindsay Pearce and Alex Newell, each won a two - episode arc on the show . Pearce appeared in the season premiere as Harmony, a singer who intimidates Rachel with her talent, and returned in the eighth episode in which Harmony led a rival show choir at the Sectionals competition . McGinty appeared starting in the fourth episode as Rory Flanagan, an Irish exchange student who is living with Brittany's family . Larsen debuted in the thirteenth episode as transfer student Joe Hart, and Newell first appeared in the sixteenth episode as Wade Adams, a member of rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline . </P>

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