Votta and Futterman both said that Sam and Mercedes sounded "great together" on "Human Nature", and Futterman also complimented their individual voices—"hers restrained and soulful, his rock-tinged and raw"—and summarized, "It's a crisp, well-executed cover". Most other reviewers also noted how good their voices sounded together, including Chaney, who gave the song a "B−", and Bell, who called their harmonies "out-of-this-world amazing". Lynch and Slezak each praised the tenderness in Riley's vocals; Lynch gave the song an "A", and Slezak an "A−". "Ben", however, received far more mixed commentary, and several reviewers felt it was odd to, as Chaney put it, sing a song about a rat "to a guy who isn't named Ben and was wearing an eye patch", which Futterman called "a little creepy" and VanDerWerff, more bluntly, "fucking weird". Despite this, Chaney gave the song a "B", one of her highest grades of the night, in part because it gave Colfer "an excuse to hit those 'You’ve got a friend in me' high notes", while Futterman noted that he "does well in the high range", and praised the verses by Rachel and Finn. Bell, however, called the song "a snooze-fest", and Slezak was very unhappy with the "interminable rendition" which he graded a "D". In December 2012, TV Guide listed the rendition as one of Glee worst performances.
