Howard and LeKeith Talk About America's Best Dance Crew - Week 5

We're down to eight crews. How did they fare when trying to imitate today's "hottest" video hits? Read on to find out.



Howard: ABDC! The Video Challenge! Normally, one of my favorite ABDC episodes each season.

LeKeith: Yes. It was random like... Manny Pacquiao.

Howard: That was the most random celebrity insertion ever.

LeKeith: I know! More than Lisa Ling.

Howard: I want ABDC to up the level of randomness next week. Like Verne Troyer or something.

LeKeith: I'm telling you, Christopher Walken is a phone call away

Howard: Or Cal Worthington! And a tiger!

LeKeith: HAHA!

Howard: Dude, a Christopher Walken week would be amazing.

LeKeith: I KNOW! You know what else would be amazing? Seeing Layla Kayleigh again. But I digress. back to the challenge

Howard: I was really disappointed with the set-up this season.

LeKeith: I thought it was lackluster.

Howard: I think having the video screen behind the crews was about the worst idea they could have done.

LeKeith: Oh man, yes!

Howard: Because it totally changed the tenor of the challenge. It went from being "capture the tone of this signature moment" to "copy this 30 second snippet of the video as closely as you can."

LeKeith: Exactly what I was thinking.

Howard: And with the exception of a few crews, their performances generally lost all momentum and fire when they got to the copying segment.

LeKeith: I don't mind when they have a "Master the Move" challenge. But it's a distinct challenge from the Music Video Challenge.

Howard: Exactly. But let's get into the crews.

LeKeith: So Poreotix.

Howard: I have to say that the boys let me down at bit this week.

LeKeith: I see what you mean.

Howard: I think they were still reeling from the comments last week.

LeKeith: I think so too. Plus, I thought they were unfairly judged.



Howard: The opening was strong, I thought. It showed some interesting choreo and that peel-off looked sick.

LeKeith: That peel-off was sick. I guess my overall feeling with this performance is that I could see where they could have done more and was half expecting it.

Howard: Yeah.

LeKeith: To be honest, I wanted to see a ticking section when they were holding the umbrellas. The music almost called for it. And I thought they were going to do more, but then the routine just ended.

Howard: I think that's where the video screen became their enemy. Without it, they could have used the umbrellas to throw their own flair in.

LeKeith: Exactly!

Howard: But with the screen, I think they felt compelled to stick to what was being shown. Which they did a decent job of, I guess.

LeKeith: That and the comments from last week made them stay very safe

Howard: Though one guy was way off sync after he did the water gun gag.

LeKeith: Yeah. I noticed the timing with the umbrellas in a different section than the one JC pointed out.

Howard: It's true. I really miss Shane at this point. Not just for the pervy comments.

LeKeith: I know exactly what you mean.

Howard: He'd work in slo-mos of impressive things. Which Lil' Mama and Omarion do not do nearly enough. They're just random platitude machines.

LeKeith: Pretty much.

Howard: I think i'm going to script a Lil' Mama Comment Generator for next week.

LeKeith: HA! I feel like one should exist already.

Howard: "Y'all are ! Dance like that!"

LeKeith: "Y'all did you thing!" "That was tight!"

Howard: "I needed more swag!"

LeKeith: "This is a competition. You have to remember that."

Howard: "I agree with JC."

LeKeith: HA!

Howard: Anyway, I think going first was a pretty big disadvantage for them. Because by the time we got to the last crews, I was accustomed to the video segments being lackluster. But at the beginning, I was expecting big things.

LeKeith: I think they're going to have to get used to it. Unless something weird happens, I see them going first a lot.

Howard: Yeah. Hopefully they'll wake up for next week.

LeKeith: They will. They'll do it for you.

Howard: Next came Double Double Animal Style.

LeKeith: I gotta say, I didn't like this performance too much either. And I think it's because of the video like you mentioned.

Howard: It felt very "by the numbers".

LeKeith: There was one part where Raqi was doing a snap and bend ala Legally Blonde. Y ou could see Shakira doing it in the background with more snap and more bend.

Howard: And the big moment where they raised Raqi on the platform did not look nearly as cool as the pyramid from last week.

LeKeith: Yeah, I didn't understand why they did that.



Howard: Unless you're going to top your previous performance, don't throw (essentially) the same trick at me twice. The ending was tremendously hilarious though.

LeKeith: I did like when Zebrahead did his howl.

Howard: YES! Also, the stepping brothers were awesome.

LeKeith: They were! I like how the montages are sometimes like secret reveals. "Oh no! A Stepping Challenge" "Actually, my brother and I are National Stepping Champions" It kinda cracks me up.

Howard: HA!

LeKeith: But I'm with you. I want more of last week's Double Double Animal Style, not Sectionals' Jungle Boogie.

Howard: I thought it was decent overall. With the stepping segment and the ending pose bringing up the score.

LeKeith: Agreed.

Howard: But again, the video section just killed the routine for me. I think the key for their future success if more ZebraHead. That dude cracks me up.

LeKeith: I know! Me too! He's so animated.

Howard: Oh, and can we clown Lil' Mama again for a second?

LeKeith: Sure.

Howard: She gave Raqi props for getting into the formation when ZebraHead climbed on top of the entire group? Seriously.

LeKeith: Yeah, that didn't make any sense.

Howard: "Hey, you made yourself part of a giant rock! Good job!" What did she expect her to do? Just stand there awkwardly?

LeKeith: I think she just wanted to have girl time on national TV. And show off the extension.

Howard: Next came Fanny Pak East. With their hobo dance.

LeKeith: I didn't think they'd use actual shopping carts. I guess they were keeping it HoboCore.

Howard: Yeah, I was impressed by that. And the backwards flip.

LeKeith: Which there should have been an overhead camera shot for. The one time I want to see that damn angle, they don't use it



Howard: I wanted one of them to go flying off the stage, Jackass-style. Cross-promotion, MTV!

LeKeith: HAHA!

Howard: "I'm Johnny Knoxville. And this is America's Best Dance Crew."

LeKeith: Does that mean that Mario Lopez will get shot in the crotch by a Paintball gun?

Howard: I thought they did one of the better jobs with the video section, but that's probably because they didn't follow the video all that closely.

LeKeith: Yeah, also, it was kind of an atypical dance video.

Howard: It's true. There was a lot of cuts in it where you didn't see the group of dancers. Unlike, say, "Umbrella" where it's a pretty constant wide angle on the entire group.

LeKeith: Right. And I know it's a minor point but I would have liked if they had used some of the other crews' logos on the shopping carts.

Howard: That would have been a nice shout out.

LeKeith: One of the things I liked about Fanny Pak is they acknowledged the other crews.

Howard: Or maybe just Sadness Crew’s logo.

LeKeith: Yeah! that would have been perfect

Howard: No wait, that would have been kind of fucked up. Since that one dude's Mama's house burned down.

LeKeith: Oh. True. I thought only that one part got messed up?

Howard: Maybe. I kind of glaze over during those segments.

LeKeith: Also, I thought you meant that Swagger crew was reduced to living in the streets. Which is also messed up.

Howard: That too. But yeah, it would be cruel to basically say, "HAHA! Now you're doubly homeless!"

LeKeith: "You're Homeless AND You Can't Dance!" Yup, not cool.

Howard: Good call, Fanny Pak East. We salute your sensitivity.

LeKeith: Salute! Onto the next crew

Howard: Oh, the Hotsteppers. You are probably not stepping so hot today.

LeKeith: Hotmesssteppers. Oh snap!

Howard: HA!

LeKeith: I kid because I care. But I kinda wish MTV would post the rehearsal footage because I don't know what they were going for.



Howard: I'm really curious. Was that bigger girl going to jump rope while spinning the other girl around like a hula hoop? Because that would have been amazing.

LeKeith: I think so. I thought they were going for some lucha move or something.

Howard: Maybe.

LeKeith: Maybe an assisted cartwheel?

Howard: We'll never know, sadly.

LeKeith: I need to know! But once that happened, you could see them fall apart.

Howard: Yeah, that had to really throw them off.

LeKeith: Definitely.

Howard: I imagine that this will continue to be a problem in the future. Because whenever they have to go outside of the set moves they've rehearsed in the past, it's going to get messy.

LeKeith: Right. I agree.

Howard: It's hard enough to set up choreo for a whole routine in a week.

LeKeith: Let alone time it to jumping rope.

Howard: Yup.

LeKeith: Also, their dancing away from the rope was not good

Howard: No.

LeKeith: I wanna say, lithe, even

Howard: But we knew that during the West Regionals. When they came back from a commercial break, they showed Saltare dancing in the front row of the audience. It was not… awesome.

LeKeith: Oh. I missed that. I was searching for Layla

Howard: HA!

LeKeith: But we'll see how they recover, if they can.

Howard: If you look at the portions of their routine that worked the best, they were all variations on tricks they've done before. Diving/flipping through the long ropes and whatnot.

LeKeith: Yes, absolutely. They're more comfortable doing those moves. Oh well, hold a press conference, say you're sorry and we'll see you next week. This is America.

Howard: So the Phat Boys, a.k.a. Heavy Impact.

LeKeith: Heavy! Heavy! You Ain't Ready! I loved that.

Howard: HA! Another decent routine. Nothing that really wowed me. But they were nice and fluid, and did a decent job with the popping. Their facial expressions are amazing though.

LeKeith: I thought so too. It's them and Zebrahead.



Howard: I actually would have liked to see them do "Umbrella" and Poreotix do this video.

LeKeith: That would have been good.

Howard: But that would have been a little too much in their respective comfort zones, I suppose. I did find it hilarious that one of them noted that it was harder for people to pick up smaller movements on them because of their girth. And then the judges chastised them.

LeKeith: Yeah, I thought that was stupid.

Howard: "Don't ever talk about how big you are! That's our job."

LeKeith: Also, he wasn't complaining. He was talking about having moves read bigger. Way to pay attention Omarion.

Howard: HA!

LeKeith: Then we went to the Kissing Kona Krushers!

Howard: I am honestly shocked that they weren't in the bottom 2.

LeKeith: Oh wait. Too many K's. My bad.

Howard: HA!

LeKeith: I was pretty surprised too, actually. Apparently America is really xenophobic or something.

Howard: Yeah, take that, foreigners! Anyway. I think it was probably their best performance to date.

LeKeith: I think so too.

Howard: Though the dismount from the human pole was really really ugly.

LeKeith: It was!

Howard: But hey, that dude held the splits for an inhumanly long time. So, I'll give them a pass.

LeKeith: Also, the transformation into the pole was very smooth.

Howard: Yeah.

LeKeith: So win some, lose some.



Howard: You might call the kiss at the end pure pandering. And you might be right. But I choose to look at it as a tribute to Britney's VMA performance with Madonna.

LeKeith: I like your rationale.

Howard: Thanks.

LeKeith: I see it as a tribute to the constant plight of same sex marriages across these united states.

Howard: Very true. Way to get political, Kona Krushers!

LeKeith: Keep fighting the good fight.

Howard: I think they should be OK next week. The performance was solid and the kiss was the cherry on top.

LeKeith: I agree. And it was here and with Raqi that Omarion started to put on his pervy shoes. And it was appropriate

Howard: Yes! PERV-O-TRON 5000 - ACTIVATE.

LeKeith: HAHA!

Howard: OK, so Card Sharks finally landed in the bottom 2.

LeKeith: I was kinda annoyed at the Card Routine.

Howard: One card trick would be OK. Maybe. But two? Nope.com.

LeKeith: Exactly.

Howard: I did love the fact that it highlighted Secret Pakistani.

LeKeith: For a second there, I thought he was going to windmill after he made the card disappear. Which would have been kinda awesome and a good way to justify his hand movements.

Howard: Totally.

LeKeith: Oh, you know what I actually liked? That one of the guys did the booty shake. Because it was different.

Howard: Yeah.

LeKeith: I though they were going to do a whole gender switch in the video, which would have been really clever.

Howard: And he did it better than the girl from Sadness Crew last week.

LeKeith: Oh… She had a nice booty shake.

Howard: I found it a little lacking. It's not a commentary on her booty, per se. Just the shake.



LeKeith: I know what you mean. I can't disagree. But back to the Card Sharks… This was again where I saw a routine that could have been more but it wasn't, either because of the challenge restraints or another factor. Also, kinda random: when Secret Pakastani did the Card Trick, I wondered if they were all magicians…

Howard: That would be awesome.

LeKeith: I would have called them AbraCaDancers.

Howard: HAHA!

LeKeith: Just to see Mario Lopez say it.

Howard: They were all just praying that they'd survive until Magic Trick Week.

LeKeith: I really hope that never comes back.

Howard: Though now I really want to see a group called AbraCaDancers.

LeKeith: Me too. This is what I've been thinking about

Howard: Alright, so Team Canada. A surprise entry in the bottom.

LeKeith: Yeah. Xenophobia.

Howard: But I started wondering whether MTV airs ABDC in Canada. Or do they Canada's Best Dance Crew? CBDC!

LeKeith: HA! That's a good question actually. Do the winners get a lifetime supply of Timbits and a spot on the Juno Awards?

Howard: Season tickets to see the Canucks.

LeKeith: A walk on role on Degrassi? Ah Canada, such a wonderful place in my mind.

Howard: It had to suck to do Omarion's dance. Not just because he was judging, but because it involved such insane moves.



LeKeith: I liked that when the girls fell out of the headstand, they had a pose to strike until that part was finished. A Contingency Dance.

Howard: Yeah, that was good forethought. Also, the b-boy's floor slide was insane.

LeKeith: The first section with the arms was crazy too. They were so together, probably more than any other crew this week.

Howard: Yeah.

LeKeith: Also, is "I Get It In" about submitting your college applications, because that's what it should be about.

Howard: Um... Let's say yes. For you.

LeKeith: Who do you think will be in the bottom next week?

Howard: I'd predict Saltare and Heavy Impact.

LeKeith: I see that.

Howard: Saltare was the only group with a "bad" performance. Everyone else was just OK. And of those, I felt like the Phat Boys were the most "meh."

LeKeith: I agree.

Howard: What's the theme for next week?

LeKeith: Lady Gaga

Howard: That should make for some really interesting routines. I wonder if she will be around to guest judge like Missy Elliot did.

LeKeith: Will the crews "Just Dance" through the competition or will the flash from the "Paparazzi" cause a "Bad Romance" between them and the Judges? So says Mario Lopez.

Howard: HAHA!

LeKeith: Can the crews keep their "Pokerfaces" on or will they trip on their "Disco Stick?" That's all the Gaga I know.

Howard: If Mario actually says any of those things, I will buy you In-n-Out the next time you're in town.

LeKeith: Oh please say them, Slater! I love you, In-N-Out. Almost as much as I love Layla Kayleigh!