The TV show Lip Sync Battle on Spike is a pretty simple concept; celebrities choose two songs that they'll lip sync to as the original track plays.
They can go as far as choreographing a dance routine with backup dancers, or even having other celebrity cameos. There have been some pretty great lip sync battles on the show, and these are my six favorite lip sync battles. These are in no particular order, and they're based off of both of the songs that each celebrity performed.
1. Zoe Saldana vs. Zachary Quinto
This lip sync battle featured two of the stars of the Star Trek franchise. Zoe Saldana, who plays Uhura in the recent Star Trek movies, performed "No Scrubs" by TLC, which featured a cameo from TLC themselves, and "Stressed Out" by Twenty One Pilots, where she recreated the music video and put her own twist on it. Zachary Quinto, who plays the character of Spock in the recent Star Trek movies, performed "Freedom! '90" by George Michael with a cameo from supermodel Cindy Crawford, and "Get Ur Freak On" by Missy Elliott, where he really committed to Missy Elliott's look and even ended the performance hanging from a chandelier.
2. Anna Kendrick vs. John Krasinski
This episode of Lip Sync Battle was absolutely hilarious. Anna Kendrick performed "Booty" by Jennifer Lopez, which featured some great choreography and a surprise appearance from J-Lo herself, and "Steal My Girl" by One Direction, which focused on Kendrick's love for John Krasinski's wife, Emily Blunt. She came complete with a powerpoint with photos of Blunt, as well as a shirt that she made that had photos of her and Emily superimposed into a heart. John Krasinski performed "Bye Bye Bye" by NSync, where he went all out with a head mic and a marionette impression, and "Proud Mary", which he started wearing a suit in, but he ended the performance wearing a sparkling silver ensemble, complete with backup dancers.
3. Jimmy Fallon vs. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
This was the first ever episode of Lip Sync Battle, and it featured Jimmy Fallon and Dwayne Johnson. Fallon, who has had tons of practice at this because of the various lip sync battles that he's done on Late Night and The Tonight Show, which inspired the creation of the Spike TV show Lip Sync Battle. Fallon performed "Like A Prayer" by Madonna, in which he danced along with a gospel choir in church choir robes, and "Jump In The Line" by Harry Belafonte, where he jumped off the stage and into the audience, forming a conga line in the crowd. Dwayne Johnson performed "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift, where he managed to woo the crowd with his solo dance moves and mid-song trash talking with Fallon, and "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees, complete with disco attire and backup dancers.
4. Channing Tatum vs. Jenna Dewan-Tatum
The husband and wife duo took the stage to battle it out for the LSB belt, and they did not disappoint. Channing Tatum performed "Run The World (Girls)" by Beyonce, which featured him dressed up as the former Destiny's Child star, and it even featured a cameo from Beyonce herself. Channing also performed "Let It Go" from the hit Disney movie Frozen; he dressed up as the Disney princess Elsa and danced around the set, that was decorated like a winter wonderland. Jenna Dewan-Tatum performed "Cold Hearted" by Paula Abdul, which featured a guest appearance of none other Paula Abdul, and "Pony" by Ginuwine, where she recreated Channing's Magic Mike XXL routine to the same song.
5. Common vs. John Legend
This one was fantastic. For one, seeing John Legend on a show that his wife, Chrissy Teigen, helps present, was great. Common performed "I Want You Back" by the Jackson Five, which he slayed with some smooth dance moves. He also performed "All Night Long" by Lionel Richie, where he dressed up for the part and broke out in some breakdancing. John Legend performed "Slow Motion" by Juvenile, complete with a fake grill in his mouth, and "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer, where he dressed up as MC Hammer and broke out some great dance moves with some backup dancers.
6. Terrence Howard vs. Taraji P. Henson
The two stars of the hit show Empire duked it out on the Lip Sync Battle stage, and it was a great show. They did something that had never been done on Lip Sync Battle at the time: a collaboration lip sync to the song "Hard Out Here For A Pimp" by Three 6 Mafia, which was from their movie Hustle and Flow. Along with the collaboration, they competed against each other. Terrence Howard came out and performed "Brick House" by The Commodores, complete with great wardrobe, backup dancers, and full of shine and sparkle. He also performed "I'll Make Love To You" by Boyz II Men, where he went all out and ended the great performance by flopping on the floor. Taraji P. Henson performed "Just Fine" by Mary J. Blige, which featured Taraji's sassy dance moves and an appearance from Mary J. Blige herself. Taraji also performed "Material Girl" by Madonna, which she absolutely killed with her cheetah print dress, male backup dancers spinning her around, and tossing money in the air.
There are so many great lip sync battles from Spike's show, and these are just six of my favorites. The performances area great, and picking only six was tough. Lip Sync Battle on Spike returns on January 12 at 10 pm on Spike, with Don Cheadle and Wanda Sykes. I can't wait to see what amazing moments this season brings!