Randy Jackson’s America’s Best Dance Crew, America’s most popular dance competition, has declared its winner. Among the 12 competing teams, JabbaWockeez’s team emerged as the victorious group, crushing Status Quo with their remarkable performance in the finals. The members of JabbaWockeeZ were Jeff Nguyen aka “Phi”, 26, of Phoenix AZ; Ryan Shawn Paguio, 26, of San Diego, CA; Ben Chung aka B-Tek, 26, of Mission Hills, CA; Kevin Brewer, 31, of Sacramento, CA; Phil Tayag, 23, also from Sacramento, CA; and Chris Gatdula, 26, of Las Vegas, NV.
The two groups fought their last battle on stage, but still, the JabbaWockeeZ seemed to steal the hearts of Americans when millions of their votes declared the group the ultimate champion. The Status Quo members are Joshua Green, 20; Ernest Phillips, 21, Jayjion Greer aka “Jin Lao,” 18; Jamal Weaver, 20; and Dwayne Hines, 18 (all from Boston, MA) did not lose in vain. They had served up one of the greatest performances in the history of dance competitions in the United States.
During Episode 7, the remaining three crews, which are the JabbaWockeez, Status Quo, and Kaba Modern, competed and gave their best moves. Status Quo performed the first act. The judges were impressed by the group’s amazing stunts, but failed to impress with their mediocre choreography.
Episode 6 showcased one of the most exciting performances on the show. The remaining four teams worked their way up from the dance floor and were to perform hip hop dances with a mix of traditional Broadway acts. The most outstanding performance was given by Status Quo by showing their own version of “Hairspray”.
The competing teams performed Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” on Episode 5. This was done to honor the artist who has become legendary with his dancing prowess and also to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his album. “Thriller” sold more than 45 million worldwide and is considered one of the best-selling albums of all time.
During Episode 4, the teams were made to dance while playing their own characters based on the movies. The audience and the judges were in awe of the incredible performances they had witnessed.
During Episode 3, the teams were forced to perform folk dances that featured notable stunts.
The remaining eight teams, during Episode 2, performed an act based on a popular music video. They must have a unique interpretation that still vibrates with the video. The competition began with 12 groups (consisting of six members) showing their best moves, they were: Full Out, The Movements, Automatic Response, Enigma Dance Crew, Femme 5, Iconic, Live in Color, Fysh n Chicks, BreakSk8, Kaba Moderno , Status Quo and JabbaWockeeZ.
The creator of the show, Randy Jackson, has been in the music industry for over twenty years. This Grammy Award-winning music veteran and producer began his career as a bassist when he was just 13 years old. He got his big break when he joined the famous band Journey.
The first judge was JC Chavez, who began his career as a member of the Mickey Mouse Club. He is also a former NSync member now disbanded. Shayne Sparks, who is also a judge, is a professional dancer known for his amazing performance whenever he was on stage. Lil’ Mama, another judge on this popular dance competition show, is a hip hop artist who got her big break when her Lip Gloss hit the airwaves in 2007.
The show was hosted by Mario Lopez, Layla Kaleigh, and DJ Rashida. MTV is giving people a chance to show off their most amazing moves and style. If you are interested in joining, create a profile and start uploading your videos. Just go to http://dance.mtv.com/ for more details. Casting for the second season of America’s Best Dance Crew is already underway.