Lip Sync Battle is ace at producing viral content, and it's hard to find any videos in their library that don't have more than 1 million views. It's not hard, however, to see why the internet loves watching celebrities bringing high production value to their lip syncing performances. Well, it looks like the Spike TV series has found its next hit thanks to Ricky Martin and Kate Upton. Sure, Kate Upton's "...Baby One More Time" is pretty great, but Martin similarly hit it out of the park with a high-energy rendition of "Footloose" that's as good as the original movie. Check it out! (Note: Martin's part comes about halfway through the video.)
That's a video of Ricky Martin shaking it all around on the stage of Lip Sync Battle, all right. The pop star -- who probably has a leg up on model Kate Upton when it comes to performing -- chose the upbeat 1980s earworm "Footloose," made famous from the Kevin Bacon-starring movie of the same name. The stage was decorated in the style of a high school dance, complete with repressed teens who just want to dance their cares away. Looking dapper in a maroon suit, Martin took the stage and led the dancers in a pep-infused number that left everybody cheering.
For those who may not know, Footloose was a 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon as an upbeat Chicago teen who moved to a small town where a local minister had banned dancing and rock music. Obviously, that doesn't sit well with the teen, who depends on dancing in warehouses to vent his teenage frustrations. He eventually gets everyone to take the sticks out of their butts and just live a little. Ricky Martin's performance captures the spirit of the 1984 version, as opposed to the 2011 remake that was...well, more terrible. Everything is more terrible, though, when it's missing this.
See how much fun Ricky Martin is having? One of the buttons on his shirt popped ,but he's having too much fun to notice.
Kate Upton likewise looked like she was having a good time on Lip Sync Battle. She performed Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time" with an enthusiasm that matched Ricky Martin's. It also helped that she wasn't wearing a lot of body-covering clothes, though Ricky Martin was also sans pants during an earlier number, so it was quite the revealing night for everyone.
You can watch new episodes of Lip Sync Battle when they air Thursdays at 10 p.m. EST on Spike. To see what else is coming to the small screen in the near future, head to our midseason TV schedule and our summer TV guide.
