UPeepz barely made it out of the Qualifiers round on “World of Dance”: Jennifer Lopez wanted to give them a callback before deciding if they really had what it takes for the Duels, but Derek Hough and Ne-Yo voted yes to send them through automatically. Now for the Duels they’re up against another hip-hop crew that had to fight to prove themselves to the judges: The Rise. So how well do UPeepz perform the second time around? NBC previewed their performance online. Watch it above.
“I love this concept,” says Lopez about the routine, in which UPeepz played hotel bellboys who ended by handing The Rise a bag and a plane ticket home. “You guys really stepped it up from the first time we saw you. It was super clean … It was such a well-choreographed, well-put-together routine.” That’s especially high praise since Lopez was so ambivalent about advancing UPeepz to the Duels.
Not all of their tricks worked for Ne-Yo, though. He wanted to see something a little more exciting, but regarding the high quality of the rest of their routine, he acknowledges that The Rise are “going to have to work for it.” Guest judge and “So You Think You Can Dance” alum Stephen “Twitch” Boss also had a quibble: he wanted to see more formations. But Lopez points out that UPeepz were directing some of their visuals to their opponents off to the side. Hough jokingly ducks for cover as mom and dad are fighting.
Then Hough chimes in himself to praise their synchronicity, highlights and tricks. But “now we get to see your competition and see what’s up.” That’s where the preview ends, so we’ll have to wait for tonight to see how The Rise answers the challenge from UPeepz and what the judges ultimately decide.
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