Last week on NBC’s World of Dance, The Duels began with some surprising wins and losses (we still can’t believe Eva went home!). This week, The Duels continued with even more incredible dance battles and heartbreaking losses.
The Lab vs. Lil Killaz Crew
We were all excited to see The Lab return for another season of World of Dance, and like Eva Igo, they came to make it all the way to the top. For their duel, they chose to go up against B-boy crew Lil Killaz. Lil Killaz has the all the B-boy flare and personality of the world’s best B-boys, so The Lab had to make sure to bring all of the attitudes they could. Lil Killaz had to make sure their synchronicity was absolutely on point.
The Lab went first in this duel. Taking the stage in hoodies and face masks, they gave us major Kinjaz vibes. Lil Killaz took the stage after The Lab ready to wipe them out of the competition. Once the scores were locked in, The Lab dodged Lil Killaz attempts to take them down with a score of 95. Nearly ten points below them with a score of 85.7, Lil Killaz was sent home.
Alisa and Joseph vs. Elektro Botz
During The Qualifiers, Alisa and Joseph reminded us of Keone and Mari with their duet about falling in love while the Elektro Botz brought emotional robotic moves to the stage. While the judges had nothing but good things to say about the way Elektro Botz bring robotic movements to life, Alisa and Joseph definitely had to bring on the competitive edge if they wanted to make it out of this round.
Alisa and Joseph were definitely confident when they took the stage, but again, the judges weren’t sure if it was competitive enough for The Duels (or to beat their competition). Elektro Botz brought a lot of attitude to the stage, but the judges felt that they also could have brought their choreography up to another level. In the end, though, with an average score of 87.7, just 0.7 higher than their opponents, Alisa and Joseph won this duel.
Desi Hoppers vs. Opus Dance Collective
Next up were the Desi Hoppers and the Opus Dance Collective. These two have very different styles, so their duel would come down to technique and stage presence when the judges compared the genres they represented.
Opus Dance Collective brought the drama to the stage with a powerful contemporary performance that took advantage of the space they were given and their talent for conveying emotion. Desi Hoppers continued to define their combination of hip hop and traditional Indian dance styles, and the personality made their stage presence larger than life. Opus Dance Collective received an average score of 83.3 from the judges, but Desi Hoppers managed to send them home with their score of 90.3.
Sean and Kaycee vs. 3 Xtreme
Sean and Kaycee literally took on the competition with their eyes closed during The Qualifiers. For this round, they challenged hip hop trio 3 Xtreme. Since both of these acts are hip hop focused, they would each have to bring out the most dynamic choreography possible if they wanted a chance at winning this duel.
3 Xtreme took the stage first ready to entertain and show off their skill set. Despite going up against the leaders of The Junior Division, they didn’t seem worried. Sean and Kaycee brought what J Lo called “poetry in motion” to the stage, and their cleanliness was incredible. Sean and Kaycee took home the win for this duel with an average score of 93.3, beating 3 Xtreme’s 87 by only a handful of points.
Royal Flux vs. Lock n LOL
You probably remember that one of Royal Flux’s members broke her foot before their Qualifiers performance, but they persevered and danced their way into The Duels. Lock n LOL didn’t have any injuries holding them back, but the judges did warn them that they would have to keep bringing up their entertainment value if they wanted to go far this season.
Royal Flux came to the stage healed up and ready to win this duel, but Lock n LOL wasn’t going to go down without a fight. While Royal Flux was gorgeous and fluid, Lock n LOL was dynamic and synchronized. In the end, the judges had to lock in the scores that would determine which act would, unfortunately, have to go home. Royal Flux received an average score of 88.3. Lock n LOL beat them by ten points with an incredible 89.3.
Marinspired vs. Dragon House
Marinspired brought a unique partnering to the stage during The Qualifiers that made us all fall in love with them. They chose to go up against animation trio Dragon House for this round. During the last round, Dragon House barely evaded being sent home. To make it through this round, though, they had to out do Marinspired’s talent for emotional performances.
First up for this duel was Marinspired. They put on an inspiring performance about overcoming the many hardships students across the country have faced so far this year. Dragon House took a different approach, bringing out all of their best disses and attitude to make this a real dance battle. In the end, Marinspired narrowly beat Dragon House with a score of 86.7 over Dragon House’s 86.3.
Charity and Andres vs. Vivian
The final duel of the episode featured two contemporary acts that know how to bring dynamic emotion to the stage. Charity and Andres brought us a powerful duo to root for in the last round, and we were overcoming heartbreak with Vivian. Unfortunately, only one of these acts could make it out of this duel.
Vivian took the stage first with a performance that let go of the heartbreak she shared with us during The Qualifiers. Instead, she focused on self-love and her own strength. Charity and Andres also showcased incredible strength in their performances with leaps and tricks we have never seen before. In the end, Vivian received and incredible average score of 95.7, but Charity and Andres managed to earn a perfect score of 100, winning the duel and making World of Dance history.
Next week, The Duels continue, but we’re not sure how even our favorites will manage to top Charity and Andres’ incredible 100 point performance. Until then, we’ll just be mourning the loss of the seven acts that went home this week.
