Lip Sync Battle is, somehow, a thing that’s still happening, but all of the big-name stars who want to have a battle via lip syncing have mostly already lip synced, and so now the show’s producers are mining the lower-tier talent. But this week it’s not so bad. This week, we’ve got Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) and Michael Shannon (intense, maybe homicidal guy in every film), and the made-to-go-viral clip of their performances is pretty OK.
Bloom’s job actually involves her singing and performing while singing, so she’s got the clear advantage here. Also advantageous? Choosing to sing Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” a colorful song that plays well to any lip sync or karaoke crowd. Shannon, on the other hand, chose R.E.M.’s notoriously tongue-twisty downer “It’s The End of the World,” and while it’s not technically the best lip sync performance we’ve ever seen, it’s certainly the most unhinged performance we’ve seen on the show.
Wearing a mangled, Yeezy Season 2-esque sweatshirt, Shannon prowls around the ruins of an earthquake, dragging poor, lifeless extras around the stage and looking generally horrified/horrific. There are stunned background dancers engaging in poorly choreographed numbers, and everyone looks a little confused. LL Cool J looks uncomfortable. Chrissy Teigen is baffled. Rachel Bloom is mostly happy, because she knows she’s gonna win.
Watch the whole thing below, including Bloom’s performance. For the entire episode, go here.