Five of the groups vying for the $2,000 grand prize and title of American Samoa’s Best Dance Crew (ASBDC) took center stage this past Thursday at the Governor H. Rex Lee Auditorium in Utulei and, following the program, the standings for that night were announced by the show’s host, DJ J-Smooth.

Thursday’s show was the fourth of eight shows that are aired live every Thursday on KVZK-TV Channel 2 and can be seen live at the Fale Laumei free of charge.

Every week, the acts keep getting better and better. Last Thursday’s show was perhaps the best yet. Throughout the competition, the performers are given a challenge that needs to be incorporated into their routine for that week. The Samoan Siva challenge is already over and done with. The most recent challenge was themed: ‘Tribute to the Artist,’ meaning the dancers were each given an artist whose music and dance moves had to be incorporated into their routine.

As the show advances and the acts become better, comments from the judges are also becoming more critical.

The night opened up with Mount Zion, a group of seven teen boys that were decked out in gold sequined vests, black bow ties and black pants.

Mount Zion had the task of paying tribute to pop queen Beyonce whose sexy dance moves and fierce voice has made her one of the highest selling female artists of all time.

Mount Zion’s routine featured a lot of theatrics and not enough dancing. One of the judges, Princess Ariana Auva’a said, “You guys lost me. Beyonce is a performer. Give me Beyonce.”

Another judge, Ernest “Ice Cream Man” Sevaaetasi told Mount Zion that he is rooting for them but their latest performance “was not your best night.”

The next act, I Am Me from Ili’ili, featured a group of five guys who had to pay tribute to superstar singer Jason Derulo. Their performance, said judge Ursula Te’o, did not live up to their name, and they need to work on their stage presence.

The third group, the House of Flower Power, had everyone on the edge of their seat, with their heart pounding routine that featured a lot of booty shaking, head tossing, and deep shoulder action.

Flower Power is a group of eight lovely faafafines - in every size - that came out with midriffs showing, underneath their light pink shirts and low rise black tights.

Their featured artist was the showstopper herself, Nikki Minaj, who is known for her high-pitched voice, colorful hair and nails, and a wardrobe that is as unique as she is.

Flower Power started off with the ever-popular “Baby Got Back” anthem by Sir Mixalot. The tone of the routine was set from there. It was all about energy, acrobatics and the splits to end it all.

Judge Princess applauded the girls of Flower Power and told them that although they brought the right attitude and energy, their routine was still “just a little messy.”

The fourth group to perform that night called themselves “Humble” and they had to feature the legendary MC Hammer.

The group - three males and one female - brought back memories for most who grew up in the 80s and 90s with tunes including “Can’t Touch This” and “Too Legit to Quit!”

Judge Sevaaetasi told Humble that this was their best performance yet while Judge Ursula said the group captured the essence of the challenge, with the MC Hammer moves that “had the crowd” and “made it entertaining for us to watch.”

The last group of the night, arguably the ones who stole the show, was Air Gear Studio who paid tribute to R&B icon Usher, perhaps one of the smoothest dancers of all time.

The group of five guys came ready to compete, dressed up in light blue satin shirts with white gloves, black vests and masquerade facemasks.

They did everything right. From the crisp footwork to the bone crunching upper body movements that would make Usher proud.

Air Gear Studio took their routine to a whole different level when they incorporated a levitating act that had the crowd - and the judges - wondering, “how did they do that?”

Nearing the end of their performance, each of the five group members had the chance to perform a brief solo that truly showcased their individual dancing skills.

The judges praised the routine with Judge Sevaaetasi going out on a limb saying, “I am your #1 fan!”

The evening included a surprise by DJ J-Smooth. Before the standings for that night were announced, DJ J- Smooth called Judge Ursula up to the stage to join all the competitors in carrying out a flash mob - an impromptu dance number performed by a group of people.

Before the show went off the air, DJ J-Smooth announced the official scores based on the points awarded to each group that night.

To nobody’s surprise, Air Gear Studio racked up the most points with 774, followed by Humble, which garnered 759 points.

Mount Zion was close behind with 758 points while the House of Flower Power earned 748 points. I Am Me came in last with 599 points.

The scores are for the performances that night only. Next Thursday, another five dance crews will be competing before the elimination round begins.

American Samoa’s Best Dance Crew competition is sponsored by McDonald’s American Samoa and hosted by the Dept. of Youth and Women’s Affairs.