{{Short description|American competitive dance reality television series}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox television | image = JacksonDanceCrew.png | caption = Season 1–7 logo | alt_name = Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew | genre = {{Plainlist| *Competitive dance *Interactive *Reality }} | creator = {{Plainlist| *Howard Schwartz *Karen Schwartz }} | director = {{Plainlist| *Michael Simon *Ryan Polito }} | presenter = {{Plainlist| *Mario Lopez *Layla Kayleigh *Jason Dundas }} | judges = {{Plainlist| *JC Chasez *Lil Mama *Shane Sparks *Omarion *D-Trix *T-Pain *Teyana Taylor *Frankie Grande }} | composer = {{Plainlist| *Dylan R. Berry *Noah Lifschey }} | country = United States | language = English | num_seasons = 8 | num_episodes = 73 | executive_producer = {{Plainlist| *Randy Jackson *Joel Gallen *Josh Greenberg *Abe Hoch *Rob Lee *Howard Schwartz *Karen Schwartz *Harriet Sternberg *Austin Wagner *Jane Y. Mun *Joe Gallon }} | producer = {{Plainlist| *Tom Park *Deondray Gossett *Quincy LeNear }} | location = Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, California | cinematography = Scott Hylton | runtime = 60–90 minutes | company = Tenth Planet Productions<br>Bayonne Entertainment<br>Hip-hop International<br>Dream Merchant 21 Entertainment<br>Warner Horizon Television | network = MTV | first_aired = {{start date|2008|1|26}} | last_aired = {{end date|2015|8|29}} }}

'''''America's Best Dance Crew''''', often abbreviated as '''''ABDC''''', is an American competitive dance reality television series featuring both national and international dance crews. The show was produced by singer, record producer, and former ''American Idol'' judge Randy Jackson.<ref>{{cite web |date=2008-02-06 |title=Randy Jackson Is Executive Producer of 'America's Best Dance Crew.' |url=http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/television/general/view.bg?articleid=1071754 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618050009/http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/television/general/view.bg?articleid=1071754 |archive-date=June 18, 2008 |access-date=2008-02-25 |work=Boston Herald |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> The series premiered on January 26, 2008, on MTV. It was originally developed for NBC as ''World Moves''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rocchio |first=Christopher |date=2007-11-15 |title=MTV Begins Production on Former NBC Randy Jackson Reality Series |url=http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/mtv-begins-production-on-former-nbc-randy-jackson-reality-series-6403.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120730171718/http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/mtv-begins-production-on-former-nbc-randy-jackson-reality-series-6403.php |archive-date=July 30, 2012 |access-date=2011-05-23 |website=Reality TV World}}</ref>

The show was hosted by actor Mario Lopez and featured television personality Layla Kayleigh as the backstage correspondent. The judging panel consisted of hip-hop recording artist Lil Mama, singer-songwriter JC Chasez, and dancer Dominic "D-Trix" Sandoval.<ref name="D-Trix">{{cite web |last=Gorman |first=Bill |date=2011-03-31 |title=Dominic "D-Trix" Sandoval, Season Three Winner of MTV's "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew," Returns as the New Judge When Season Six Premieres April 7 |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/03/31/dominic-%E2%80%9Cd-trix%E2%80%9D-sandoval-season-three-winner-of-mtv%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Crandy-jackson-presents-america%E2%80%99s-best-dance-crew%E2%80%9D-returns-as-the-new-judge-when-season-six-pre/87767 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110404034131/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/03/31/dominic-%E2%80%9Cd-trix%E2%80%9D-sandoval-season-three-winner-of-mtv%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Crandy-jackson-presents-america%E2%80%99s-best-dance-crew%E2%80%9D-returns-as-the-new-judge-when-season-six-pre/87767 |archive-date=2011-04-04 |access-date=2012-03-31 |website=TV by the Numbers}}</ref> Former judges included hip-hop choreographer Shane Sparks and R&B singer Omarion.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ghosh |first=Korbi |date=2010-01-11 |title='America's Best Dance Crew' Exclusive: Is Shane Sparks Being Replaced? |url=http://blog.zap2it.com/korbitv/2010/01/americas-best-dance-crew-exclusive-is-shane-sparks-being-replaced.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115053352/http://blog.zap2it.com/korbitv/2010/01/americas-best-dance-crew-exclusive-is-shane-sparks-being-replaced.html |archive-date=2010-01-15 |access-date=2010-01-11 |website=Zap2it}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Rocchio |first=Christopher |date=2008-01-16 |title=MTV to Debut Randy Jackson's 'America's Best Dance Crew' on Feb. 7 |url=http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/mtv-debut-randy-jackson-america-best-dance-crew-on-feb-7-6421.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719110107/http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/mtv-debut-randy-jackson-america-best-dance-crew-on-feb-7-6421.php |archive-date=July 19, 2008 |access-date=2008-02-25 |website=Reality TV World}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Rocchio |first=Christopher |date=2008-01-24 |title=Rapper Lil Mama to Serve as 'America's Best Dance Crew's Third Judge |url=http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/rapper-lil-mama-serve-as-america-best-dance-crew-third-judge-6447.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720110435/http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/rapper-lil-mama-serve-as-america-best-dance-crew-third-judge-6447.php |archive-date=July 20, 2008 |access-date=2008-02-25 |website=Reality TV World}}</ref>

After an initial seventh season run, ''America's Best Dance Crew'' was cancelled in 2012 due to declining ratings.<ref>{{cite web |last=Marechal |first=AJ |date=2012-11-11 |title=Music Stops for 'Best Dance Crew' |url=https://variety.com/2012/tv/news/music-stops-for-best-dance-crew-1118062047/ |access-date=2012-11-11 |work=]Variety}}</ref> However, on January 10, 2015, MTV announced that the series would be revived for an eighth season.<ref name="ABDC8">{{cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Lesley |date=2015-01-10 |title=Randy Jackson's 'America's Best Dance Crew' Revived at MTV |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/randy-jacksons-americas-best-dance-762467 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225071917/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/randy-jacksons-americas-best-dance-762467 |archive-date=December 25, 2019 |access-date=2015-02-24 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref>

The eighth season, titled ''America's Best Dance Crew All-Stars: Road to the VMAs'', premiered on July 29, 2015.<ref name=ABDC8/> Hosted by Jason Dundas, the revival featured a new judging panel: hip-hop artist T-Pain, recording artist Teyana Taylor, and Broadway performer Frankie Grande.<ref name="ABDCVMA">{{cite magazine |last=Hatchett |first=Keisha |date=2015-04-21 |title=MTV Announces Summer Lineup, T-Pain Joins America's Best Dance Crew |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/21/mtv-summer-premiere-dates |access-date=2015-04-22 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref>

==Format== ''America's Best Dance Crew'' is a reality competition where dance crews showcase their talent and compete for a $100,000 (USD) grand prize and the golden ''ABDC'' trophy (a figure of a b-boy doing a freeze, with its legs moving like a bobblehead). Each week, the crews are given a challenge. The challenges are different for each crew, but have the same general concept or share a specific theme. To begin each episode, host Mario Lopez reveals, in no particular order, which crews are safe and which crews are at risk for elimination. After the crews in the bottom perform their routines, the judges decide which crew will advance to the next round. When a crew is eliminated, the contestants are allowed to dance one final time on the stage as they "walk it out" to the song of the same name.

===Judging=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+ '''Judges on ''America's Best Dance Crew''''' |- ! rowspan="2" style="width:15%;" scope="col"| Judge ! colspan="18" | Season |- ! style="width:8%;" scope="colspan"| 1 ! style="width:8%;" scope="colspan"| 2 ! style="width:8%;" scope="colspan"| 3 ! style="width:8%;" scope="colspan"| 4 ! style="width:8%;" scope="colspan"| 5 ! style="width:8%;" scope="colspan"| 6 ! style="width:8%;" scope="colspan"| 7 ! style="width:8%;" scope="colspan"| 8 |- ! scope="row" style="text-align: center;" | Mario Lopez | colspan="7" {{cGuest| }} | colspan="1" {{N/A|}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align: center;" | {{nowrap|JC Chasez}} | colspan="7" {{cMain| }} | colspan="1" {{N/A|}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align: center;" | Lil Mama | colspan="7" {{cMain| }} | colspan="1" {{N/A|}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align: center;" | Shane Sparks | colspan="4" {{cMain| }} | colspan="4" {{N/A|}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align: center;" | Omarion | colspan="4" {{N/A|}} | colspan="1" {{cMain| }} | colspan="3" {{N/A|}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align: center;" | D-Trix | colspan="5" {{N/A|}} | colspan="2" {{cMain| }} | colspan="1" {{N/A|}} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align: center;" | Jason Dundas | colspan="7" {{N/A|}} | colspan="1" {{cGuest| }} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align: center;" | T-Pain | colspan="7" {{N/A|}} | colspan="1" {{cMain| }} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align: center;" | Teyana Taylor | colspan="7" {{N/A|}} | colspan="1" {{cMain| }} |- ! scope="row" style="text-align: center;" | {{nowrap|Frankie Grande}} | colspan="7" {{N/A|}} | colspan="1" {{cMain| }} |- |} ;Key :{{Color box|lightblue|border=darkgray}} Host of ''America's Best Dance Crew'' :{{Color box|lightgreen|border=darkgray}} Judge of ''America's Best Dance Crew''

==Series overview== {{Series overview | infoA = Winner | color1 = #89CFF0 | link1 = America's Best Dance Crew season 1 | episodes1 = 8 | start1 = {{Start date|2008|1|26}} | end1 = {{End date|2008|3|27}} | infoA1 = {{nowrap|Jabbawockeez}}

| color2 = #8B0000 | link2 = America's Best Dance Crew season 2 | episodes2 = 11 | start2 = {{Start date|2008|6|7}} | end2 = {{End date|2008|8|30}} | infoA2 = {{nowrap|Super CR3W}}

| color3 = #a888ff | link3 = America's Best Dance Crew season 3 | episodes3 = 8 | start3 = {{Start date|2009|1|15}} | end3 = {{End date|2009|3|5}} | infoA3 = {{nowrap|Quest Crew}}

| color4 = #f088ff | link4 = America's Best Dance Crew season 4 | episodes4 = 8 | start4 = {{Start date|2009|8|9}} | end4 = {{End date|2009|9|27}} | infoA4 = {{nowrap|We Are Heroes}}

| color5 = #2B3BFF | link5 = America's Best Dance Crew season 5 | episodes5 = 12 | start5 = {{Start date|2010|1|28}} | end5 = {{End date|2010|4|15}} | infoA5 = {{nowrap|Poreotix}}

| color6 = #d1001f | link6 = America's Best Dance Crew season 6 | episodes6 = 10 | start6 = {{Start date|2011|4|7}} | end6 = {{End date|2011|6|5}} | infoA6 = {{nowrap|I.aM.mE}}

| color7 = #ff5724 | link7 = America's Best Dance Crew season 7 | episodes7 = 10 | start7 = {{Start date|2012|4|11}} | end7 = {{End date|2012|6|13}} | infoA7 = {{nowrap|Elektrolytes}}

| color8 = #FFD700 | link8 = America's Best Dance Crew season 8 | episodes8 = 6 | start8 = {{Start date|2015|7|29}} | end8 = {{End date|2015|8|29}} | infoA8 = {{nowrap|Quest Crew}} }}

==Controversy== MTV and Randy Jackson, the executive producer of ''America's Best Dance Crew'', were sued by Dwight McGhee, professionally known as rapper Citizen Charlie Kane, in 2010, claiming that the defendants had stolen McGhee's idea for a television show. McGhee claimed in the lawsuit, filed at Los Angeles County Superior Court, that he had pitched a similar series titled ''International Breakerz League'', which also featured a dance crew, to the network in 2004. McGhee sought $2 million in damages.<ref>{{cite web |date=2010-02-04 |title=Randy Fitted for a Suit |url=http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/randy_fitted_for_suit_0MB7Oy7irjVY1HZt9elHKI |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313083804/http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/randy_fitted_for_suit_0MB7Oy7irjVY1HZt9elHKI |archive-date=March 13, 2013 |access-date=2012-06-09 |work=New York Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Hughes |first=Mike |date=2010-02-15 |title=Bridgeport Native Files Suit |url=http://www.timesleaderonline.com/page/content.detail/id/516065/Bridgeport-native-files-suit.html?nav=5010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112060815/http://www.timesleaderonline.com/page/content.detail/id/516065/Bridgeport-native-files-suit.html?nav=5010 |archive-date=January 12, 2015 |access-date=2012-06-09 |work=TimesLeaderOnline}}</ref>

==International distribution== ABDC airs on MTV in the Caribbean, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Argentina, Russia (by the alias of "Короли Танцпола", lit. "Kings of the Dancefloor"),<ref>{{cite web |title=MTV.ru:Короли танцпола/Программы/Эфир |url=http://mtv.ru/air/programs/dance_best_crew/main.wbp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100224065754/http://mtv.ru/air/programs/dance_best_crew/main.wbp |archive-date=February 24, 2010 |access-date=2010-05-30 |website=MTV Russia |language=ru}}</ref> Finland, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom, Germany, Ukraine (by the alias of "Танцювальні бої", lit. "Dance Battles"),<ref>{{cite web |title=MTV.ua: TV/MTV Шоу/Танцювальні бої |url=http://www.mtv.ua/shows/tantsyuvalni-boyi.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311105149/http://www.mtv.ua/shows/tantsyuvalni-boyi.html |archive-date=2011-03-11 |access-date=2011-04-08 |website=MTV Ukraine |language=uk}}</ref> and Romania.

In Canada, the show airs on both MuchMusic and Musique Plus (the episodes on MP are 2 years late) and in Latin America, the show airs on Warner Channel. The show also airs on AB1 and MTV France, where it is called ''Dance Crew USA'' in France,<ref>{{cite web |title=Dance Crew USA |url=http://www.mtv.fr/emissions/dance-crew-usa/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805075816/http://www.mtv.fr/emissions/dance-crew-usa/ |archive-date=2012-08-05 |access-date=2012-06-10 |website=MTV France |language=fr}}</ref> Solar TV, Jack TV, and The Game Channel in the Philippines, Fiji One in Fiji, and YAN TV (?), VTV3 (Nhom nhay sieu Viet, 2021) in Vietnam.

==Additional notes== * The opening title sequence created by Framework Studio won a Telly Award in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |title=TELLY Awards - Winners |url=http://www.tellyawards.com/winners/list/?l=F&pageNum_winners=45&totalRows_winners=1843 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112084651/http://www.tellyawards.com/winners/list/?l=F&pageNum_winners=45&totalRows_winners=1843 |archive-date=January 12, 2015 |access-date=2011-03-03 |website=Telly Awards}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{Official website|http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/dance_crew/series.jhtml}} * {{IMDb title}}

{{America's Best Dance Crew}} {{MTVNetwork Shows}} {{Hip-hop dance}}

Category:America's Best Dance Crew Category:2008 American television series debuts Category:2012 American television series endings Category:2015 American television series debuts Category:2015 American television series endings Category:2000s American reality television series Category:2010s American reality television series Category:English-language American television shows Category:MTV reality television series Category:Television series by Warner Horizon Television Category:American television series revived after cancellation Category:American dance competition television shows