The fourth season of America's Best Dance Crew premiered on August 9, 2009.[1] All three regular judges, host Mario Lopez, and backstage correspondent Layla Kayleigh returned. This was the last season to feature Shane Sparks as a judge. In the live finale, which aired on September 27, 2009, We Are Heroes was declared the winner.
Cast
Nine dance crews were selected to compete on America's Best Dance Crew.
(WINNER) The dance crew won the competition and was crowned "America's Best Dance Crew".
(RUNNER-UP) The dance crew was the runner-up in the competition.
(IN) The dance crew was safe from elimination.
(RISK) The dance crew was at risk for elimination.
(OUT) The dance crew was eliminated from the competition.
Episodes
Episode 1: Crew's Choice Challenge
Original Airdate: August 9, 2009
The nine new crews chose songs that best showcased their talent in the season premiere.[2] After the bottom three was chosen by the judges, the crews had to face each other in a dance battle to "Boom Boom Pow" by The Black Eyed Peas.[3]
Safe: We Are Heroes, AfroBoriké, Massive Monkees, Artistry in Motion, Rhythm City, Vogue Evolution
Bottom 3: Beat Ya Feet Kings, Southern Movement, Fr3sh
Eliminated: Fr3sh
Episode 2: Beyoncé Challenge
Original Airdate: August 16, 2009
Beyoncé stopped by to hand out the challenges for the crews, who had to use her music videos and tour performances as inspiration for their routines.[4]
Safe: AfroBoriké, We Are Heroes, Vogue Evolution, Massive Monkees, Beat Ya Feet Kings
Bottom 2: Rhythm City, Southern Movement
Eliminated: Southern Movement
Episode 4: Bollywood Challenge
Original Airdate: August 30, 2009
The six remaining crews were challenged to infuse the flavor of Bollywood culture into their routines.[8] In order to learn the complex Indian-themed dance style, the crews met with Bollywood choreographer Nakul Dev Mahajan.[9]
Safe: Massive Monkees, Vogue Evolution, Rhythm City, AfroBoriké
Bottom 2: We Are Heroes, Beat Ya Feet Kings
Eliminated: Beat Ya Feet Kings
Episode 5: Dance Craze Challenge
Original Airdate: September 6, 2009
The five remaining crews put their own spins on popular dance crazes.[11] In addition to the challenge, the crews also had used the trampoline built into the stage sometime during their routines.
The crews competed against each other in two challenges: the Decade of Dance Challenge, in which the crews danced to a mix of five songs from the past five decades, and the Last Chance Challenge.[16]
Challenge #1: Decades of Dance Challenge
The remaining three crews had to master dance styles from the last five decades. One crew was eliminated halfway through the show.
The two finalists were given one last chance to perform before the lines opened for the final voting session of the season.
Dance Crew
Performance Title
AfroBoriké
Raíces
We Are Heroes
Ichiban
Episode 8: The Live Finale
Original Airdate: September 27, 2009
All nine crews returned for a group performance in the season finale. The judges each picked three crews that complemented each other and their dance styles. Then, the winner was crowned.[18]
Crews
Song
Lil Mama: We Are Heroes, Vogue Evolution and Artistry in Motion