Lip Sync Battle has taken the world by storm in its year-and-a-half on SpikeTV. Hosted by LL Cool J and Chrissy Teigen, the show pits celebrity against celebrity in elaborately staged miming battles. The show has been a crowd favorite for the cable station, scoring the channel its highest ratings ever. Read on to find out more about Lip Sync Battle, and keep an eye out for part two of our list, coming soon.
Number Fifteen: Lip Sync Battle Started as a Skit on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
The first lip sync battle was done as a skit on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon between Fallon and John Krasinski. Krasinski came up with the idea while he was driving in the car with his wife, trying to come up with an idea for something he could do during his visit to the late night show. Fallon performed “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” “They Want EFX” and “Over the Rainbow,” while Krasinski performed “Teenage Dream,” “Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers” and “I’ll Make Love to You.” The skit was such a hit that the two decided to turn it into an entire show with their collaborator Steven Merchant.
Number Fourteen: Jimmy Fallon and John Krasinski are Executive Producers
One of the reasons the show is doing so well is because the people who created it are still behind it. Not only are they working behind the scenes, but Fallon, Krasinski and Steven Merchant all competed during the first season.
Number Thirteen: It Was First Pitched to NBC
Since Jimmy Fallon has an in with NBC, they were the first place he brought the idea for Lip Sync Battle to. They passed on the show because they didn’t feel the concept could stand alone as a show. NBCU’s cable channels, USA and Bravo, also passed on the show for this reason.
Number Twelve: Show Was Bought to Expand SpikeTV’s Viewership
SpikeTV bought Lip Sync Battle during the pitch process. They felt it would be the perfect show to help expand their demographic from solely young men’s programming to programming that promotes co-viewing.
Number Eleven: It Is the Highest-Rated Non-Scripted Show in SpikeTV’s History
Lip Sync Battle’s first episode drew in 2.2 million viewers and had a 1.3 rating in the coveted 18 to 49 demographic. There is no other program in the channel’s history that has had such a strong showing. Furthermore, not only did it have a strong showing with men, but it had an even better showing with women, something the channel was going for with their rebranding.
Number Ten: It Is the Top-Ranking Show in Its Television Time Slot
…For cable at least. In its first nine weeks, the show was number one with adults and women ages 18 to 49 in its time slot. For men ages 18 to 49, the feat was much greater, coming in at number one for all cable television shows, period.
Number Nine: Jimmy Fallon and Dwayne Johnson Competed on the First Episode
Making it no different than on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon competed in the first episode of the stand-alone show. His opponent, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, performed Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” and the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive,” while Fallon performed Harry Belafonte’s “Jump in the Line” and Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.” Stay tuned for part two of our list of 15 facts you didn’t know about SpikeTV’s Lip Sync Battle, coming soon.