The world of reality music shows hasn't been the same since Tom Holland's iconic lip sync battle when he "out-Rihanna'd" the Caribbean Bad Gyal. Hold up, another memorable performance of the same night comes to mind, Zendaya's rendition of Bruno Mars and Erykah Badu. Some would even argue she stole the show from her now-boyfriend Holland, but we'll let you be the judge.
Scroll to watch Holland's and Zendaya's performances as well as the only other lip sync battle that could rival them.
Rihanna's hit single Umbrella, featuring the king of hip-hop, Jay-Z, experienced a facelift in 2017. The British actor blew our minds when he ground on an actual umbrella mid-performance. Although he started the show in a classic English top hat and suit, he completed it in a sexy leotard.
Not one to give a mediocre performance as we now know, Holland dressed to the nines for his Rihanna impersonation. Red Lipstick, Check. Black Bob Wig, Check. Fishnets, Double Check. Tom Holland was spectacular that night.
Keep scrolling to see Zendaya's perfomance.
Let's get into the details of Zendaya rocking Bruno Mar's red two-piece and black and white face cap for her 24k Magic performance. She even styled her hair in a jerry curl and accessorized it with large gold chains.
Years after the performance, the Spiderman actors still receive questions about their fantastic lip sync battle. In 2021, Zendaya said she went on the show to have fun; meanwhile, Holland went to destroy and DESTROY he did. Holland's Umbrella won Zendaya's 24K Magic based on the audience's claps and cheers. Sadly, if you want a reprisal, you're not getting any because Zendaya says, "It's the most stressful experience."
The duo's Lip Sync Battle appearance promoted their film Spiderman: Homecoming, which was set to release two days after the battle aired. Executive producer Casey Patterson said, "I really think it was in keeping with how they were positioning Spider-man at the time, which was: It's all-new. It's younger. They wanted to introduce Tom to an American audience in that spirit." Suffice it to say they achieved their aim as the audience ate up Holland's performance with a big spoon!
Holland admitted to Esquire that he was nervous before his performance because he was going against an established act – Zendaya. To distract people from thinking about his unknown status, he decided to give it his best. Go Big or Go Home, like the famous saying. Zendaya and Tom Holland's lip sync battle show is one of the best, going second only to Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan's performance. Unless Tatum is open to a joint performance with Holland, the young actor says we're never getting another lip sync from him.
