Ah, one of the very few reasons to even watch MTV finally returns! From the first time I watched it, I found America’s Best Dance Crew to be easily more enjoyable than So You Think You Can Dance, and definitely more enjoyable than Dancing with the Stars, which I just found corny as hell! It just seems to have a lot more fun with the whole “competitive reality show” concept, and what can I say, Layla Kayleigh is too damn hot for her own good. Notice how all these shows employ hot British women as co-hosts? In any event, I didn’t watch all of season one, but what I did catch, I enjoyed, although the popularity of Status Quo baffled me. Naturally, it didn’t matter, because after the first two or three weeks, the Jabbawockeez would prove to be the crew to beat, and ultimately could not be taken down. The synchronization of their dance moves and their overall showmanship left me mesmerized.

Now, the show returns with some new crews looking to prove they’re the best in the country.

ASIID (Detroit, MI) – At the moment, they’re one of the most consistently good crews on the show, at least in my opinion. They work great as a cohesive group, and the even split of men and women lends itself to a lot of stuff you probably couldn’t get away with in a crew where everyone’s the same gender. They did this great bit where the ladies seductively led the men around like dogs. I’m a sucker for stuff like that. Another factor to consider is that one of their members is deaf. It just makes their routines that much more impressive to watch, as he makes it look entirely too easy.

Boogie Bots (Washington, DC) – I want to root for these guys, being that they’re from my area, but I’m not entirely impressed by them just yet. They were in danger of elimination last night, but did an impressive job with the video challenge. I’m still waiting for them to do something to really wow me, though. I do agree with the criticism that for a group called the “Boogie Bots”, they haven’t really done much that’s evocative of the name.

Fanny Pack (Los Angeles) – I like them ‘cause they’re different. They’re goofy as hell, and look like they fell out of a Delorean. The whole 80s/Valley thing really sets them apart from most of the other crews that are more of the b-boy/breaker variety. Beyond that, they’ve got some pretty impressive moves. Although I think they’re second routine could have been better. The challenges are going to get a lot more inventive, and I want to see if they can adapt.

Sass x 7 (Piscataway, NJ) – How this crew made it into the top ten is beyond me. I may want variety in the crews represented on the show, but these chicks were little more than a glorified cheerleading squad. Hearing them talk about wanting to be taken serious as a dance crew was even more comical, as they CONTINUED to pull off moves that immediately make you think of a cheerleading squad!! It was like Vanilla Ice making the case for how different the music in “Ice Ice Baby” was compared to Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure”!! Miraculously, they got enough votes in the first week to stay out of the bottom two, but America quickly came to their senses, placing them in the bottom two for week two. Their routine emulating the choreography from Britney Spears’ “Slave for You” video was almost painful to watch. It actually made me appreciate the days when Spears was still a worthy piece of jailbait!

Distorted X (Houston, TX) – The first crew to fall, and a damn shame as they were infinitely better than Sass x 7. Now these chicks could do some sexy dancing!! I’ll never forget when they ended their first routine with the one girl who did one of those b-boy style handstands, and held it while one of the male crew members gave her a passionate smack on her bottom!! Little things like that gave me high hopes for the crew, but alas, it was not meant to be.

Phresh Select (Philadelphia, PA) – Ignoring the fact that they sound like a fast food specialty item, these guys definitely have some moves. And they’re all about helping the kiddies, isn’t that sweet?!? After two near-flawless performances, I’m looking for them to do even better this week.

Supreme Soul (San Francisco, CA) – They’re certainly one of the more charming crews on the show, as evident from their Video Challenge performance. They seem to already have a pretty favorable reputation among the other breaking/b-boy crews around the country, but I’m not ready to predict them as favorites just yet.

So Real Cru (Houston, TX) – Comparisons to Kaba Modern from last season are unavoidable. But if we’re being real here, these guys have yet to prove that they’re on their level. This is another mixed crew of guys and girls, and I’d say they girls in the crew are holding their own better than they male mates. Having to do the boring-ass choreography from Usher’s “Love In This Club” video for week two didn’t help, either. They may be a little too fluid, and too reliant on tricks than actual solid dance moves.

Xtreme Dance Force (Naperville, IL) – Suburban prepsters with something to prove, and it shows! This crew’s weakness is that they just try too damn hard. They’re good at strict, uniform choreography, but they really need to learn to loosen up. There’s just so much force and stiffness to their moves that it’s like they’re trying to kick through a wall half the time. And admittedly, they all look like tools. They all look like those guys in high school that had to do a whole lot to look like pretty boys, because they weren’t attractive on their own, but flashed enough of daddy’s money to get all the girls, anyway. We all HATED those kinds of guys, and I think that hatred will affect how the crew is viewed.

Super Cr3w (Las Vegas) – As it stands, I’d be willing to wager that these are the guys to beat in this competition. They certainly matched the showmanship of the Jabbawockeez with their first week routine, done to James Brown, and dressed as ninjas! They certainly know how to work an audience and use the stage for all its worth. Their moves are very solid and energetic, and the level of intricacy when they dance together is very impressive. They manage to look like they’re just having fun, while maintaining their focus. Note for next year: we need more b-boying ninjas, dammit!!

Far as I’m concerned, Super Cr3w is a lock for the finals. I’ll be very surprised if that turns out not to be the case. So, who would they go up against? I’d say right now, Phresh Select and Supreme Soul are the other top crews on the show, and I could see one of them possibly getting into the finals, more so than the rest.