Lip Sync Battle
Season 3 SABC3 (*193) 19:30 Reality
The third season of music-themed reality show Lip Sync Battle (2015-current) “has some of our funnest moments and contestants ever”, says Grammy-award winning host LL Cool J (Sam Hanna on action show NCIS: LA, 2009-current). Along with co-host Chrissy Teigen, LL will be bringing viewers “more laughs, more music and more superstars being super serious about being super silly” as they dress up, cross-dress and perform popular songs as the actual artist.
LL isn’t joking when he says they’ve got a hot list of celebs lined up for the season. Episode 1 features film star Sir Ben Kingsley (Ay in SA-filmed miniseries Tut, 2015), while Samira Wiley (Poussey in prison-themed drama Orange Is The New Black, 2013-current) pops up in episode 3 (28 August) and later in December, some of the child cast from paranormal series Stranger Things (2016-current) take centre stage as a group in episode 19.
Season 3 gets an episode bump up to 24 episodes and it’s a welcome change for LL, who enjoys putting on a little pre-show show. “I grab the mic and warm up the audience. It’s great. But the real stars are the ones performing the battles, trying to out-lip-sync each other.” And his highlight for the season? “Tom Holland (Peter Parker in superhero movie SpiderMan: Homecoming, 2017) – he cuts loose like nobody’s business [in episode 16, late November]. Watching him singing Rihanna’s 2007 song Umbrella in a PVC suit and rain is jaw-dropping and hilarious!” There are three special episodes in the season (Hip Hop, Soul Train and Michael Jackson) but SABC3 couldn’t confirm if it would be airing them.