"World of Dance" Week 8 Recap: The Junior Division Duels It Out

July 21, 2020

The Duels continued on last night’s episode of “World of Dance,” but this time, it was all about the Junior Division. And we have to say, our fave 18-and-under acts brought the heat. We sure hope the Upper Division dancers are ready to face off against these talented youngsters on the “WOD” stage next week.

In case you missed last night’s episode, here are some of our fave performances—and what the judges thought of each one.

The Young Cast

As Derek Hough said, The Young Cast was “ready to fight” last night. The hip-hop dance crew was all sharp edges and hard-hitting movement, and we couldn’t get enough of it. This is the energy we’re looking for in The Duels, folks: cutthroat! But while Hough picked The Young Cast as his winner, judges Jennifer Lopez and Ne-Yo were more impressed by their opponent, GRVMNT. We’ll hold out hope for another performance by The Young Cast in the redemption round.

Savannah Manzel

Though she be but little, 9-year-old Savannah Manzel is fierce. After an unfortunate run-in with her mic pack, Savannah was able to perform her routine uninhibited—in every sense of the word. She tapped into her emotions, performing with all the energy and attitude the judges were hoping to see. The judges gave her performance a standing ovation, so we weren’t surprised to see her voted through to the next round.

MDC3

We are never not going to be excited to see Dance Spirit Cover Model Search finalist Diego Pasillas on our TV screens, TBH. Of course, it helps that Diego and his MDC3 teammates are performing totally gorgeous routines week after week. MDC3 picked up where their last performance left off—in the midst of a love triangle drama that, frankly, we would like to see turned into its own TV show. (Hello, network executives!) The judges gave MDC3 a standing O, sending them on to dance another week.