On August 11, barefoot and dressed in colorful costumes, UPeepz took the World of Dance stage again for the semi-finals, performing their routine that showed off their cultural roots. Dancing to a mashup of Black Eyed Peas’ “Bebot” and Francis M’s “Mga Kababayan Ko,” the hip hop crew incorporated Filipino dances such as Tinikling and Singkil to their routine, bringing an all-out presentation that just screams, “FILIPINO!”

 

A mixed reaction from the judges
 

Derek Hough was the first one to comment. He appreciated that the group was “oozing with passion” and the fact that they brought in their culture to their piece. However, he felt like the performance started a little slow, and that the bamboo part– where UPeepz members Tinikling– was appreciated but a little too low on energy. 

 

Ne-yo commended the moment when UPeepz suddenly pulled out red fans while creating a formation– a nod to the traditional Muslim dance, Singkil — but he said the bamboo part threw him out. He felt the performance had its ups and downs, but he acknowledged that everything he liked about the group was seen in the routine.


 
 

“You guys are a strong group that’s why you’re here,” said Jennifer Lopez, who could be seen feeling the heat of the performance from the get-go. The Hollywood star acknowledged the group’s undeniable synchronicity but she said it was all about the routine. “For me, it just all didn’t come together.”

 

Unfortunately, the performance did not sit high in terms of judges’ scores. It got 88 from J.Lo, 89 from Ne-Yo and 90 from Hough. While a total average of 89.0 is pretty impressive, it turned out to be the lowest when compared with 5 other semis routines. MDC 3 and Oxygen, two acts that made it to the finals, got a score of 96.7 and 96.3, respectively.