Savannah Guthrie and Jenna Bush Hager dress up as CHEERLEADERS for Halloween
Savannah Guthrie and Jenna Bush Hager put their best feet forward – quite literally – to perform the can-can live on-air while dressed up as Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders for Today‘s annual Halloween show.
The anchors went all out for their performance, donning tailor-made versions of the cheerleading squad’s iconic white-and-blue cowboy costumes, including longer versions of the dancers’ signature white hot pants, along with blue crop tops, white star-embellished vests, and white boots.
But while the cheerleaders themselves chose to bare their legs and stomachs, Savannah, 49, and Jenna, 39, opted for a more demure alternative which saw them sporting skin-colored body suits that concealed their abdomens and legs.
The two women finished off their costumes with a pair of shimmering pom poms, which they shook around in the air, while performing their touchdown dance, which featured several risque moves, including a can-can chorus line, saucy hip thrusts, and booty shakes.
Shake it! Jenna Bush Hager and Savannah Guthrie dressed up as Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders to perform the squad’s signature touchdown dance for Today’s ‘Football Fright’-themed Halloween show on Friday
Going all the way! The two anchors donned custom-made versions of the cheerleaders’ iconic blue-and-white uniforms, sporting a longer style of the white hot pants, while also opting to cover their skin with flesh-colored body suits
Strike a pose: Jenna, 39, and Savannah, 49, traveled to Texas in order to train with the Dallas Cowboys squad before their performance on Friday morning
Legs in the air like you just don’t care! Part of the routine saw Jenna and Savannah joining the squad’s dancers in a can-can chorus line, with both women kicking their feet up alongside their fellow cheerleaders
The real deal: The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders have long had a can-can move in their signature touchdown dance
Following their performance – which was met with very enthusiastic cheers from the show’s live audience – the two women revealed that they actually traveled to Dallas in order to train with the team’s cheerleaders ahead of the show, with both Savannah and Jenna thanking the dancers for their ‘patience’ while they attempted to perfect their moves.
But while Jenna, who is a native Texan, and Savannah, certainly stole the show during the third hour of Today, they were not the only hosts to go all out for the Halloween performance.
As part of the ‘Football Fright’-themed show – which was arranged in honor of NBC’s Sunday Night Football coverage – Hoda Kotb, 57, dressed up as country singer Carrie Underwood to perform the popstar’s theme song for the network’s weekly sporting event.
The mother-of-two covered her brunette locks with a long platinum blonde wig, while donning a sequined black-and-silver mini dress to match the ensemble worn by Carrie in her Sunday Night Football music video.
Following her performance, Hoda revealed that she’d had to make a last-minute change to her costume when she realized that the knee-high boots she had planned to wear were ‘too small’, forcing her to find an alternative pair in co-anchor Savannah’s closet.
Impressive! The two women threw themselves into the routine, although didn’t quite manage to reach the same levels of flexibility as the professional cheerleaders
Work it: The routine also include several saucy hip thrusts and booty shakes, which Jenna and Savannah performed with great enthusiasm alongside the Dallas Cowboys dancers
Go Cowboys! Jenna was actually born in Dallas and has long been a supporter of the Cowboys
Shimmy shimmy: Both women had their hair styled in the same glamorous waves as the Cowboys cheerleaders, and they sported glitzy makeup for their performance
Part of the team: Jenna and Savannah happily posed up for pictures with the cheerleaders after their performance
Theme: The Today show celebrated NBC’s Sunday Night Football coverage with their Football Fright theme, which saw several hosts dressing up as musical performers
And while her costume was nowhere near as revealing as the cheerleading outfits worn by Savannah and Jenna, Hoda joked that she felt as though she had to keep tugging down the hemline of her thigh-high ensemble while on-air.
Hoda was not the only Today host to perform a lip syncing musical number during the show – with Al Roker and Sheinelle Jones dressing up as The Weeknd and Bruno Mars, respectively, to pay tribute to the popstars’ Super Bowl halftime shows.
Al, 67, did a very spirited rendition of The Weeknd’s 2021 halftime show, donning a glitzy red blazer over black pants and a black shirt to match the ensemble worn by the chart-topper during his performance in Tampa, Florida, earlier this year.
The Today weatherman completed his transformation into the popstar by adding a pair of black gloves and a wig, before stepping out onto the Plaza to perform the chart-topping hit Blinding Lights, alongside four back-up dancers, who were also clad in black-and-red outfits, while their faces were completely concealed with white masks.
Al’s co-anchor Sheinelle, 43, also modeled a glittery blazer for her performance as Bruno Mars – who performed the halftime show at the Super Bowl in 2014.
Hooray for Halloween! The two women received a well-earned hug from Hoda Kotb, who was dressed up as country singer Carrie Underwood for the occasion
Sing it! Hoda paid tribute to Carrie – who performs the theme song for NBC’s Sunday Night Football programming, which the 57-year-old mother-of-two lip synced
Matchy matchy: Hoda’s choice of outfit was inspired by the glittery ensemble worn by Carrie in her music video for the Sunday Night Football theme song
Popstar: Al Roker did a rendition of chart-topper The Weeknd’s 2021 Super Bowl halftime show, complete with creepy masked back-up dancers
Inspiration: Earlier this year, The Weeknd performed at the Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida, where he was joined by several back-up dancers, all of whom covered their faces with white masks
Stylish: The 67-year-old wore a wig for his performance in order to recreate The Weeknd’s signature hairdo
Going for gold: Sheinelle Jones wore a glitzy blazer for her Bruno Mars-inspired performance – but instead of back-up dancers, she had her own band
Get going: The 43-year-old recreated Bruno’s 2014 Super Bowl halftime performance, miming along to his hit song Runaway Baby, while dressed in a short black wig
Just like Bruno, Sheinelle wore her gold blazer over a white shirt, black tie, and black pants, and she too sported a short black wig to match the popstar’s signature coiffed hairdo.
She was joined on the stage by a band of four musicians, who wore the same gold blazers and danced enthusiastically behind her as she mimed the popstar’s hit Runaway Baby.
Completing the football-themed line-up were a few tributes to some of the sport’s star players – with Craig Melvin, Carson Daly, and Willie Geist all dressing up as athletes for the show.
Carson, 48, and Willie, 46, dressed up as Super Bowl champions Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady, donning replicas of the players’ Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniforms, complete with the players’ chosen numbers, 87 and 12.
Willie also flashed several championship rings at the camera in tribute to Tom’s six Super Bowl wins.
The duo also posed with a Super Bowl trophy, celebrating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ triumphant win over the Kansas City Chiefs at this year’s game – where the Florida-based team beat their rivals 31-9.
Champions: Willie Geist and Carson Daly dressed up as Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski
Spot the difference! The Today hosts sported their players’ chosen numbers, 87 and 12, and added eye black to their looks for an authentic touch
Winner! During the segment, Willie flashed several championship rings in a nod to Tom’s six Super Bowl wins
Rival: Craig Melvin dressed up as Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes – whose team lost the Super Bowl to Tom and Rob’s side earlier this year
Pick your team! At one point, the Today show anchors showed their support for their favorite side, with each donning the uniform of their preferred football team
However, while Tampa’s victory played a large role in Today’s football-themed show, the program also made a nod to the Kansas team, with Craig Melvin dressing up as the Chiefs’ star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
In addition to their individual costumes, the Today hosts also came together to perform joint skits – including a recreation of Budweiser’s infamous ‘whassup’ commercial, which first aired in 1999, and a scene in which they all appeared as spectators at a football game, with each presenter wearing a jersey from their chosen team.
Hoda lent her support to the New Orleans Saints, Savannah repped the Philadelphia Eagles, Carson donned an Oakland Raiders shirt, Al wore a purple Baltimore Ravens uniform, and Craig threw his weight behind the Washington Football Team, which was formerly known as the Washington Redskins.
But while the Today show went all out for Halloween, morning show rivals GMA opted out of the traditional costume competition for the second year in a row.
Prior to 2020, the two shows had engaged in an intense – but unofficial – rivalry when it came to their costume offerings, with each morning program attempting to outdo the other with over-the-top themes and outfits.
Last year, amid the COVID pandemic, the Today show hosts offered up a watered-down version of their traditional costume display, with the team dressing up as their favorite Broadway characters, including Hoda and Savannah as Wicked’s Glinda and Elphaba, while Jenna donned a costume from Cats.
Opting out: After years of intense rivalry between the Today show and ABC morning show GMA, hosts for the latter program chose not to dress up in costumes for the second year running
Alternatives: Good Morning America celebrated Halloween with other nods to the spooky season, including a freaky DJ and several costume idea segments
Ideas: The GMA hosts wore their normal clothing while they shared ideas for different costumes, including a dog dressed up as a martini with a Mad Men-esque owner
Okurrr: Former Today show host Tamron Hall sported two costumes during her daytime show on Friday, first dressing up as pregnant rapper Cardi B, who unveiled her baby bump in a bedazzled body suit at the BET Awards in June
Fashion star: The 51-year-old also dressed up as Naomi Campbell, recreating the supermodel’s appearance in Vivienne Westwood’s 1993 runway show, when she famously toppled over to the ground while struggling to walk in sky-high heels
However, GMA hosts Michael Strahan, George Stephanopoulos, and Cecilia Vega chose to forego the tradition, instead celebrating the spooky season by sending three young children to man the news desk in their places for the morning broadcast.
At the time, it was unclear whether the decision to opt out of the costume competition was simply a result of strict COVID safety measures, however it now seems as though the ABC hosts may well have withdrawn from the Halloween dress-up rivalry once and for all.
Thankfully, there was plenty of other on-screen Halloween fun to be found on TV on Friday, with former Today host Tamron Hall sporting not one, but two costumes during her self-titled daytime talk show.
First, the 51-year-old mother-of-one dressed up as pregnant rapper Cardi B, donning a near-perfect replica of a skin-tight sheer bodysuit worn by the chart-topper during her performance at the BET Awards in June of this year.
Tamron added a fake baby bump to the look, which featured a sheer panel to show off her stomach, as well as an impressive array of rhinestones that ran across the chest and down her legs – just like the ensemble worn by Cardi on-stage.
She then paid tribute to another iconic celebrity – Naomi Campbell – by recreating the supermodel’s appearance in Vivienne Westwood’s 1993 runway show, during which she famously toppled to the ground while struggling to walk in a pair of sky-high platform shoes.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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