Sunday night’s episode of Lip Sync Battle proved Michael Phelps is more than just a mystical merman. Adding one more gold medal to his already record-breaking collection of 23, the decorated Olympian emerged victorious in Spike’s first ever All-Stars Live Championship.
Taking the stage donning a black hoodie, Phelps broke into an epic rendition of Eminem‘s “Lose Yourself” that rivaled the intensity of the “Rap God” himself. A proven fan of hip-hop, the iconic Olympic swimmer gets so into the performance that it almost looked as if the stage, instead of the pool, is where he was always destined to be. Mesmerizing the crowd with the same passion we thought was only reserved for the Butterfly stroke, Phelps ends his winning performance with a drop down of a massive American flag and, of course, a well-deserved mic drop.
Whether it was Phelps’ inherent ferocity that allowed him to emerge triumphant over his competitors, or perhaps his use of the already legendary #PhelpsFace, we’ll never know. Though his opponents attempted to sway the audience with flash and celebrity cameos, Phelps’ raw talent proved to be all he needed to win. In a rendition of Sia’s “Cheap Thrills,” Olivia Munn employed fellow Olympians Simone Biles and Aly Raisman, while John Legend in his take on Outkast’s “Hey Ya,” brought in the illustrious Stevie Wonder to aid his set. Yet, neither of these ploys were ultimately enough to beat the gold medalist.
While it’s unclear if Phelps will compete in the 2020 Olympics or not — he says no, but you never know — this victory outside the pool proved, perhaps, it’s time for him to start winning Grammys instead of gold medals. They already have given those away for lip-syncing before.