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
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.
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
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.
Sing it! Hoda Kotb dressed up as country singer Carrie Underwood – who performs the theme song for NBC’s Sunday Night Football programming, which the 57-year-old mother-of-two lip synced
Popstar: Al Roker did a rendition of chart-topper The Weeknd’s 2021 Super Bowl halftime show, complete with creepy masked back-up dancers
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
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.