While many looked forward to watching the Super Bowl this year, there was a significant population of people watching for another reason: the halftime show. This year, musical artist Rihanna performed an array of fan favorites. She did more than just sing, as she also announced her pregnancy with her second child. The buildup to her performance was very well done with numerous social media promotions. This sensationalizing came with severe disappointment, as Rihanna delivered the worst halftime show in the last five years. 

Rihanna kicked off the performance suspended in the air on a glass platform. She was dressed from head to toe in a red outfit accentuating her new baby bump. While her singing was up to standard, her visual performance lacked significantly. Her pregnancy did not allow her to dance as much as performers have in previous years, however, her backup dancers were the real displeasure. Her dancers in all white puffy jackets and pants heavily contributed to the mundane show. They lacked the professional entertainment value as all their moves felt like watching a Tik Tok dance. The choreography was a significant downgrade and made the whole performance lose the superstar quality. 

Many of the halftime shows in the past had a common factor, multiple celebrity performers. For last year’s performance, Dr Dre was accompanied by Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Mary J. Blige. This allows the pressure of the audience to not fall on one single artist. Every show in the past five years has followed suit with the exception of The Weekends 2021 performance, as he was solo. However, this tactic was successful for him as his dancer’s choreography was full of intriguing formations and moves, complemented by the unique outfits. Additionally, previous performers have had gimmicks that intrigued the audience beyond the music. Katy Perry riding in on a giant gold lion, Jlo’s daughter joining her for her performance, and Justin Timberlake showcasing the University of Minisota’s marching band all gave these shows an edge over Rihanna.