FoxWhat would our Best of 2010 series be without a little Glee, right?
From great celeb guests like Gwyneth Paltrow, John Stamos and Carol Burnett to touchingly relevant story lines and hunky new castmembers—Chord Overstreet and Darren Criss anyone?—the hit Fox show is hotter than ever.
With so many amazing performances throughout the year, it was hard to narrow it down, but after many heated discussions, we finally did it.
Here are our Top 10 Glee Performances of 2010...
10. "Like a Prayer": Totally classic Glee without being all Journey, the cast's Madonna cover hits everything on the Glee checklist: matching red tops, easy line dancing choreography, a big Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) solo to kick things off, a touch of Mercedes' (Amber Riley) powerful vocals to spice things up and Finn's (Cory Monteith) scrunched-up singing face. It's everything we've come to expect from the gang.
9. "Forget You": We couldn't help but fall in love with Gwyneth on Glee. Her clean version of Cee Lo Green's "F--k You" had us dancing in our seats and proved the Oscar-winner is just as cool as any chart-topping, trash-talking songster.
8. "Sweet Transvestite": The Rocky Horror episode wasn't our favorite, but Miss Mercedes killed it with her surprising rendition of "Sweet Transvestite!" Her powerhouse voice and fierce attitude made for one divalicious take on the Tim Curry cult classic.
7. "River Deep, Mounatain High": Divas unite! This was Mercedes and Santana's (Naya Rivera) time to shine and did they ever! Their vocals are amazing, and then top it off with some killer Tina Turner moves and dayum, girls, this is how it's done! So can someone please explain how Quinn and Sam's boring "Lucky" number won best duet in this episode?
6. "Dog Days Are Over": We loved Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) and Mercedes' whimsical vocals in this Florence + the Machine cover. The gang's carefree choreography and free-spirited frolicking also make this a refreshing break from their typically more rigid dance numbers.
5. "Like a Virgin": As so many Glee numbers do, "Like A Virgin" made us stop and go "Um, wait, what is happening?!" But what started out as borderline inappropriate—teachers and students all losing their virginity at the same time—quickly turned into campy fun. It's also one of the rare songs that fit perfectly into the narrative without feeling too forced.
4. "Safety Dance": Kevin McHale finally got to show off his boy band moves in this Men Without Hats cover from the Joss Whedon-directed episode. It's obviously a fun jam with awesome "Thriller"-esque choreography, but it's the mixing that fun with Artie's struggle to come to terms with the fact that he'll never be able to walk or dance that makes this number so powerful.
3. "Me Against the Music": Will the real Britney Spears please stand up? Heather Morris' incredible, high-energy dance moves blew our minds and left us wanting more! A cameo by a certain pop princess didn't hurt the number either.
2. "Singing in the Rain/Umbrella": This show-stopper reminded us why Glee is such a phenomenon in the first place. From the perfectly mashed-up songs to the amazing dance moves and the use of props and water, this number is genius. We'd dance in the rain with Mr. Schue (Matthew Morrison) and Miss Paltrow any day!
1. "Teenage Dream": There's a reason this is the best-selling track from Glee: Darren Criss. The dude just oozes charm. His voice, his confidence, the way he commands that glee club (and not in an annoying way like Rachel Berry) gets us every single time. We've seriously watched this clip at least a few dozen times, and we still get as smiley and smitten as Kurt (Chris Colfer)!
Now you tell us! What was your favorite Glee performance of the past year?!