Ronda Rousey and Selena Gomez handled their first-time status as host and musical guest, respectively, on the Saturday Night Live stage this week. Rousey, best known for her phenomenal MMA and UFC career, has some serious acting credits on her résumé, with roles in The Expendables 3, Fast 7, and the Entourage movie. Gomez, fresh off the release of her new "Hands To Myself" video, which has well over 9,500,000 views and counting, is a force on both TV and on the dance floor.
But was their girl power enough to melt through Winter Storm Jonas raging outside Rockefeller Center? Would Rousey pull off a comeback from her most recent loss?
Here are three of the breakout moments from this week's Saturday Night Live:
1. Bland Man: This spoof of The Bachelor saw almost all of the female members of the cast rotating through on a running gag taking on the ABC show's one-on-one moments. As each woman sits down for some private time with "Dan from Chicago or Denver," played by Taran Killam, the first thing she says is, "Mmm, I like this," in a perfect mimic of forced small talk of the reality show. All of the familiar housemates are here: Aidy Bryant is the one with the secret family (and one giant toe). Kate McKinnon is the one who hogs all his time. Rousey makes an appearance talking about her date in a "hot air balloon with the cast of Chicago Fire," and Cecily Strong is the crazy one who complains that "All of the girls hate me because I'm mean to them!" The sketch ends with a ringer: Selena Gomez as Selena Gomez. Game over for the other Bland Man contestants.
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2. Opening Monologue: Rousey came out swinging in her opening monologue, making reference to the blizzard and the shutdown of New York City and Broadway, joking that,"Tonight we're the only show in town." Some of the jokes were even at her own expense: "This is the first time I'm on live TV without getting punched in the face." She got a big assist from the cast throughout the opening bit, which was written as one of her fights, complete with ring announcers and a bell. She pulled out proven winners for big laughs in the second round. They went with a crowd favorite, Kate McKinnon’s Bieber, who took it on the chin from Rousey (could that have been for Selena’s benefit?) and then a musical number with Selena herself singing “Come and Get It.” The monologue was really the only time during the night that Rousey handled the jokes herself. The rest of the time, she was relegated to bit parts and playing it straight.
3. Love Struck: Vanessa Bayer knocks it out of the park as the lead mean girl tormenting the new girl, Rousey. What she doesn't know is this new girl can throw a punch. Rousey goes from mousey to UFC in less than two seconds for shy new girls everywhere. Major high fives for knocking the popular guy in the windpipe after the girl fight is over and he has the nerve to ask her out. Every teen romance movie from the '80s and '90s has been served.
Bonus points for "Hands To Myself:" For her newest single, Selena Gomez did a stripped down interpretation of the video. Gomez appeared first by herself on a black satin bed. Soon, she was joined by a solitary male dancer and another female dancer. The three shimmied and slid across the black satin. Not that anyone needed a reminder that Selena has left her Disney Channel self and Bieber in her past, but the pas de trois should erase any doubt. She scored a knockout with a single punch.