James Corden Gives Epic Backstreet Boys Performance, Makes His Entire Staff Race Usain Bolt

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CBS

Tuesday was a busy night for Late Late Show host James Corden. The British funnyman managed to squeeze a killer performance with the Backstreet Boys and a hilarious race against the fastest man alive, Usain Bolt, all into the same episode.

The “Carpool Karaoke” inventor started off by lamenting about the absence of boy bands.


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“We are bringing back boy bands,” Corden declared. “I’m talking proper boy bands – five guys together. I’m talking about the cute one, the funny one, the nice one, the other one, and the maverick who refused to play by the rules, all living together in some weird mansion in Orlando.”

Corden went on to slam present day groups whose members “wear skinny jeans” and “have the audacity to pick up instruments.”

“That is not what I want in a boy band. I want matching outfits, synchronized dancing, and way over budget music videos,” he exclaimed.

Corden then brought out one of the most well-known bands for just that – the Backstreet Boys – where he joined in on their 1997 hit “Backstreet’s Back.” The crowd went crazy during the musical interlude when the group – Corden and all – broke down their iconic dance moves.

But those weren’t the only moves Corden was showing off on Tuesday. He also brought his entire staff (and randomly actor Owen Wilson) in early for a special race against Jamaican Olympian Usain Bolt.


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After Wilson’s false start, the actor had plenty of excuses as to why Bolt ultimately beat him.

“I got the start that I wanted,” he said. “I took something off, and you take something off against Usain Bolt and he’s going to blow you away… I was mic’d so obviously that didn’t help and I just flew in from Europe so, you know, jet lag. I’m nursing a bit of a cold, but, you know, I’ve got to tip my hat to him.”

Corden was disappointed to be one of the last people to cross the finish line.

“I would have liked to have been in the top 50, but you know, it wasn’t my day,” the host said. “That is the life of an athlete. That’s the life of a professional track athlete. Some days it comes and some days it doesn’t.”

Watch the clips above to see the two impressive performances!

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