🎶 My Top Ten Episodes of Shake It Up - The Disney Channel Original Series 💜

Let’s celebrate this week by reminiscing on my top ten Shake It Up episodes!

Shake It Up is one of my favorite Disney Channel shows! It premiered in 2010 and ended in 2013 with 75 (78 if you don't combine the two-part and three-part specials of season 2) awesome episodes that included lots of dancing, dancing, and more dancing! Did I mention there was dancing? That’s what made the show unique and made it stand out amongst the other DC shows.

Now, I want to include all seasons in this list and not just season one, which is where the majority of my favorite episodes are found. Due to there being only three seasons, I’m going to break down my top ten episodes like this – My favorite season (season one) will get four chosen episodes placed on the list. Seasons two and three will get three episodes each. They will still be ranked least to most favorite in each season category. Too confusing? It’s okay. It will make sense once the list starts!

So, what are we waiting for?!? Let’s go!

 

#10 – Lock It Up (S3E4)

This is an entertaining episode with a twist. If there is any episode to watch during quarantine… this one is it. Rocky is literally stuck in a quarantined room for the whole episode and it was never more relatable than now. I think we can all sympathize with her character in this episode! The twist I mentioned was a special character that joined the show in this episode and one that I wish could’ve stayed longer. Cece meets and goes on a couple dates with a handsome new boy she meets after doing a dance number for some hospitals patients. What she didn’t know was that he is blind. I love that the show’s writers decided to add in a character that is blind and show that blind people are just normal human beings as well and can laugh, joke, and have fun! Cece grew a lot in how she acted around Louis and realized she needed to learn to listen to people more instead of making everything about her. This episode was a special one that had me laughing and smiling throughout it. Also, the dance number at the beginning was a throwback to the 80s and the outfits were my absolute favorites!

 

#9 – Remember Me (S3E26)

Okay, this one came really close to being my favorite of season three, but the next one tops it by just one extra cherry on top! This one is emotional because it’s the very last episode of Shake It Up. **grabs tissue** Just for that reason alone it makes it onto this list. At first, when I was younger, I wanted a better series finale. However, now that I’m older, I see how Cece losing her memory makes for an even more emotional ending because the rest of the characters reminisce on all of their memories together to try and help Cece remember all of the good times they shared. The song sung by Zendaya (Remember Me) is an emotional one that is paired with a very elegant and mature dance that wraps up the episode. But it’s the montage at the end of the dance that gets me every time! A bittersweet ending for sure!

 

#8 – Brain It Up (S317)

This is one of my favorite episodes of SIU because Rocky and Cece’s characters kind of switch things up in this episode. Cece gets put in all advanced classes, which are the classes Rocky usually takes. While Rocky gets put in all of the standard classes, which are the classes Cece usually takes. All due to a test scores mishap. What I loved about this episode is that Cece’s character finally gets to be recognized for her knowledge when she is usually treated like the “dumb” one in the show. I remember this being a big moment for Cece’s character because she finally got to prove to everyone that when she tried hard and put in the effort then she could be just as smart at school as anyone else. I loved how she got to prove the guy wrong who was teasing her in the episode. It was also a big moment for Rocky’s character because she got to realize that life isn’t all about taking advanced classes and that the measure of how smart you are isn’t based on which type of classes you take. I felt like Rocky’s character was a little stuck up in this episode, but she got better towards the end. I also like the dance battle in this episode and thought it was a nice fit for the plot!

 

**Before I begin listing my least to most favorite episodes of season two, I want to mention that the special episodes/event of Shake It Up named Made In Japan isn’t included in this list. I have always seen it as more of a separate mini-movie (it aired in three parts) than just regular episodes of season two. However, if I were to include it, then it would be my favorite of season two. But for this list, I’m going to leave it out so that I can highlight my favorite three regular episodes of the season.

 #7 – Surprise It Up (S2E26) **Ep. 26 if you don’t split up the two-part episode Shake It Up, Up and Away. Disney Plus splits up those episodes, which makes this one episode 27**

I LOVE birthday episodes! They are some of my favorites from any tv show. I know there was a birthday episode in season three that I didn’t include called My Bittersweet Sixteen It Up (S3E22). It came really close to being on this list, but at least this one made it on here! Cece’s friends are trying to throw her a surprise party but she believes that she is “Cece unsupriseable Jones”, which causes her to be surprised when she follows Gunther around the whole day thinking he’s taking her to her party but in reality he’s going to an actual funeral! Don’t let the word “funeral” stop you from watching this episode. There were definitely a lot of laughing moments and Cece learns a valuable lesson of learning to let people do nice things for you without trying to ruin the excitement they feel while doing it.

 

#6 – Slumber It Up (S2E25) **Ep. 25 if you don’t split up the two-part episode Shake It Up, Up and Away. Disney Plus splits up those episodes, which makes this one episode 26**

Birthday episodes are a must-watch, but so are Slumber Party Episodes! This one is sooooo entertaining to watch. Something about Shake It Up that I haven’t mentioned yet is that I enjoy ALL of the characters storylines, not just the two main leads. Ty, Flynn, Deuce, Dina, Tinka, Gunther, Cece’s mom (Georgia), Rocky’s parents, Gary Wilde… just everybody! The whole cast of characters is why I love Shake It Up! With that being said, the storylines in this episode get meshed-up towards the end and the majority of the characters I just listed end up all in a freezer filled with ice cream!! Yep… you read right! ICE CREAM!!! This episode includes talks about boys, hidden treasure, insecurities, school, face masks that turn to cement (you did read that right) and most importantly… ICE CREAM!!

 

#5 – Tunnel It Up (S219) **Ep. 19 if you don’t split up the two-part episode Shake It Up, Up and Away. Disney Plus splits up those episodes, which makes this one episode 20**

Not only is one of my FAVORITE dances in this episode, but it’s also my top-favorite episode of season two! I’ve mentioned birthday and slumber party episodes and now it’s time to talk about a school dance episode!! Just like every SIU episode, this one has a twist. Cece, Rocky, and Tinka are so excited to go to their school dance. Cece wants to win the crown. Rocky wants to dance with a certain special guy. All Tinka wants is the perfect photo of her one-of-a-kind gown. So, what could possibly go wrong? Well… add in the fact that they have to figure out how to simultaneously be in two places at once (Shake it Up Chicago and the school dance), then add that to the fact that the only way to go place to place is a tunnel that runs underneath the city! This one is jam-packed with funny moments. It will have you laughing throughout the whole episode! Will Cece get her crown? How about Rocky getting that dance with her crush? Will Tinka get the perfect photo of her unique gown? Let’s just say this episode has a lot of layers! 😉

 

#4 – Age It Up (S1E6)

Justin Starr anyone? I’m not to young to feel this way vibes anyone? If you haven’t seen this episode then you have no idea what I’m talking about, but let’s just say this is one of the most iconic episodes of Shake It Up. I’m not going to mention the dance in this episode because that’s for a special separate post, but it is a huge reason why this is one of my all-time favorite episodes of SIU. Rocky is the ultimate fangirl in this episode and Cece is the level-headed one. Say what?!? Usually, Rocky is the chill one, but nope! Not in this episode. A big secret gets revealed about a certain someone in this episode, which changes everyone’s perspective on the “celeb” lifestyle. If you want to know who and what, then you’ll just have to watch the episode! Trust me, it’s a great one!

 

#3 – Kick It Up (S1E5)

As a kid, this one was my favorite SIU episode! Just something about it always made me go back to rewatch it over and over again. This one has a deep message about not caring what others think about you. Cece starts to distance herself from Rocky due to people making comments of how they spend too much time with each other and how annoying they can be together sometimes. The judgment from others really gets to Cece, but she realizes that she is miserable without spending so much time with her best friend. This one is really relatable because in school it was usually about how many friends you had versus the quality of the friendships. You can have a thousand friends and still be lonely. The way Cece realizes how important it is not to care what others think and to value the friendships you have is an important lesson. This episode also had some fun karate scenes and some cute friendship moments between Flynn and Henry.

 

#2 – Break It Up (S1E20)

This episode is the perfect watch to kickoff summer! The beginning dance number is one of the longest they had and is full of energy. This one has its funny moments for sure, but it is mainly an emotional episode. Rocky gets hurt and is worried she’ll never be able to dance again and Cece blames herself. My absolute favorite part of this episode is when Cece begins to pray and shows selflessness by wishing that she was the one who got hurt instead of Rocky. Disney rarely mentions God in any show, so it was so refreshing to have an episode that people could relate their own faith to. It shows that in our most scary/worried moments is when we realize we need God more than ever and how He always leans down a listening ear. I love the heartfelt message in this episode and how it ends with a happy ending!

 

**Drum roll please… 🥁

Ready to find out what my all-time favorite Shake It Up episode is?

#1 – Start It Up (S1E1)

Yep! My FAVORITE episode is the very FIRST one! I mean it doesn’t get more iconic than the first episode! The first scene at the train station, the outfits, the tryouts for Shake It Up Chicago, the normal teenage embarrassment and angst… every detail makes this episode the best!! I can vividly imagine every scene of this episode and how much I was hooked when I first watched it. It doesn’t’ even need a paragraph to explain how amazing it is. It will always be one of the best Disney Channel pilots!

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Well, that wraps up my top ten Shake It Up episodes! Comment your favorite Shake It Up episode from this list or even one that isn’t on the list! I’ll be back next Tuesday to celebrate more good times! See you next week!!

**This post is a critical/commentary analysis of the series Shake It Up. This is for educational purposes only. I intend no copyright infringement and this is not a replacement for watching the series. As covered under Fair Use copyright laws listed below, I simply share my commentary by giving constructive feedback, criticism, and comments. 

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