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The Minnesota Vikings' season can be encapsulated by one word: surprise. After being projected to win only a handful of games back in August, the Vikings have seemingly come out of nowhere to win 14 games, the second-highest mark in franchise history.
Unexpected performances from individual players have played a key role in the Vikings' success. Quarterback Sam Darnold is the first name that comes to mind. After being viewed as a castoff by NFL teams and fans alike, Darnold has put together a remarkable season, leading the league's No. 9 scoring offense.
The Minnesota defense fits a similar mold. Brian Flores has taken a group that lacks many (if any) household names and turned them into one of the league's most formidable defensive units, a group that ranks second in turnover rate.
The Vikings' defense has been dominant on the field, and they're having fun with it. Along with their suffocating defensive play, this bunch has developed a reputation for getting fired up after forcing turnovers. And many times, they've chosen to express their excitement in the form of ... dance.
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Minnesota Vikings celebration dances
If you've tuned into a Vikings game this year, you've likely seen a choreographed celebration from the Minnesota defense following a turnover. If you pay even closer attention, you'll see No. 24 in purple playing a key role in each celebration.
No. 24 is fourth-year safety Cam Bynum. When he's not floating out in center field looking to pick off opposing quarterbacks, Bynum spends his time as the Vikings' "Celebration Coordinator", a role he takes quite seriously. Bynum admitted to spending "hours" on these elaborate dances and celebrations.
Bynum attributes his love of dance and flare on the field to his upbringing and Filipino heritage.
"One thing about us Filipinos is that we're always going to be extra and do as much as we can," Bynum said in an interview. "I was raised watching a lot of the dance shows like 'America's Best Dance Crew' and watching the 'Jabbawockeez', so my cousins and I would always try to mimic all of their dances."
Growing up dancing has allowed Bynum to thrive in his role as the Celebration Coordinator in Minnesota. While many of these performances have involved teammates, Bynum has put on multiple solo shows, beginning with his best Usher impersonation.
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Week 3: 'New Flame' by Chris Brown ft. Usher
#Vikings S Cam Bynum has been practicing this celebration for months. How did he do? pic.twitter.com/8NlKyyelBg
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) September 23, 2024R&B star Usher has a featured verse on Chris Brown's song "New Flame", and Bynum did his best to recreate Usher's moves following his interception of C.J. Stroud in Week 3.
This marked Bynum's first INT of the year and the first of many choreographed celebrations.
Week 5: 'The Parent Trap' handshake
Vikings really did The Parent Trap handshake after an interception in London.
Incredible pop culture awareness. pic.twitter.com/MxOz7JQF7o
The Vikings traveled to London in Week 5 to take on the New York Jets. Following his second interception of the season, Bynum started to get some teammates involved with his celebrations.
This time, Bynum recreated the infamous handshake from "The Parent Trap" with fellow safety Josh Metellus, who would go on to be Bynum's partner in crime for his celebrations throughout the season.
"Because it was in London, we had to bring out the famous handshake", Bynum said.
The star of the movie, Lindsay Lohan, even chimed in, "To do a movie like 'The Parent Trap' and then for it to cross over into sports players doing it, it's just such a cool feeling."
Week 10: Raygun reenactment
Cam Bynum got the Raygun breakdancing celebration perfect😭 pic.twitter.com/IGQU49Rjh3
— Best Celebrations (@bestcelly) November 11, 2024Bynum was back doing a solo show in Week 10 after picking off Mac Jones in Jacksonville.
This time, he took us back to the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Rachael "Raygun" Gunn went viral for her breaking routine while representing Australia.
Like many of his other performances, Bynum meticulously prepared prior to putting on a show on the field.
"I memorized and studied her. I had to do it. I'm excited about the catch and the interception, but my biggest thing was to get that celebration off, and I got it, and I'm happy," Bynum said after pulling out this celebration back in November.
Week 14: 'White Chicks' dance
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 8, 2024After busting out their handshake all the way back in Week 5, Metellus and Bynum were back in action in Week 14. The duo collaborated to reenact the iconic dancing scene from "White Chicks" against the Falcons.
Bynum shared that this was actually his favorite celebration of the year. "Josh and I probably practiced this for about 30 minutes after watching it a million times," Bynum said of the flip that is the key piece of the dance.
Week 16: 'Camp Rock' group dance
“CAMP ROCK!!!!” Behind the scenes 😂🎬🎬🎬 90’s babies this is for y’all! 😂🔥#ProBowlVote @Cambeezy_ @NoExcuses_23 @byronmurphy @horribleharry99 Theo Jackson 🎬 pic.twitter.com/W7NkAZlJtw
— Camryn Bynum (@Cambeezy_) December 23, 2024With the season winding down and the popularity of these dances picking up, more people started to get involved. Bynum had the whole defense dancing in Week 16 when they did their best rendition of a dance from "Camp Rock".
Bynum noted that this celebration was special for him as it was one of his favorite movies as a kid, on top of the fact that Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers, the stars of the film, applauded the Vikings' effort.
Week 17: 'High School Musical' routine
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 29, 2024To close out the season, the Vikings kept on rolling with the Disney movies, this time pulling some moves from "High School Musical", starring Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, and Ashley Tisdale.
The movie comes to a close with the "We're All in This Together" dance, making this the perfect way to cap off the Vikings' phenomenal regular season.
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