It’s an undeniable truth that every millennial knows the Pokémon theme song “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” by heart, something that Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers demonstrated at last night’s Las Culturistas Culture Awards on Bravo.
After Pikachu won “The Las Cultch 30 Under 30” award over stiff competition like “Windows 98,” “Moo Deng,” and “a baby,” the comedy duo launched into the legendary anthem alongside the series mascot. Shrubbery parted to reveal the world’s preeminent rodent (sorry Mickey) while footage from the original TV series played in the background. The co-hosts flexed their theater and performance backgrounds to hit every note.
The bit featured some fun cameos for series devotees, too: the backup performers were dressed as characters from the games, including Leaf, Lyra, Hilda, Elio, and Red. The crowd was clearly into it.
For context, Las Culturistas is a podcast hosted by Yang, best known for his appearances on Saturday Night Live and Wicked, and Rogers. The pair have been hosting the show since 2016, featuring guests like Will Ferrell, Lady Gaga, and Michelle Yeoh.
As for the Las Culturistas Culture Awards, it’s an event that satirizes the exhausting pomp and circumstance of award season with a lineup of 100 totally real and not fake accolades such as “Top Fact About Greta Gerwig That You May Not Know,” “Best Space – Excellence in Outer Space,” “What to Say When the Group Picture Is Taking a Bit Too Long,” and “Of the Following, Which is the State Capital of Kansas? (Circle One).” The show has been going strong for five years, and this was its second appearance on Bravo, with it now streaming on Peacock as well.
The broadcast wasn’t quite long enough to dole out all 100 honors, but they got to the ones that really mattered, such as “Yesssssssss!!!! Award for Girl We Learned About This Year (And Loved).” Unfortunately, Peetsa (pronounced “Pizza”) got robbed for “Most Beautiful Name for a Daughter You Haven’t Even Thought of Yet.” Maybe next year.
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