9 Worst Super Bowl Halftime Shows, Ranked

Betting on Super Bowl odds is something many football fans will do each time the big game comes around. 

In addition to the teams that make it to the NFL championship game, fans are subjected to a halftime show meant to be a massive spectacle and keep them engaged with the event.

In fact, some sportsbooks offer football odds on the halftime show based on various props, such as what songs will be played and how many. 

However, some performances have gone down as memorable, but not for the right reasons. 

Below are my picks for the nine worst Super Bowl halftime shows. 

And while you’re here, check out the best Super Bowl halftime shows of all time.

9 Worst Halftimes in Super Bowl History

1. Elvis Presto

The 1989 Super Bowl delivered one of the most head-scratching acts for a halftime show. Before the 1990s, the Super Bowl halftime show wasn’t anything like we know it to be today. It was really kind of a sideshow. Well, one of those was Elvis Presto, an Elvis Presley impersonator.

The last time the Bengals played in a Super Bowl the halftime show was called "Be Bop Bamboozled". Bob Costas intro-ing the first ever 3-D effect show featuring the Elvis Presto.
Full show. It is a wild watch –> https://t.co/BdWbLwbGLE pic.twitter.com/UfilVAyKzQ

— Stephen Hicks (@StephenABC30) January 31, 2022

The concept featured Presto doing magic tricks. Because of licensing issues, no Elvis music was played. 

The guy performing the set had no star power, and overall, it’s amazing to look back at that horrific production and compare it to what we see today. 

2. Black Eye Peas, Fergie, and More

Super Bowl 45 featured the Black Eyed Peas, Fergie, Slash, and Usher. It opened with the Black Eyed Peas and Fergie, and not only was the audio quality horrific, but it seemed like none of them could sing. There were pitch problems all night.

Then, for whatever reason, Slash came up through the stage playing guitar for Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’s Roses, which Fergie sang and danced around Slash. 

None of this was good, and it’s a shame that the dreadful performances overshadowed a legendary guitarist like Slash. 

3. Gloria Estefan, Olympics Figure Skaters, and Winter Magic

In 1992, at Super Bowl 26, a collection of acts was dubbed “Winter Magic.”

It opened with a corny speech, ridiculous costumes, terrible songs, and more.

There was a song about Frosty the Snowman that said, “Go Frosty, Go Frosty, Go. Go Frosty, Go Frosty, Yo.” 

Gloria Estefan also performed, but I’m sure everyone was asleep by then or had gone to watch something else, like In Living Color’s live comedy special. 

4. New Kids on the Block

A teenage heartthrob boy band from the 1980s and early 1990s, New Kids on the Block featured members like Donnie Wahlberg, Mark Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, and more.

At Super Bowl 25, they were able to perform as the main act. Disney was responsible for producing the event. Their part was fine, as it featured kids and even Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon, but New Kids on the Block played some sappy songs. 

And get this—it didn’t even air during the Super Bowl. 

If fans wanted to watch it, they had to wait until after the game, as George H.W. Bush had a message providing an update on the Gulf War. 

5. Maroon 5

Super Bowl 53 was interesting, to say the least. 

This came when the issues surrounding Colin Kaepernick and the NFL came to light, and several performers declined to perform because of it. 

As a result, the lineup fans got were Maroon 5, Big Boi, and Travis Scott. 

Travis Scott only performed because the NFL agreed to donate $500k to a charity for social justice. 

Leading up to this, fans had online petitions asking for a Spongebob-themed halftime show in honour of Stephen Hillenburg, the show’s creator, who died around then. 

This event spawned the Adam Lavigne shirtless meme as he took his shirt off during the performance for, uh, whatever reason. 

6. Indiana Jones

This halftime show was meant to promote the new Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. The plot featured Indiana Jones recovering the Lombardi Trophy while battling villains. While this was playing out, Tony Bennett and Patti LaBelle sang to provide a soundtrack. 

Never forget the 1995 Super Bowl halftime show, with “Indiana Jones” and “Marion” retrieving the stolen Lombardi trophy—and then taking a break as Tony Bennett performs in a nightclub. 🦸🏻‍♂️🥣 pic.twitter.com/mtUIr0m4YF

— Richard Roeper (@RichardERoeper) February 10, 2024

I’m no expert, but I’m not sure how any of these acts or how the storyline for the Indiana Jones event made any sense. 

7. Phil Collins, Christinia Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, and More

So, when you see a lineup of this star power, especially at Super Bowl 34 in 2000, the height of Aguilera’s popularity, it sounds like it could’ve gone well, right?

It didn’t. Instead, it was another Disney-produced halftime show, and instead of listening to any of the artists’ hits, there was a series of ballads and songs they sang that were written specifically for the event that no one knew. 

It was a more than forgettable show. 

8. The Blues Brothers

Super Bowl 31 enlisted the Blues Brothers for the halftime show, but by this time, John Belushi was dead, and instead, it was Dan Akroyd, John Goodman, and Jim Belushi. 

Remember, The Blues Brothers was a movie. 

The trio attempted to sing songs by Solomon Burke and James Brown, and yeah, I don’t know. 

Hard pass. 

Today in Rock History

January 26, 1997
James Brown, ZZ Top and the Blues Brothers performed during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXI at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. pic.twitter.com/gjPUWxwMe8

— Rock History Live! (@KTrain939913) January 25, 2024

9. Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake

Ah, yes, the Wardrobe Malfunction. 

The first Super Bowl halftime performance resulted in the network broadcasting the game to receive a $550,000 fine. 

During her performance alongside Justin Timberlake, he seemingly accidentally tore a piece of her outfit off, revealing, well, what was underneath.

There were other performances from Kid Rock, Nelly, and P-Diddy.

Yeah, I’ll just leave that there. 

What Is the Worst Halftime Show in Super Bowl History?

The Black Eyed Peas halftime show was abysmal, but at least we heard Slash on guitar. That was the only silver lining. The Elvis Presto halftime show almost seemed like a parody of a parody. 

The guy sang a song about a card trick he was doing that was impossible to follow along with due to the laughter-inducing production.