Will Smith's NBC sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, was running on fumes by its fifth season.
For example, Janet Hubert-Whiten left the show, and the role of Aunt Vivian was recast with Daphne Maxwell Reid (ex-Frank's Place) taking over. Also, the family expanded with the addition of Nicky, a pre-schooler by this point (Ross Bagley), a quick acceleration from infant in season 4.
During the November sweeps, there was a crossover with Soul Train, in which Vivian tries to revisit the night Uncle Phil (James Avery, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) had proposed to her. Phil's not willing, so Vivian recruits Will to take his place.
The scene below, however, is a showcase for a showstopper, that being Carlton (Alfonso Ribiero).....
As was normal on the show, Will's effort was an epic fail, getting a "no" gesture from Don Cornelius. Alfonso Ribiero, currently embarrassing himself in a series of ads for State Farm, started on Broadway in "The Tap Dance Kid", which caught the attention of the producers of Silver Spoons. Carlton's Michael Jackson homage is Ribiero paying tribute to the self-styled "King of Pop", whom he worked with years earlier on a Pepsi commercial.
And now you know why Ribiero was a champ on Dancing With The Stars 20 years later.......
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