There is no denying the world’s love for Friends. Marking the 25th anniversary since the sitcom first aired, we’re reminded of the moments we loved most. I mean - every episode was rememberable, but there’s one in particular we won’t forget, and that’s season six, ‘The One with the Routine.’ The mastermind behind the infamous ‘The Routine’ choreography is Robin Antin, who also founded The Pussycat Dolls.
Friends producers had a simple tasks for the founder of The Pussycat Dolls, make it silly and fun. During a phone interview with Vanity Fair she said, ’their description for me was silly, fun, trying way too hard, over the top, really dancing, just thinking that they’re the best ever.’
The episode features Monica and Ross dancing during the taping of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and all they want to do is get on camera to rub it in their parents' faces. So they come together to bring back a dance they learned in their middle school years – the legendary dance even won them honourable mention in the brother and sister category back then. Antin put together the perfect combination of the cheesiest dances from the cabbage patch, the running man, the moonwalk and the snake.
Courteney Cox and David Schwimmer were good sports and consummate professionals, according to Antin, who told Vanity Fair, ’They’re troopers, also, for non-dancers, they picked it all up pretty quickly, even some of the tougher manurers like the leapfrog.’
Cox and Schwimmer practised for about a week just to get the choreography right. When it came to the day of filming the scene, Antin said, ‘I was laughing from the moment I got on set to when I left.’ For the finishing touches, Cox and Schwimmer even put their own personality into it for example, when Monica is counting down before they begin ‘The Routine’.
Antin also choreographed Danny DeVito’s stripper dance when he made a cameo appearance in season 10 of Friends at Phoebe’s bachelorette party.
View the Friends cast then and now:
The cast of Friends: Before and after
1 of 10Chandler Bing | Matthew Perry
After his role as funny-guy Chandler Bing came to an end, Matthew Perry went on to star in a host of A-list films, including a main part alongside Zac Efron in 17 Again. Sadly for Friends fans, he shut down a friends reunion in an interview with Vanity Fair in 2017 . He said, "I have this recurring nightmare—I'm not kidding about this. When I'm asleep, I have this nightmare that we do Friends again and nobody cares. We do a whole series, we come back, and nobody cares about it. So if anybody asks me, I'm gonna say no. The thing is: we ended on such a high. We can't beat it. Why would we go and do it again?"
2 of 10Phoebe Buffay | Lisa Kudrow
Following her 10 year stint on Friends, Lisa starred in a host of movies - including Easy A, alongside Emma Stone. In February 2019, fans went wild when Lisa reunited with former co-star Courtney Cox on Ellen DeGeneres' chat show.
3 of 10Joey Tribbiani | Matt LeBlanc
Matt swapped acting for presenting when he replaced Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond on Top Gear in 2016. But after two years on the show, Matt was replaced by Comedian Paddy McGuinness and former cricket player Freddie Flintoff.
4 of 10Rachel Green | Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston has gone on to star in multiple A-list films - and doesn't look a day older than her debut in Friends. The actress was even rumoured to have patched things up with ex Brad Pitt, when he was invited to her 50th birthday party in February 2019.
5 of 10Ross Geller | David Schwimmer
Ross - or rather, David - most recently appeared on our screens in series one of American Crime Story - which presented a dramatised version of the OJ Simpson trial. David played OJ's attorney and old friend, Robert Kardashian - Kim Kardashian's late father.
6 of 10Richard Burke | Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck played Monica's older boyfriend, Dr. Richard Burke in Friends, but he's best known for playing Frank Reagan in CBS's police drama, Blue Bloods.
7 of 10Janice Hosenstein | Maggie Wheeler
Janice was best known for her annoying - yet strangely loveable - laugh in Friends. The actress who played Chandler's girlfriend finally revealed the inspiration behind her laugh over a decade after the sitcom ended. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, she said Woody the Woodpecker gave her inspiration. She revealed, 'There was a character called Arnold Horshack and he used to laugh and he would say [laughs]. Then I grew up watching Flipper which was a fantastic show about a dolphin, and I was in love with that dolphin and of course the dolphin sounds like a dolphin... so I sort of say she's a combination of Arnold Horshack and Flipper and Woody the Woodpecker."
8 of 10Ben Geller | Cole Sprouse
YES, that is Ben. YES, we are as shocked as you are. After playing Ben as a teeny weeny tot on Friends, Cole took on a main role with his twin brother, Dylan Sprouse in Disney's children's series, The Suite Life. Now, Cole can be seen in Riverdale. The actor has clearly done well for himself - and has accumulated an impressive 24 million Instagram followers.
9 of 10Gunther | James Michael Tyler
Ah, Gunther. The fictional character may have never won over his biggest crush, Rachel Green, but actor James Taylor certainly won over viewer's hearts with his acting and top notch barista skills. In an interview for Digital Spy, he revealed that he got the job in the first place because he could work a coffee machine. He said, "I honestly always thought my Masters in fine arts would get me further in the acting world than knowing how to work an espresso machine! That was a happy accident and I'm very, very grateful to have had that skill."
10 of 10Emily Waltham | Helen Baxendale
Helen Baxendale recently starred in BBC three's drama, Cuckoo. But the actress isn't afraid to settle down in front of some lighter tv in her spare time. She told Radio Times, "Well, most reality TV is drivel. I'll tell you what I do really like: First Dates. It's positive TV – they treat people nicely, you come out of it actually liking them. There's hope for humanity in First Dates!"
READ MORE: After 25 years, Friends Is Still The One We Can’t Switch Off
READ MORE: These Are The Only Two Episodes Of Friends The Co-Creator Regrets Making