Room Raiders, Real World & The Reality of MTV

Summary

Podcast Summary: You Had 2 Be There – "Room Raiders, Real World & The Reality of MTV"

Date: June 25, 2026
Hosts: Erin Miller, Kate Steinberg, Nicole Story Dent
Format: Conversational, funny, deeply nostalgic
Theme: An unfiltered, nostalgia-soaked look back at MTV reality TV from the late 90s and 2000s, exploring its impact on pop culture, personal memories, and the evolution (and unraveling) of "reality" television.

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1. Episode Overview

"Room Raiders, Real World & The Reality of MTV" is a lively, laughter-filled episode dedicated to dissecting the golden age of MTV reality shows. The hosts (Erin, Kate, and Nicole) swap stories of adolescent obsessions, deep dives into shows like Room Raiders, Real World, Next, Pimp My Ride, Laguna Beach, Jersey Shore, and more. They explore how MTV shaped their youth, the changes wrought by social media, and the blurred line between fact and fiction in reality TV. The episode is rich in personal anecdotes, cultural commentary, and the kind of inside jokes only true Millennial fans will "get."

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2. Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Childhood Memories & Early MTV Exposure

• Nostalgia for 2000s Style: The episode opens with jokes about Nicole's "DARE" shirt—original from Forever 21—and a tangent about failed programs from their youth (00:15–01:53).
• Early MTV (and TV!) Habits: Hosts recall waking up to MTV music videos and falling asleep to the TV as "white noise." (03:04–04:26)
• Graduation from Kids TV: Erin notes switching from SpongeBob and Disney Channel to MTV as a sign of "growing up" (04:37) and how shows like Road Rules and Real World: Vegas were formative (04:51–05:25).

2. "Purity" of Early Reality TV

• No Social Media, No Hidden Agendas: Nicole and Kate stress that early MTV reality stars weren’t looking for Instagram fame—just for fun or cash, and they "didn't know better." (05:37–06:34)

  "It's more pure. Pure is not the right word to describe the Real World, but it is." – Nicole [05:58]

• Relatability Lost in Modern Shows: The hosts lament how now, you must be a "ten" to get on TV and everyone arrives with a brand strategy, unlike the ordinary (sometimes awkward) people of old MTV (06:34–06:54).

3. Behind the Curtain of Casting and Production

• How Were People Cast? The group discusses whether MTV scouted at malls, like for Next, or relied on college flyers and open calls (10:17–10:44).
• "Room Raiders" Myths: They believed the van showed up randomly—now they realize it was all staged. Kate shares a story about meeting a Next contestant who got upset when his girlfriend brought it up (09:59).

4. The Unhinged, Wild World of MTV Shows

• Golden Age of Chaos: The hosts run through a litany of shows—Next, Parental Control, Room Raiders, Date My Mom, MADE, Laguna Beach—and recall their wild, sometimes problematic content (14:01–14:51).

  "We believed it...And if you rewatch it, so scripted, it's insane." – Aaron [14:51]

• Unfiltered and Unscripted?: Most believe the "reality" was heavily produced, but Kate struggles with letting go: "It is real. I can still watch it with the purest eyes..." (14:58)
• MTV’s Impact on Fashion & Fame: Jersey Shore, for example, got entire dorms poofing their hair, tanning, and mimicking slang ("GTL", "cabs are here!") (24:09–25:13).

5. Social Media’s Effect on Reality TV

• Spoilers & Social Connections: Kate notes, "Now we watch a reality show, we already follow everyone on Instagram...when we watched Jersey Shore, every Thursday, you had to wait." (25:19–25:54)
• No More Waiting: Now, viewers are ahead of the show—no "real time" suspense, no anticipation.

6. Revealing the Fakery and Audience's Loss of Innocence

• First Time Reality Was Exposed: Discussion of the Hills finale "pulling back the curtain" (26:55–27:06)

  "I feel like that was them saying, I'm so sorry, but this was, in fact, not real." – Nicole [27:33]

• Editing and Bad Edits: Kate, with her reality TV experience, says drama may be produced, but your reactions are "who you are as a person"—though she admits "bad edits" happen (28:19–28:37).

7. Audience Q&A – Confirming the Fakery

• Listener Stories:
  • Next contestant confirms it was "all scripted," including producers paying people to say no for the drama ($500 bribe)—"[they] needed the money." (46:44)
  • Jersey Shore club scenes were fully staged: fights stopped at "cut," stars wouldn't mix with the crowd (47:11–47:36).
  • Even My Super Sweet 16—kids weren't students at the school, parties filled with strangers, everything staged (50:45).
• Hosts' Reaction: "I've lost any hope I have of anything. The. Any innocence I had left of my teenage years is completely gone." – Kate [51:07]

8. Iconic MTV Moments & Shows—The Greatest Hits

• Pimp My Ride: Outrageous car customizations—fish tanks, CAT scans, hearses—hosts wonder if anyone actually drove these around (19:15–20:13).
• Cribs: Many stars rented houses or borrowed cars (a la Jojo)—Mariah Carey’s episode stays legendary (33:44–34:23).
• Ashley Simpson, Bam Margera: Remembering when any star with traction got their own show; Nicole recalls burning Ashley’s CD into her memory (35:53–36:04).
• Jackass & Punk’d: Hosts were never fans of seeing people hurt (Jackass) but admit Punk’d still supplied classic moments (Beyoncé ruining Christmas, JT crying over repossession) (37:31–38:11).
• TRL & True Life: Importance of Total Request Live as a unifying Millennial experience; music videos as cultural events (42:38–44:59).

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3. Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• "You had to be there, baby." – Hosts’ repeated kickoff (Intro & various)
• "It just made people curious, you know?" – Aaron on the DARE program [01:04]
• "I remember getting ready every single morning to MTV music videos, like, 50 Cent 'Candy Shop'..." – Kate [03:22]
• "Pure is not the right word to describe the Real World, but it is." – Nicole [05:58]
• "You would embarrass the shit out of yourself...and people were normal." – Kate [06:17]
• "We believed it...And if you rewatch it, so scripted, it's insane." – Aaron [14:51]
• "Now we watch a reality show, we already follow everyone on Instagram...when we watched Jersey Shore, every Thursday, you had to wait." – Kate [25:19]
• "I feel like that was them saying, I'm so sorry, but this was, in fact, not real." – Nicole, on The Hills finale [27:33]
• "It really does start with the drinks..." – Kate, on forgetting the cameras during filming [29:35]
• "It was all scripted. I told the producers I was going to pick him. And when I told the guy on camera, he said no to me...they offered him $500 to say no to me." – Anonymous Listener Submission [46:44]
• "I've lost any hope I have of anything. The. Any innocence I had left of my teenage years is completely gone." – Kate [51:07]
• "Let's bring back the poof. And I'm being dead serious on this." – Kate, closing game segment [52:01]

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4. Key Segments & Timestamps

• 00:08–02:45: Cold open, DARE and nostalgia, early TV routines
• 02:55–07:43: MTV awakening, early reality TV, audience relatability
• 07:43–14:51: Deep dive – reality show casting, Room Raiders/Next, reality TV's golden age
• 14:51–19:14: Scripted/fake realities, MTV's cultural influence, listener stories
• 19:14–21:00: Pimp My Ride/Cribs
• 21:04–26:55: Death of the music video era, evolution of "fame," social media’s influence
• 26:55–29:10: The Hills finale and the death of "real" reality TV
• 29:10–33:26: Reality TV production, forgetting the camera, would-you-audition questions
• 33:26–39:50: More MTV throwbacks – Cribs, Ashley Simpson, Bam Margera, Punk’d
• 39:50–44:59: TRL, music video memories, cultural unity
• 45:36–51:45: Listener submissions—inside info and the collapse of innocence about MTV “reality”
• 51:58–55:07: Game segment—should the Jersey Shore "poof" come back?
• 55:07–end: Closing banter, credits

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5. Memorable Moments & Running Gags

• Listener Heartbreak: The hosts’ playful, then genuinely devastated, reactions as the “reality” of so many favorite shows is debunked (46:44–51:07).
• Kate's “It Girl” Aspirations: Running theme – Kate wishes she had been a pageant girl, lived at the Playboy Mansion, or become Miss Illinois (12:47).
• Inside Jokes: "Is she wearing the new couture?" – a callback (38:13, 51:50), ongoing about nostalgia for questionable 2000s fashion and party culture.
• Love for the Poof: Kate earnestly pitches the resurrection of "the poof" as a practical (if ridiculous) style for Millennials [52:01].

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6. Takeaways

• Nostalgic Fun: The episode nails a balance of affectionate nostalgia and honest critique, reminding listeners how special the MTV era felt—and how much production fakery lurked beneath.
• Changing TV Landscape: Social media and branding ambitions have fundamentally altered the reality TV genre, making early 2000s "innocence" impossible to recapture.
• Cultural Liftoff: MTV reality shows didn’t just document the zeitgeist—they actively shaped Millennial behavior, fashion, music tastes, and teenage dreams.
• Listener Community: The audience grew up, too; their confessions and memories are as revealing as the hosts’.

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7. For Further Listening

• Episodes covering: AIM chats, mall culture, teen trends, and iconic pop stars—each promising more Y2K spiritual healing and core memory unlocks.
• Notable Recurring Segments: Listener submissions (Anonymous Story Lounge/ASL), "Hear me out" hot takes, themed games.

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In sum:
If you’re a Millennial (or a pop culture historian at heart), this episode is a highlight reel of “you had to be there” moments. Equal parts heartfelt and hilarious, it is both a love letter to a lost culture of reality TV and a candid mourning of our collective innocence—now with the comic relief of a failed poof and stray cats interrupting the conversation.

Transcript

[Host]

You had to be there, baby. You had to be there, baby. You had to be there, baby. You had to be there, baby. You had to be there, baby. You had to be there, baby. You had to be there, baby.

[Aaron]

Okay, welcome to you had to be there. I'm Aaron.

[Kate]

I'm Kate.

[Nicole]

And I'm Nicole.

[Kate]

Also, I love your dare shirt. Is that your OG from fifth grade?

[Nicole]

No, I got this at forever 21 before they closed. I know. I got it ironically.

[Aaron]

They had a bunch of.

[Nicole]

Yeah, like, maybe, like, six months last year in the men's section. The men's. The men's section had all the really good graphic tees.

[Aaron]

I'm sure they currently have them at Urban.

[Nicole]

Huh. For a hundred dollars, I'm sure.

[Aaron]

Right?

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Aaron]

I miss. I miss Forever 21, too.

[Nicole]

You guys had the jar program? Yeah.

[Kate]

Yes, of course.

[Nicole]

Oh, how do you remember it still exists? They changed the name. I don't think they refer to it as this anymore. I think they refer to it as something else. But if you ever want to go down a rabbit hole, Google why the dare program didn't work. It's a fun read, really, because it didn't. It very much did not work well.

[Aaron]

And I don't even, like, remember it, really. Like, what were they even? I think it just made people curious, you know?

[Nicole]

Do you not remember having, like, an assembly where, like, a police officer kind of and basically teach you about the drugs you didn't know about before and how to get them way?

[Kate]

An education program, not a provision.

[Aaron]

Here's all the tips.

[Kate]

I'll never forget. They brought in a canine during an assembly, and it was like someone had marijuana on them, and then the canine,

[Aaron]

like, busted through the door.

[Kate]

Really? And, like, they showed the attack. Yeah. It's like, what?

[Nicole]

Oh, it wasn't a student. It was an example. No. Okay. I thought you were saying, like, they brought the dog and then randomly some

[Aaron]

kid got you, like, damn. Sorry.

[Kate]

It was a police officer with, like, one of those. Those big things, those armor things.

[Nicole]

But I.

[Kate]

It was like, if you do drugs, like, this dog is gonna come for you.

[Aaron]

Yeah. And you will die.

[Nicole]

That's kind of on my bucket list to be. To put one of those suits on and just be attacked by a German shepherd. I don't know why.

[Aaron]

I'm good. I'm gonna pass on that.

[Kate]

Do you paintball, Nicole? Like, I feel like it's just in the same realm of, like.

[Nicole]

Yeah, you must paintball. Yeah. You look like a paintballer. I've never paintballed before.

[Aaron]

I Was just gonna say I've never done.

[Kate]

That sounds. Because, like, you've also just done speed racing.

[Nicole]

Yeah, right. I do. I'm very selective with my adrenaline rushes.

[Aaron]

I don't do, like, roller coasters.

[Nicole]

Oh, so I don't. Unfortunately, I used to, but I don't know if you guys have been to. Josh and I. My husband and I went to Six Flags on a date, like, right before we had kids. And we. We went on one roller coaster, and we're, like, vomiting the rest of the day. Like, my. My Even doing a front flip on the trampoline with my kid. My brain can't anymore. I want to be able to do roller coasters.

[Host]

Wow.

[Kate]

I love a roller coaster.

[Nicole]

My God, is she wearing the new Juicy Couture? Enough about all of that. Let's get into it.

[Aaron]

Let's get into the chat room talking about MTV reality TV shows. When did you guys. When did you guys start watching mtv? Do you know when you really.

[Kate]

The moment I was literally came to this world. MTV is what I started. Probably, like, fourth grade when I was a baby, when I was in the. In the womb. I. No, I was obsessed with reality.

[Nicole]

Like, you hadn't even had your period yet, and you were watching MTV 100.

[Kate]

I remember getting ready every single morning to MTV music videos, like, 50 Cent Candy Shop. I'd be like, candy Lily Pops. That'd be it.

[Aaron]

I don't think what you guys are actually talking about.

[Nicole]

I don't think that's what he was actually talking about. I have kind of a visceral memory of. Because I used to watch. I would always, like, we didn't have white noise. We had the tv. Like, I would sleep with the TV on. I remember whenever we slept at your house, Aaron was like, hey, Nicole, how do you feel about sleeping with a television on? So I also know she's this fall asleep to the TV girl. And I would turn the TV on first thing in the morning to get ready for school. Just noise in the background. Weirdly, I would watch, like, GMA sometimes. I don't know if I was trying to be worldly, but I would usually watch, like, SpongeBob. And I remember, like, switching. Like, I think it was, like, early high school, because I'm a little. I'm older. I'm 30. I'm 39. So I feel like it was, like, around 2000, like, when I was, like, a freshman in high school maybe that I switched from watching SpongeBob in the morning to MTV. I was an adult now.

[Kate]

I always forget that SpongeBob was around in the early 2000s. I just don't associate it with, like, 2000 still around. Do your kids watch it?

[Nicole]

Unfortunately, we don't let them. We're like, sorry, I'd rather you watch the Simpsons. We're not watching SpongeBob. Mom's not doing really. The SpongeBob is like Coco Melon to me. I can't.

[Kate]

I can't. Coco Melon.

[Aaron]

Sam, kind of similar to you. Well, with the spongebob, but, like, with Disney Channel, I had, like, a hard stop. Like, when Lizzie McGuire ended in, like, 2003, 2004, I was, like, done with the Disney Channel and I was, like, full on MTV, VH1, all those sorts of channels.

[Host]

And.

[Aaron]

And I feel like. But I was watching MTV a little bit before then, and 2002, when I was thinking about it is really when I remember really starting to watch mtv. It was like there was a season of Road Rules that I remember in 2002 that really stuck with me. It had this one. One girl, Kendall, who I wanted to be. She would wear, like, space buns and, like, a choker, and she had, like, really cool, like, thin eyebrows and, like, eye makeup. And I thought she was so cool. And then it was the same season, the. That same year, the Real World, Vegas, which has really stuck with me with, like, Trish Michelle having a threesome. Hot tub.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Aaron]

And, like, Brynn was a go go dancer. And Errolon and Alton, they'd be, like, taking smoke breaks by the, like, 12 years old. Watching that. Like, that just what I love, too.

[Nicole]

I feel like, what's different about those early. Like, I think of the early seasons of. Because social media didn't exist, so there wasn't. Whereas now I feel like reality TV exists for people. It's a step to become a social media star and make your money and turn. So it's not even about the reality TV anymore. But back then, like, yeah, there were no ulterior motives.

[Aaron]

Maybe you should be on tv.

[Nicole]

Everybody wanted to be on mtv. Right? It's more pure. Pure is not the right word to describe the real world, but it is.

[Kate]

Yeah. I was just watching, like, shows on Netflix, and I just feel like, like, dating shows and such. And Chad and I were watching it. We're like, everyone's coming with bits. Everybody

[Nicole]

have a story.

[Kate]

No one's trying to find love. Everybody is just trying to get their five minutes of fame so then they could, like, profit off this. But in the early 2000s, like, it. It was pure. Everybody was just in it. You would Embarrass the shit out of yourself. Like they were doing something and people were normal.

[Nicole]

I feel like too, whenever you, like, if you go back and like, look at a Bachelor season, for example, like, people looked like us and now it's like you've got to be like a 10 to get on a reality show where you didn't. It didn't used to be that way. It was. It was much more relatable. And I miss. But I mean, they also. Yeah, they were making complete asses out of.

[Kate]

Sorry.

[Nicole]

They didn't know any better.

[Kate]

Calling me a 10. I was on.

[Nicole]

I mean, y. And you won. So you're an 11.

[Aaron]

Yes.

[Nicole]

Okay. Because you have reality TV experience. And we just. We need to talk about that at some point.

[Kate]

I was going on with the purest intentions. Eric. We could just ignore that. I auditioned for the Bachelor like four times before that.

[Aaron]

Really?

[Host]

You did?

[Aaron]

Wow. Pull up that audition tape, please.

[Kate]

Oh, I have it. I was flinging around a rose. I posted it too. Like, it was. Yeah, I really wanted to get on a dating show for Chad. Could be concerning, which might be a red flag right now.

[Nicole]

You've proven yourself.

[Host]

You.

[Nicole]

You've proven yourself at this point.

[Kate]

Yeah, you're right.

[Nicole]

You're here for the right reasons.

[Kate]

Wait, do you guys. Speaking of like, reality shows and dating, let's talk about Next Room readers.

[Nicole]

That was. That all started, I feel like cuz was that kind of the first cuz Real World. Well, it wasn't like a dating show, obviously. Like, people would hook up and stuff. Real World was about like physical competition and people just fighting each other for no reason. Although there was Singled Out. Are you old enough to remember Singled Out?

[Aaron]

I know what you're talking about, but I did not watch. Yeah, this was like.

[Nicole]

And even I probably missed this a little bit. This was like late 90s, I think. Carmen Electra, I feel like maybe even hosted. Jenny McCarthy is the host that I think of. And it was like a rebirth of the old 70s dating show where you'd have like one girl or guy trying to find somebody and then all these people, they would. It was kind of like next, but not as like bit bitty. So I think of that as being like the first kind of dating reality show.

[Aaron]

And it was a little more traditional. Like, like you said, like, sure. School. Yes.

[Nicole]

There was like a host. Yeah, there was a host involved. It was more of like that 70s style dating show. But then I think, yeah, I think of like next. Does that predate the Bachelor? Even I. Are there any Next Couples that still actually exist. Because the setup of it was not about effing way.

[Kate]

You're not going to believe this. I was at a bingo night a couple months ago and I'm at the end of the table with this couple I don't know. And the girl brings up. She's like, oh, my boyfriend was on next and he got recruited at the Beverly center here in California when he was like in college. And when she brought it up, the boyfriend got so upset, the tension at the table. I was like, what is going on? Was there a traumatic experience? He was so upset that she brought it up. And I'm like, and. And I. I'm like, oh, my God. He doesn't know. He's sitting across from somebody who's obsessed with the 2000. So I'm like asking all these questions. He is literally getting so upset at her that she brought it up. Okay, long story short.

[Nicole]

Well, he's probably like a paralegal now and doesn't want that involved in his Google.

[Aaron]

Probably.

[Kate]

But he. They ended up leaving early from the dinner with a group of friends because it was so.

[Nicole]

They got a full on fight. Oh, no.

[Kate]

They got in a full on fight. And I remember walking up and going to the end of the table where Chad was, and I'm like, this is so awkward. I don't know what has. I'm like trying to whisper to him like, he's on next. She's very upset that she, like, it was. Or he's very.

[Nicole]

Whatever.

[Aaron]

All right.

[Kate]

Anyways, it was just a weird situation, but they're. They're lurking out there.

[Nicole]

I've never thought about, like. Because back then you couldn't like throw a. Like a. Hey, social media. We're creating the show. Like, were they casting calls almost like actors, or did they literally like, just go to the mall and find like the douchiest guy they can find and be like, hey, you want to be on mtv? And he was like, yeah, I do.

[Aaron]

I think there was that. I think there would be like, flat, like, I got some DMs about, like, how there would be flyers up in like college dorm rooms about like applying to these shows, Stuff like that.

[Nicole]

Yeah, yeah. Because they were all like 18 to like 25, right? I would say is the average.

[Aaron]

Probably. Yeah.

[Kate]

And I always think about, like Laguna Beach. Like, those people were 16.

[Aaron]

I know.

[Kate]

Like, they were casting high schoolers. Oh, my God. Even made rewatch. I love season. And they should bring that back.

[Nicole]

All of them. They should bring that back.

[Kate]

They should. But there was Like, a point in the episode where I don't even know they were, but they're, like, in the high school, like, lunchroom, or they're in the locker room. And Chad was like, I don't know if I could be watching this. Like, they're in a locker room filming the girls changing. It was so weird.

[Nicole]

Oh, they probably wouldn't be able to do that now. I doubt. I doubt, like, schools that are, you know, owned by the government. Like, I doubt that, like, a public school would be able to let a film crew in like that.

[Kate]

Now, if you guys could be made into anything, what would you want to be made into? Like, right now, current state of your life? What are we?

[Nicole]

Dance. I want to be able to hip hop dance. That's a. That's a goal of mine in life is to be able to hip dance. Well, just a Dougie. How about just Dougie made. I know how to Dougie. That would be my.

[Aaron]

I could see it. I could see it. I'm still gonna do what I would have done back then, and I would have. Want to be surfer.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Kate]

Wow.

[Nicole]

Blue Crush.

[Aaron]

Yeah.

[Kate]

Okay. I could see that. I could see that. And that's actually hilarious, Nicole. Just learning how to Dougie.

[Nicole]

Just that?

[Aaron]

Yeah, just that. That's it.

[Nicole]

And then we can stop. That'll be my one party trick anytime I go out. But I feel like they could bring that show back now with the Millennial angle. And it's us. Like, it's not like, okay, yeah, you're 18. You can do anything. Like, your body can do anything. But what if they did, like, made Millennial? Like, Millennial made, and it was like, you know how Jonathan Van Ness, like, relearned gymnastics in his, like, late 30s, early 40s?

[Kate]

Yeah, like that.

[Nicole]

Like, what's that. What's that thing that you wanted to do that you didn't ever get around to? Like, let's do it.

[Kate]

I like that. That is so fun.

[Aaron]

Okay, let's pitch it.

[Nicole]

Yeah. MTV showing us first. Okay. What's yours, Kate? Did you say yours?

[Kate]

I would want to be made into, like, Miss Illinois.

[Nicole]

Oh, we're going pageant.

[Kate]

We're going the pageant route. I've always wanted to be a pageant girl. Like, I really. Yes. To wear the dresses. I just feel like I think it also in lines with, like, a Victoria's Secret model. Like, you know, like, I. These are things that I can't achieve. But it's like, I've always wanted to, like, be a part of it. And I'm sure.

[Nicole]

Was there a Pageant episode. I feel like there was a pageant episode.

[Aaron]

I'm sure there was. I don't remember.

[Kate]

I think there was. I think the one that. Did you guys know that Laguna beach stemmed from Maid? The creator of Laguna beach saw Maid and saw all the. How these teenagers were like interacting in the high school, like in. And that inspired her to create Laguna Beach.

[Aaron]

Oh, interesting.

[Kate]

Yeah. If you go back and watch the Maid episodes, like, they are very much in the high school. And I don't know how cameras got in the high school. Like this the way it's. People were like, they're. They were unhinged on me because I just watched it. Like, they were like, they'll be like saying really crazy things. Like, she's so fat. He's ugly. What a nerd. Like the most crazy things you guys

[Aaron]

that period, I just feel like there was like a five year period where like Next made parental control Room Raiders. Room Raiders. Date my mom.

[Nicole]

Super sweet.

[Aaron]

15. Super sweet. We're so unhinged. And if you and I watch under 8 and if you. I rewatched next recently and it is insane. And I feel like that gold. It's like it just doesn't era. It is the golden era of reality TV because like we said, now people have an agenda and they want to like become famous. Famous. And they grow their social media platform and become an influencer, whatever. And before it was just like, people just wanted to make good TV and they would make a fool out of themselves and be crazy and it didn't matter. It wouldn't like ruin their brand. And also us watching, we didn't realize how fake and scripted it could be. Like, we thought. I thought Next was real.

[Kate]

We believed it.

[Aaron]

And if you rewatch it so scripted, it's insane.

[Nicole]

Stop it.

[Kate]

It is real. I. I'm not kidding you. I can stop still watch it with the purest eyes and think that.

[Aaron]

Have you rewatched it recently?

[Kate]

You need to rewatch it. I watched on YouTube. I mean, it's silly. It's super silly. But I'm also like, yeah, maybe he is scared of cotton balls and that's okay. Like. Like maybe they did. Maybe she doesn't wear underwear ever.

[Nicole]

Like, she's never Room Raiders.

[Aaron]

I thought Room Raiders was gonna come knocking on my door and like kidnap me and throw me in a van, you know? Like, I really did. I didn't think you had audition. I thought they were really pulling up to random people's houses and kidnapping.

[Nicole]

Right, right. Wait, how is there you didn't think like Wait, how is there already a camera inside her house getting that angle? Like, I didn't think about that. Like they're so surprised. But like, I bet you those people on Next didn't even know what their bullet points were going to say until it aired. That's my totally thinking.

[Aaron]

Totally. And they would probably put stuff in their room, obviously. And you know, I think, I think too.

[Nicole]

And you mentioned this, Aaron, is like there became this like tipping point where suddenly like I'm trying to find a bunch of. I don't have pictures of myself as a child because of my parents house burned down. And like I untagged myself from everything on Facebook because we were told if it's on the Internet and you're drinking, you're not going to be able to get a job. So I untagged myself. But like that hadn't happened yet where like there was this permanence of like, oh, if you're being filmed, this is forever. It didn't feel like that. So they were open to. And my goodness, there was cancel culture that didn't exist. It was almost the opposite. It was like, hey, we want you to be as politically incorrect and misogynistic and, and mean and horrible as possible. Like, yeah, yeah, let's do that.

[Aaron]

No, there was crazy stuff that happened on reality TV that wouldn't be.

[Nicole]

And it wasn't mtv but like America's Next Top Model. Like the things that I don't. And granted we didn't have fully formed frontal lobes to go, oh, this is wrong to be watching somebody's complete crash out like on tv. So I feel really bad for a lot of those people who had very defining moments in their life.

[Kate]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

On tv and didn't realize.

[Kate]

Sorry, this is. When you said defining moments, I was just thinking like my super sweet 16, like how badly I wanted to be those girls, but how bratty they'd be.

[Nicole]

Like they were.

[Kate]

Like when they were. Like they were crazy. Like when they didn't get the Mercedes Benz they wanted or like when. I don't know, their parents were just throwing out so much money. Serena fucking Kerrigan, her mom, who's a creator now, her mom created the show my super sweet 16.

[Nicole]

Oh, so her mom created the show and then, and then she got to be on it.

[Aaron]

She was.

[Kate]

No, she didn't get to be on. No, she didn't get to be on it. But she just talks about it now. Like her. How iconic if your parents started that show. But is it Tiana Taylor? Am I saying her name right?

[Aaron]

Oh, yeah, yeah, she was on it. I just found that out recently. I was like, wait, what?

[Kate]

She's, like, a huge actress. Like, she's just the most stunning person ever, and she fully has an episode on my super sweet 16.

[Nicole]

I'm surprised. She. I'm impressed that she's able to live that down. Like, in terms of, like, that not being brought up. Every other comment.

[Kate]

Remember that one girl that, like, took her dad's credit card, then, like, hit the streets and, like, bought all this stuff? I don't. I don't even know. I just feel like I'm having glimpses of it, but I just wanted ti. At my birthday party, right?

[Aaron]

The music guests they would get was crazy. Like, they obviously all had, like, connections or something. Like what?

[Nicole]

Yeah, they're just all. They're all loaded. I'm sure they were. Were they all, like, cal. Like LA based? No, they were.

[Aaron]

I don't know. That's a good question.

[Nicole]

All over.

[Aaron]

You think they were?

[Nicole]

No, it's just I remember seeing just, like, a girl. She was upset because, like, her Cadillac wasn't pink. And I'm, like, over here finding my 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse out of the newspaper with the $3,000 that my dead grandmother left me.

[Aaron]

Like, did you have an Eclipse?

[Kate]

I did.

[Nicole]

I did. It was.

[Kate]

Wow.

[Aaron]

Jealous.

[Nicole]

I. I rode that thing till the air conditioner went out, till the wheels fell off. I loved that car. I loved.

[Aaron]

That's cool. What color was it?

[Nicole]

Maroon. Her name was Marilyn. I made pillows for the back seat for my guests that would be in the back seat. I made pillows. I had the. The fuzzy steering wheel. I named it. Her name was Marilyn because I was obsessed with Marilyn.

[Kate]

Oh, my God.

[Aaron]

Wow.

[Kate]

Nicole, you couldn't have set this up better. Pimp my ride.

[Aaron]

Oh, my God. Another crazy show. Like, you guys, they literally put a CAT scan in the back of some girl's car because she was, like, a nurse or something. Like, that show was crazy.

[Nicole]

I think my favorite. Wasn't there a fish tank?

[Aaron]

Like, how are you? There was a drive.

[Nicole]

Yeah. With sloshing water and live animals in the back.

[Aaron]

Has anyone followed up with any of these people? Like, were they really driving these cars around for years to come?

[Nicole]

Like, no way. I'm on Facebook Marketplace a lot, and I'm. I'm surprised I haven't come across to put my ride car on Facebook Marketplace.

[Kate]

Honestly, I think there was, like, I. I don't even know. I think I remember seeing, like, a grill in one. A DJ set. Like, I think they turned, like, A coffin. Like, remember, they turn. Am I crazy that they took. No, I bet it's real.

[Aaron]

I bet it's real.

[Nicole]

Or like, it was like, was it. It was the kind of car. Not a morg car.

[Kate]

There's.

[Nicole]

It.

[Kate]

It was a hearse. Yes. And they, like, pimp that out. That's crazy.

[Nicole]

They're like.

[Kate]

Oh.

[Nicole]

You said. You mentioned you were into cats. Guess what? 17 cats in the back of your car.

[Kate]

But, Nicole, how you said you put pillows in the back of Maryland. That's how I pictured when I grew up. Like, oh, I was going to have pillows in my back seat. Now I can't even, like, keep my car clean. So there's no pillows in the back. Like, my car is.

[Nicole]

No translating, no children. It's embarrassing. My car's. It's disgusting. My car's disgusting within five minutes of it being cleaned. But I. No, I. I loved that show. They could. I could. They could very easily. I just feel like so many of these are missed opportunities to bring back. Didn't they just shut down MTV as we know it?

[Kate]

Yeah, they shut it down. It doesn't shut down the music videos.

[Aaron]

Music videos. They don't play music videos anymore.

[Nicole]

Or.

[Aaron]

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Can we. We. Someone needs to research that. Hold up, hold up.

[Nicole]

Because I remember there was a whole day, a whole 24 hours where people were mourning the loss of MTV. I think it was. It was. It just. Yeah. That they won't show music videos anymore.

[Aaron]

Non stop music videos is over.

[Nicole]

So now they're probably just playing Pimp My Right over.

[Aaron]

They're probably just playing ridiculousness.

[Nicole]

Oh, yeah.

[Kate]

Do you guys remember, though, like, that's how you would see music videos. Like, you would have to catch, like, making the videos.

[Aaron]

Making the video.

[Kate]

Guys, wait.

[Nicole]

Which means somebody who was into, like, making the vision and cameras and stuff. That was always. I was always so cool to watch how they made like. And it was like. It was Britney. It was the big. It was Beyonce. It was the big people.

[Aaron]

And diary.

[Nicole]

Remember Dire? You premiered it.

[Aaron]

Yeah.

[Kate]

Wow. This is like a diary. I can, like, diaries.

[Aaron]

You think?

[Kate]

Did Brittany do a diary?

[Aaron]

No idea. Yes.

[Kate]

This is the diary of you guys.

[Aaron]

That show was amazing. It really was.

[Nicole]

It was like, original documentary true.

[Aaron]

BTS of like, what celebrities were up to it. And it just. That just wouldn't. That just doesn't exist anymore.

[Kate]

Wait, that's when you vocal stem, like, you think, you know, honestly.

[Aaron]

Put it in your. Put it in your bio.

[Kate]

There's one show we haven't touched on. And I'm really surprised no one's brought it up.

[Aaron]

There's a lot. But what?

[Kate]

There's.

[Aaron]

What is it?

[Nicole]

Wait, let's.

[Kate]

Jersey Shore. Oh, God.

[Aaron]

Well, yeah, I mean, that's later, but yes, Jersey Shore. I mean, wow. And it's still on.

[Kate]

I mean, I watch family vacation still.

[Aaron]

Oh, you do?

[Nicole]

I haven't.

[Aaron]

I haven't for some reason, but I. I know I would enjoy it, but, man, I never came out when I was in college.

[Kate]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

I was about to say, I think I was too busy doing post college

[Aaron]

when it came out. When did it come out?

[Nicole]

When?

[Aaron]

Let's see, let's. 2009. 2000.

[Kate]

Yeah. I remember my freshman year of college in 2009. We would, like, go over to this girl's dorm room to watch it every Thursday. And then when we got into our own apartment, every Thursday, Jersey Thursday. We would drink in pre. Pregame to the episode, then go to Kincaid's for dollar beers. And I would black out.

[Aaron]

We would have Jersey. Jersey Shore themed parties.

[Kate]

Yes.

[Aaron]

You know? Yes, man.

[Nicole]

December 3rd, 2009. Which was literally the month.

[Aaron]

So the end of 2009.

[Host]

Oh, wow.

[Aaron]

Okay.

[Nicole]

The end of 09. So, yeah, I think at that point, like, I. I don't think I watched MTV because it was just weird. It was weirder. It was harder to watch tv. I feel like. Yeah. In college, right?

[Aaron]

Yes.

[Nicole]

It was like, right after.

[Aaron]

It was. For me, there was like, years I, like, didn't have cables,

[Nicole]

wasn't paying for.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Aaron]

Like sophomore year, I didn't have cable, so I was just watching like, DVD seasons of like, One Tree Hill. That's like all I watch for like a whole year, you know, I don't know.

[Kate]

I've never seen One Tree Hill, which is crazy, but we know I haven't seen longer.

[Aaron]

Yeah, you haven't seen a lot.

[Nicole]

You're.

[Aaron]

You're very. You're more. You're a reality TV girly.

[Kate]

Yeah. Like, since I went to college during the Jersey Shore era, like, that shaped our fashion so much. Like the cheetahs. Cheetah mini skirts, the big poofs, the. The extreme tans, the big hoops. Like, we were all trying to look like Snooki. Like, Snooki was the blueprint for how we went out and how. And even like GTL became Ron Juice or whatever.

[Aaron]

Juice.

[Kate]

Also the duck phone. Also like grenades. We were.

[Nicole]

We were.

[Aaron]

They were caps. Yeah.

[Kate]

Caps that he had. Taxi. Solo Quee. That's what we.

[Nicole]

How much of like. Because social. Because Did Instagram exist yet in 09?

[Aaron]

No, not really.

[Nicole]

No. Facebook was around, and I feel like Facebook. Facebook had gone where it wasn't just your college.

[Aaron]

Twitter. Twitter was around.

[Nicole]

Okay. Because I feel like the spread. When I think of Jersey Shore, I do think of that being kind of the first one. That was like, wildfire.

[Aaron]

Like, yeah, Boom.

[Nicole]

Overnight spread spread across the country. Everybody's quoting Snooki quoting it.

[Aaron]

Having theme parties. Yeah, yeah.

[Kate]

You know what? Noah came to me, though.

[Nicole]

The.

[Kate]

Sorry, this is just maybe. I love when, like, a deep thought happens for me because nothing really ever goes below the surface. So I was thinking, like, it. It worked so well. Like, Jersey Shore. Because it was, you know, before Instagram. Like, now we watch a reality show. We already follow everybody on Instagram, like, so the scandals already. So by the time the show comes out, it's like, all right, we already know who they're dating. We already know what happens. Like, when we. Jersey Shore, like, was so amazing because every Thursday, you had to wait to see what happened. Like, we didn't follow anyone.

[Aaron]

Like, that's a very good point.

[Nicole]

It was real time. It wasn't real time, but it was real time.

[Aaron]

Now there's no surprises.

[Nicole]

Those people genuinely were friends and knew each other and cameras just weren't used. Whereas now, like, with Real Housewives or even, like, the New Mormon Wives, it's a manufactured cast who don't have that intense history.

[Kate]

I feel like now people go on reality shows. Like this one show I just watched, like, somebody comes in the house, they're like, oh, I know her. She's DM'd me before. Or, like, I don't know.

[Aaron]

It's.

[Kate]

There's already connections.

[Aaron]

It's just. It's just so different.

[Nicole]

What about I should stop calling it reality tv? Because it's not.

[Aaron]

And like, now I'll see clips of. Be behind the scenes on, like, tick Tock of, you know, the Real Housewives being filmed. And you can see the camera crew filming them, and they're like, at a dinner table, and it just ruins it. You're like, okay, like, I don't want to see this.

[Nicole]

Do you feel like the breaking point was, like, I really do feel like whenever the. The end of Laguna beach. Was it Laguna beach or OC when they had the reveal of the Hills.

[Aaron]

The Hills.

[Nicole]

The Hills. When it was the final scene and they were saying goodbye and the camera pans back and there's a green screen. Roll away the back set.

[Aaron]

They roll away the backdrop behind Brody.

[Nicole]

I mean, brilliant, brilliant.

[Aaron]

But honestly, that was the first time that we were all like, yes, is this not real? And that kind of. That might have been, like, the first time.

[Nicole]

I remember how there were boys growing up where they just would. They would go to the grave, like, saying, wrestling's real.

[Aaron]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

And that was us with reality, with the hills and the O.C. it was like, mom, it's real. There's no. It's not scripted. It's real.

[Host]

Real.

[Nicole]

And I feel like that was them saying, I'm so sorry, but this was, in fact, not real.

[Kate]

I'm sorry.

[Nicole]

I think that Kate's in denial.

[Kate]

No, this is like, no, I'm actually in denial. And I don't believe this, because I do believe. Okay, so did you watch the reunion?

[Aaron]

Have you watched.

[Nicole]

Listen to the podcast.

[Aaron]

The Laguna beach podcast with Stephen and Kristen. Okay.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Kate]

Some of the things were set up. But I do believe at the core, like, people are who they are and it's real. Like, I don't know. Like, okay, the reality show I was on, like, they. Yes. They put you in the situation, so they kind of, like, manufacture the drama. But how you react at the end of the day is how. Who you are as a person. Like, that.

[Nicole]

Believe in bad edits. You don't believe in. I got a bad edit.

[Aaron]

Yeah, that's a good question. Bad edits to that. Is that a real thing?

[Kate]

I do believe, like, they manipulate things. I do believe people. But, like, what comes out of your mouth is you at the end of the day. Like, I don't know. I. Hold on. I probably could take that back. So if I got a bad edit, I'd probably be like, that was a bad edit. And also, like, there were times where they. I'm just thinking, like, they would make me, like, have an eye roll.

[Aaron]

I love that.

[Kate]

I'm talking about a show that literally no one has saw.

[Aaron]

But I think there's. It's like a mixture. Like, I'm sure there's some things that are real, but sometimes they definitely try to, like, set up situations, like, tell you to talk about this or. You know what I mean?

[Nicole]

I mean, it's like a police interrogation where they. They lead you to water. It's like, hey, yeah, Kristin said this about you. How does that make you feel?

[Aaron]

And I wonder how much it has changed, like, in the last 20 years. Like, is it more. Like, how much more scripted has it gotten? I don't know. Although you were on a show not that long ago. Yeah. Now people.

[Kate]

Yeah. And that's the other thing, too. Like, there's like, there's so much media training. People know what to say, what not

[Aaron]

to say, and they don't want to get canceled and they don't want, like. Yeah. And anyway, okay, question for you because

[Nicole]

I've always wondered this about reality shows because I. I'm like, genuinely, these people must forget that there are cameras there to, to behave the way that they're. Do you forget? Like, do you get lost?

[Aaron]

Really?

[Kate]

Absolutely. It really does start with the drinks. Like, you have a couple drinks and you're in the zone and yeah, you forget the camera's there. But there's two different types of people. There are people who want to start drama. There are people who are like, born for reality tv, in love, stirring. They love to like, make comments. I was too self aware. I was probably one of the people, like coming from advertising. I also was working a corporate job. I knew at the end of this I had to get back to work. So I was like literally the most boring person for reality TV because I was too nice. I hated drama and I wanted to find love. So those. When you come in with actually trying to follow the rules of the show, you're boring. Like, would you.

[Aaron]

Would you do it again? Like, did you have a. Would you do.

[Kate]

No.

[Aaron]

Really?

[Kate]

No. Even like, I was. We tried out for Amazing Race a couple years ago and now looking back, like, I can't, I can't. I would also. Nobody wants to see me talk to Chad. How I talk to Chad when we're at a stop sign like that. I cannot show my true colors at all. You guys do. Would you guys. Have you first, have you ever been interested in reality tv? Like, if there was a show that you could go on? Any show? Actually, no. I just played this game with Chad the other day. If you could be on any reality show, which one do you think you could thrive on? Like from mtv in the past.

[Aaron]

Oh, in the past. I always used to think, like when I was in college, I was like, oh, I could be on the Real World and, And kill it. That's what I used to think. But like nowadays, I don't know. But yeah, back then I. I wanted to be on the Real World back, back when I was like in my

[Kate]

party era, you know, I could see you on it. I could totally like you. You'd be so good.

[Aaron]

I don't maybe, who knows? I don't know what I would be like in front of a camera, but

[Nicole]

I feel like, no, you would have been the really good, like under, like really, like the diary room that Would have been where you throw. Thrived, thrived, thrived.

[Aaron]

Where I throw.

[Nicole]

That's where. That's where you would have throw. I feel like you're. You're caught. Like, it would be like, crazy, crazy, crazy. And then it would cut to you just giving, like, the reality from the diary room of, like, just straight read. Like that would have. You would have been gold to that gold.

[Aaron]

Damn.

[Nicole]

You would have.

[Aaron]

I don't know. Yeah. What about you, Nicole?

[Nicole]

Yeah. Trying to think, man. May I think made. Because I feel like if I. If I have the dopamine behind it and like, I'm hyper fixated on it. It's 100 for like a week. They would have, like a week span for me to go for something, but definitely not a physical show.

[Kate]

Real.

[Nicole]

Like, I think in my head I could have owned, like, road roll stuff, but no, for the challenge. Like, 15 minutes.

[Aaron]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Aaron]

They do crazy stuff on that show. I'm like, I don't know about that.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Kate]

What about you, dad?

[Aaron]

Made.

[Kate]

This is. This is the deep cut, actually. What, this. But this would. This would require me to be able to sing. There was Legally Blonde, the musical search for, like, the next Elle Woods. Does anyone, anyone remember this show? What year this was? Probably like 2,000. I want to say eight or nine. They were looking for the next Elle woods for Broadway, and it was with the Broadway star Laura Bell Bundy. It was like, to replace her and all these. Has anyone seen Legally Blonde, the musical?

[Aaron]

No. Oh, my God.

[Kate]

It's like the best soundtrack to ever exist.

[Aaron]

Really. Okay. Yes.

[Kate]

See, there were so many shows on MTV that were like, oh, my people are gonna know what this is like. They're like the people who know Legally Blonde, the musical Ride for that soundtrack. And I just really wanted to be a Broadway star. Also, I loved making the band. But considering now everything we know about P. Diddy. Right? Disgusting.

[Aaron]

Yikes.

[Kate]

Yeah, yikes.

[Aaron]

What about Cribs? You guys

[Host]

like.

[Kate]

Ah, we got talked about Cribs.

[Aaron]

You guys.

[Nicole]

I loved Cribs.

[Aaron]

Did you guys know that? A lot of them, A lot of it was like, they, like, rented them.

[Kate]

Shut up.

[Aaron]

No, I have to tell you. I have to tell you.

[Kate]

A lot of them like, like, rented

[Aaron]

the mansions or, like, borrowed the cars, like the car. Jojo. Yeah, Jojo's episode, if you guys remember that one, like, the house she showed was her, like, uncle's vacation house. And, like, her and her mom were, like, in and out of living in hotels at the time. Anyway. An episode that lives rent free in my head. Is Mariah Carey's. She lived. Which I'm sure that was really her place. She lived in, like, the top 17 floors of an apartment building. And she was like, on the elliptical on her and her, like, he heels, like, showing off her, like, workout room.

[Nicole]

The fridge too. They always made a big deal about the fridge. The fridge, yeah.

[Kate]

I think the episode that stands out for me is because I was obsessed with the Playboy mansion when they went to Hugh Hefner's mansion. And I think I've said this before, like, I've always wanted to live in the Playboy Mansion. I wanted my own pink room. Exactly. Now wait till we break that to you. Yeah, exactly.

[Aaron]

You don't want to know what went

[Kate]

down in that to get that room. Oh, that's right.

[Nicole]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Aaron]

What you got to do to get that room. Yikes.

[Nicole]

Between the Victoria's Secret made episode. I'm a little. We'll chat.

[Kate]

Are you seeing a theme? It's like, I want it to be that 2000s it girl.

[Nicole]

One thing we haven't talked about is, like, there was a whole era of

[Aaron]

like,

[Nicole]

like meet the Barkers, the Ozzy Osbourne newlyweds, Ashley Simpson show. Like, once you kind of made it, you could have your own reality show dedicated to you and your life on mtv.

[Kate]

This is how I know I'm in the right career path because, like, I physically don't know what to do with myself. When you say the Ashley Simpson show.

[Aaron]

Oh. When she dyed her hair black. Wow. And like the same.

[Kate]

And then we all dyed her hair black and we all wore the white tank tops with the black bra.

[Aaron]

Oh, and the.

[Kate]

In the polka dot skirt.

[Nicole]

She was so hardcore. I. My son just this morning listened to it. Granted, it was the kid's bop version of Pieces of Me. I was obsessed with that album. I was obsessed.

[Aaron]

That was like one of them probably top three albums that I is burnt in my brain growing up that I listened to. Over, over, over, over, over that, like every song. Yeah.

[Kate]

Oh, yes.

[Nicole]

Was Ryan. I've met Ryan Cabrera. Was he. Was he on the show? He was on the show, right? That was when they were. Yeah. She wasn't dating Pete Wentz yet. It was Adam or Ryan Cabrera.

[Aaron]

I think. I think it was Ryan Cabrera.

[Kate]

I think.

[Aaron]

Yeah.

[Kate]

But you guys, when I first moved to LA three years ago, I went to Ryan Cabrera's birthday party. It was prom theme. I don't even know how I got invited.

[Aaron]

Where was it at? I need details.

[Kate]

It was at. It was actually at Chili, where we Went to. It was actually at Heart where Aaron and I met.

[Aaron]

That's where I met him. I met him at that place for some tribute thing, like, years ago. Anyway.

[Kate]

Oh, my God. That's right. But it's at this club in LA called Heart. And this is where. It was Lance Bass's birthday party where I met Aaron. There was just a time where they were all having their birthday parties at Heart.

[Aaron]

Lance. That's Lance Bass's bar, by the way.

[Kate]

Yeah, Yeah, I think it was, but now it's, like, changed.

[Aaron]

Oh, really?

[Kate]

Oh, it's, like, changed, like, three times. It's crazy. I see it always ever changing. Wait, there was another show member, Bam Margera.

[Nicole]

Oh, can't.

[Kate]

His poor parents.

[Nicole]

I can't.

[Aaron]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

Even before I became a parent, I. I first the. I guess I. I was old enough to realize, like, this isn't. That was never funny for me.

[Aaron]

Yeah. Or like, Jack. Were you guys into Jackass? Like, I think that was more like a guy show. Like, I just didn't think that was funny.

[Nicole]

My husband likes people getting hurt is the funniest thing he's ever seen.

[Kate]

Right.

[Nicole]

And I just. I don't get it.

[Kate]

Yeah, I don't get it.

[Aaron]

I don't get it.

[Host]

Sorry.

[Kate]

Also, I've been re watching this because it plays on vivio. We don't have, like, real cable, so I watch punked reruns at night. Again, a show that I thought was so hysterical back in the day, and now I'm like, how horrible. I know Kutcher is not funny, you guys.

[Aaron]

When Beyonce put the star on top of that, like, giant tree and it, like, fell over, and she thought she, like, ruined Christmas for the children.

[Kate]

Her face. Yeah, that's funny.

[Nicole]

That's funny, right?

[Kate]

Okay, that's funny.

[Aaron]

Justin Timberlake thought, like, the IRS was, like, repossessing his house.

[Kate]

He started crying.

[Nicole]

Like, that's the least of his concern. This is gonna ruin the tour. This is gonna ruin the tour.

[Kate]

I. I just watched one with Ally and aj, but this is where it gets messed up. As they started to run out of ideas, Ali and AJ went to go do a photo shoot with a bear. And. And they were, like, feeding treats. And then, like, five minutes later, I

[Nicole]

don't think I saw the real bear.

[Kate]

No. Yes. All of a sudden, they swapped. They took the real bear out. They brought in a taxidermy bear that's, like, dead. And they're like, who killed the bear? Who killed the bear? And now the girls are sobbing. They're like, who fed him Chocolate. And I was just like, wow, we're really scraping for, like, these great, you know, ideas.

[Aaron]

The ideas started getting a little, like, yeah.

[Nicole]

Played out well. Or it got so popular. It was like, something would be getting weird and be like, okay, where's. Where's Ash? Like, yes. It could only kind of have one season, right?

[Kate]

I feel like, yes. I also feel like you could call out a Millennial, because I still will be like. Like, oh, my God, so annoying. Chad and I got, when we were fighting recently. Like, I think he's like. He's like, am I getting punked?

[Nicole]

I still say punk.

[Kate]

I still say, no.

[Nicole]

Like, that's going to exist forever. That's. No, that's. Call me old millennial, but I will never. Not saying. Referencing that.

[Kate]

Are we getting punked?

[Aaron]

There was an episode Stephen Coletti was talking about recently that he was on where his, like, girlfriend at the time. I can't remember it was his girlfriend. She was, like, an actress. I can't remember who it was. They, like, there was camp. She went to the. He went to the tanning salon with her, and there's cameras in the room or something like that. Basically, he figured out that he was getting punked in, like, the middle of the episode, and then he had to, like, play along. But it was just like, yeah, I think it started getting a little. People were noticing that it was happening anyway.

[Nicole]

What's so cool to me, though, is, like, there was that whole era where once mtv, like, those types of reality shows went from, like, unknowns to, like, that became somebody in PR's, like, your PR team's goal of, like, okay, we want the world to know that we've made it. We've got to get you on Punked. It was like, are you a big enough celebrity to be on Cribs to be on Punked? Like, that was a sign that, like, it was a PR deal, huh?

[Kate]

Yeah, I guess that's, like, maybe the equivalent of being on, like, Call Her Daddy nowadays.

[Nicole]

Like, yeah, probably podcast.

[Aaron]

That's how you get yourself out there.

[Kate]

Okay, I need you guys to guess this next show, though, on mtv. What's this MTV show that you would run home from school to watch?

[Aaron]

You need to move on. Have we not talked about trl?

[Nicole]

We haven't talked about trl, except we

[Aaron]

didn't cover True Life, but whatever.

[Nicole]

Yeah, True Life. My parents are embarrassing.

[Aaron]

Okay, True Life and trl, man. Okay. Anyway, say what you're gonna say, Kate.

[Kate]

Well, now I kind of want to start about True Life, because the OCD episode Was a first imprint into my life where I was like, oh, I think I have ocd.

[Aaron]

Really?

[Kate]

Yeah. I was like, oh, oh, I touch things multiple times. That might be this, like. Yeah.

[Nicole]

Was there an episode on, like, A True Life? Like, I eat paper or my hair or am I thinking of tlc?

[Kate]

Yeah, you might be thinking of tlc. Strange addiction. So that's the only thing. Okay. But, yeah, True Life, which. Sorry, we watch rewatch this all on YouTube recently.

[Aaron]

Oh, really?

[Kate]

Those were. Yeah, it's really crazy. Like, True Life, Like, I'm moving to another country. True Life. I hate my boyfriend. Like, true. Like, they were really toxic and bad, and they really followed people at the lowest points of their life.

[Aaron]

Okay, wait, have you. Did you. Have you recently rewatched or seen the one that was like, True Life, I'm getting married, about that Staten island couple. And the guy. The guy, the limo driver showed up, like, two hours late, and he was just reaming the guy on the phone, like, threatening to kill him on the phone. Like, screaming at him like, I will

[Kate]

cut you, you piece of.

[Aaron]

Yeah, that was crazy. He died. Yes, he died in 2020. I looked it up. What rip. I don't know what his name was.

[Kate]

The limo driver or the guy?

[Aaron]

No, that guy who was yelling at him.

[Host]

Oh, my God.

[Aaron]

It was a.

[Kate]

That was crazy episode.

[Aaron]

Anyway.

[Kate]

That would never fly. Well, no, it wouldn't fly today.

[Aaron]

No.

[Nicole]

Although people recognize, like, True Life, these people need therapy. That's so.

[Kate]

But help me out, because I was slightly. A little too young to be like, TRL wasn't the biggest thing on my radar. I did watch it, but I was still, like, in almost elementary school, where it wasn't, like, the thing I was coming home to from school to watch.

[Aaron]

I. I was coming.

[Nicole]

Visual memories of the outfits. Like, I feel, like, so much, like, whenever I'm looking for, like, an outfit reference for stuff like we're seeing coming back, I feel like half of them are TRL appearances.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

So people coming on like, that was almost like pre making the video is like, Madonna would come premiere her video on trl. Like, Backstreet Boys would all come go on and premiere my dream in life. Because it was in Times Square, right? And they would have a live studio audience and there would be people outside with S. It was like. It was like New Year's.

[Aaron]

Like.

[Nicole]

But every day where people would, like, hold up, I would dream of being in that audience.

[Aaron]

It was so crazy. My. My cousin went to high school with Carson Daly. That's in my story.

[Kate]

That's all I know.

[Nicole]

What, Where. Where at?

[Aaron]

In California. Was he California?

[Nicole]

Yeah. Beach guy.

[Aaron]

I don't. I don't know details. I just know she was. But, yeah, that show.

[Kate]

We don't have that anymore. Like, I forgot we have that. The artist to the window. Sorry. I was like, still my train of thought. I was like.

[Aaron]

I was like. Like, it's just like, music videos were such a big deal. Like, I remember the, like, one music video that sticks out to me is the Christina Aguilera dirty video. That, like, changed my brain chemistry. I was like, oh, like, that's how I need to be dancing. Like, at school, dude.

[Nicole]

But I missed whatever. It was almost not even about the song. It was about the music video. It was almost more about the visuals than it was the song itself.

[Kate]

The dance.

[Nicole]

Like an artist, you couldn't just come out with a song. You had to come out with a video.

[Aaron]

Yeah.

[Kate]

Yes.

[Aaron]

To make, like, Britney's I'm a Slave for you. Like, the dancing in that video. Get out of here.

[Kate]

Toxic.

[Nicole]

But you know what I think was also sub special about TRL is, like, now I feel like, okay, you're into rock. Your Spotify's all rock. Your Spotify is all pop. Your Spotify is all country. But, like, that brought the country together. You would have Blink 182 and then Backstreet Boys and then Usher and then the Pussycat Dolls. Like, it would, like, Ashley Simpson came right after, like, Fred Durst.

[Aaron]

Like, it.

[Nicole]

It was a. A genuine, like, example, I feel like, of the. Our youth. And it represented maybe not everybody, but, like, a lot of everybody. And I feel like now you just. Like, I. I miss being exposed. Like, our algorithms know us so well. Like, they don't push us outside of our musical buckets. And I. I do miss that.

[Aaron]

And we were all listening to songs and watching the music videos for the first time together.

[Kate]

Yeah.

[Aaron]

You know, they would premiere and we would all watch it together. Now it's on there on Spotify. People are all listening to things at different times and.

[Kate]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

My God, is she wearing the new couture?

[Aaron]

Anyway, should we move on to our next. Our next statement? So asl, Anonymous story lounge guys, from

[Nicole]

TRL to ASL to CI from crl.

[Kate]

I cannot wait.

[Aaron]

Okay. Oh, it's me.

[Nicole]

Okay. God, I really hope you got. I'm excited for this. Oh, my God.

[Aaron]

The pressure is on.

[Nicole]

Wait, what did you ask people?

[Aaron]

I asked people to submit, like, what did I ask? Oh, shoot. Just. I asked people to submit their MTV rally TV show stories. Any Unhinged moments that they didn't think would air today. Anything that, like, has stuck with them or. Or were they on an MCV reality TV show, which I was kind of hoping I would get more of that. And I definitely got some of that. Okay, good. I was on the show Next. Back in 2004, I was the one dating the men. The third guy I met ended up doing an actual colonic where I stayed in the room the entire time and held his hand. We had been filming all day, and I was over it. It was all scripted. I told the producers I was going to pick him. And when I told the guy on camera, he said no to me. After filming, he came up to me and told me how very sorry he was and how much he actually liked me. He said that when I. He said that when I told the producers of my plan, they then went to his him and offered him $500 to say no to me. He said he was broke and really needed the money, but still wanted to take me out and ask for my number. And I said no.

[Kate]

What a twisted like, like, then also he's like, I'm broke, but I still want to take you out. So you're spend that 500. Like, I don't even know, like, what's going to happen. Wow.

[Aaron]

I don't know why she was getting

[Nicole]

up with him on air. I don't remember that episode.

[Kate]

Me neither. I'm like, wait, in the episode, like,

[Nicole]

so that must have been like, season seven when they were desperate.

[Aaron]

What else we got? Okay. My friend and I went to Club Karma to see them film Jersey Shore. So much happened, but our illusions of reality TV having any resemblance of reality were shattered. Then he stood in a corner the entire night surrounded by security detail and refused to engage with anyone. J. Wow. The situation. And some other girls got in a fight that was completely staged and stopped when they yelled cut. My friend and I were so crushed, we decided to leave.

[Nicole]

Just the fact that they yell cut. That tells you everything. The fact that they yell cut, guys, I don't know. But also, like, I don't know that I would be. Kate is about to cry.

[Kate]

I am about to cry. Club Karma scripted. They weren't just grinding on everybody making out, being like, come back to, like, the house.

[Aaron]

Like, I got a couple DMS about Jersey Shore like this. Just, like, fully scripted them seemed then out and like, someone DM'd me about seeing them when they're in Italy. And they filmed this one take, like 10 times.

[Host]

Wow.

[Kate]

I really, really thought that if Anything. Jersey Shore was just.

[Aaron]

I mean, I just listened to Snooki on a podcast, and she, like, says it's not.

[Nicole]

So do you think. Did they sign, like, NDAs that said, like, hey, you can't reveal, like, the secret. The secret sauce, that this is all scripted? Or do you think they did it

[Aaron]

for their own good? Right.

[Nicole]

And even these people. I'm wondering, like, are you breaking an NDA right now by saying that, like, that that guy got paid 500. Because I wonder that.

[Aaron]

The NDA is probably. The NDA is probably up. Yeah.

[Nicole]

20 years later, I don't know, I'd still be nervous.

[Aaron]

Okay. I have a. Do you guys remember. You guys might not remember this reality TV show moment, but it was on the Real World. I want to say it was the Real World Seattle, which might have been late 90s. And there was that crazy moment when Irene left and she said to Stephen, you know why it would never work out with this? Because you're a homosexual. And then he ran back to the cab, opened the door and slapped her in the face.

[Nicole]

I do. Oh, my God. I remember that very. Yes. He hit her.

[Kate]

Yeah.

[Aaron]

The way that would.

[Kate]

I remember that.

[Aaron]

That was crazy.

[Nicole]

I mean, the thing I feel like I can equate that to is the, like, Will Smith. Oh, my God. Who did he hit?

[Aaron]

Yeah, Chris.

[Nicole]

Chris Rock stage. Chris Rock. Was it Chris Rock?

[Aaron]

Oh, yeah.

[Nicole]

Or Kevin Hart.

[Aaron]

It was Chris Rock.

[Nicole]

Okay.

[Aaron]

Yes.

[Nicole]

Yeah. I mean, that's the only thing I can think of. That was like the slap heard around the world. That was like the original slap.

[Aaron]

It was crazy.

[Kate]

Can see back in the day, right? People got away with it, right?

[Aaron]

This.

[Kate]

We still talk about it to this day, like Will Smith has. There's no returning from that. You will forever.

[Nicole]

You could. Yeah, you could. You could do some insane stuff back then and it, like. Which is wild because I feel like people move on from stuff so fast, but maybe it's just because there's like. It circulates more, but I forgot that that happened. I feel like, too, there was like a. There's a cancer.

[Aaron]

Like, dm.

[Kate]

Oh, yeah.

[Nicole]

Oh, my gosh. DM and CT is like her. Like, I remember being so invested in their relationship. Like, when he. When he carried her. Do you remember that episode of Real. When he carried her? Oh, my God.

[Kate]

I looked.

[Nicole]

I was so mad at my husband.

[Kate]

I. When I see, like, edits still to this day on, like, I. Sometimes I'll get served, like a ct edit on TikTok and I'm like, damn, like, I forgot how much I love them together.

[Nicole]

Like, I don't. I don't believe in soul mates, but if I do, it's because of them.

[Aaron]

Oh, yeah.

[Nicole]

And granted, there was a lot of toxicity in that relationship, too, but.

[Kate]

True.

[Aaron]

My super sweet 16 came to my high school, but the kid wasn't even a student there. They literally transferred him to my high school for, like, two weeks and made it look like we were living in Chicago. I'm from a rural suburb. Random students were invited to his party, and they didn't even know him at all.

[Kate]

What?

[Aaron]

Yeah. Anyway, I've lost faith and everything.

[Kate]

I've com. I've lost any hope I have of anything. The. Any innocence I had left of my teenage years is completely gone within. I mean, what I do think about,

[Nicole]

like, the amount of parents that would have to sign consent and release forms to film, like, a legit, like, high school party with, like, 70, like, underage kids. I. I do think about, like, now, like, what are the. Like, I have to have my husband sign a consent form if I'm. His voice is going to be in my video. So I think about that. But, yeah, that's. That's just sad.

[Aaron]

I know. All right, so now that our lives are our. Our lives are shattered, and our.

[Nicole]

Now that we've ruined reality TV shows as it ever was, let's not move

[Aaron]

on to a game.

[Nicole]

God, is she wearing the new couture?

[Kate]

Oh, let's do it. Okay, hear me out. Are you okay?

[Nicole]

Are you. Are you okay?

[Aaron]

Are you ready for this?

[Kate]

I'll manage. 30 seconds. Okay, here we go. Three, two, one. Hear me out. Let's bring back the poof. And I'm being dead serious on this. We're talking about Jersey Shore, all this episode. I think that we need to get the hair out of our face and pin it back and make it high to the sky because there was nothing more. Just, like, it was such an easy hairstyle. Everybody pretty much could participate in it. I feel like we all looked hot. And you know what? That cat in the background is freaking messing me up right now. So let's bring back the poof. And. Damn it. Your cat. Nicole's cat. I thought it was one of. One of her ten cats.

[Nicole]

He agrees. He agrees.

[Kate]

God damn it.

[Aaron]

Which cat was it?

[Nicole]

Yeah, that was definitely cold. I'll let him in. Keep going.

[Aaron]

Listen, honestly, I don't. I. I, like, in the summertime, my hair gets frizzy and curly and crazy. And last summer, I cut bangs, which was a crazy decision. So I actually was rocking A poof. I didn't want to be rocking a poof, but I was. Now, I don't know about poofing it so high, but I'm all for it in the summer to get my hair out of my face, you know, I

[Nicole]

wonder if that was the origin of the poof. I think it was just millennials collectively

[Aaron]

growing out our banks, growing out our side bangs. No, I really think it was you guys. Yeah.

[Kate]

I never thought of it like that.

[Aaron]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Kate]

Oh, okay.

[Nicole]

Here's the thing. And you see my tendrils, right? I'm very excited that because my hairline has never been made for a poof. I have had a receding hairline since the day that I came out of my mother's body. So the.

[Host]

The.

[Nicole]

I. The thought of the poof coming back is really scary for me because I don't. My hairline was not made for it. You've got a great hairline, Kate. I'm gonna let.

[Aaron]

Yeah, you do. You do have a really good hairline. Have you ever thought about that? Like, you have a really great hairline. Mine's pretty average. I don't know.

[Host]

Wow.

[Kate]

No, I never thought about it. Actually. What's driving me up nuts right now is the length of my hair.

[Nicole]

Wait.

[Kate]

Sitting.

[Aaron]

Are you getting it cut today?

[Kate]

I am getting it cut today.

[Aaron]

Do you know what you're doing?

[Kate]

I don't know. I really want to cut it. My stylist is getting scared of me because I keep wanting to go shorter.

[Aaron]

You're back.

[Kate]

Everybody's like, why are you here?

[Nicole]

Flash therapist.

[Kate]

Is that the cat that just, like, messed me up?

[Nicole]

This is cool. I'm so sorry.

[Aaron]

It's so bad.

[Nicole]

I'm so sorry. I know.

[Kate]

Wow. That's a beautiful chat, though. It's. He always leave a cat. It's like, Salem.

[Aaron]

Does he talk like Salem? Hello.

[Nicole]

He there? His name's Colt. He there. He and his two siblings are named after the three ninjas.

[Aaron]

Oh, yeah. That's cute. I love that. That's my favorite little.

[Nicole]

Does he know he's about to get his balls cut off next week?

[Aaron]

He can hear you.

[Nicole]

I feel like, too. You saw a contraption. Aaron, that they're. And yours was more. That was the, like, the. The bump.

[Aaron]

It.

[Nicole]

The bump. But it was like, less of a front. Millennial poof and more of the, like.

[Aaron]

Yeah, it was meant to be, like, the crown of your head.

[Nicole]

Not a bouffant, but, like.

[Aaron]

What do they call that?

[Kate]

Yeah, it was.

[Aaron]

It does not give as much volume as the bump. It and it can't be used as a weapon like the bump. It could, which really was nice. It was sharp. It was really sharp. All right, guys. Well, I think this is it. Everyone's dreams have been shattered. I don't know what to tell you, but submit your stories for our next episode and follow us on socials, leave a review, tell us how great we are.

[Nicole]

Obviously, this is you had to be

[Aaron]

there, the exclusive club to unlock your most chaotic memories.

[Kate]

Log off, touch grass and we'll see you next week.

[Host]

You had to be there, baby. You had to be there, baby. You had to be there, baby. You had to be there, baby.

[Nicole]

Thanks for listening to you had to be There with Kate, Nicole and Erin. You had to be There is produced by Sick bird Productions, Deanna DaCosta, Kayla Foreman and Rachel Derbyshire. If this episode unlocked a core memory, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and leave us a five star rating. See you next week for another trip down memory lane.