Ok, so I naively thought this day would never come, but I have been busted. I mistakenly believed that I could get through my adult life without this being brought up 13 years later, but people are smart and the internet is wide. So after more than a few “Who me? I don’t know what you’re talking about, haha” comment denials, I’m coming clean. My name is Sherry $herdog, and I was on MTV when I was 17. And it was easily the most embarrassing compilation of moments that could ever be edited together.
I’m an over-sharer, so some folks might wonder why I’d try to hide from this video. And to you I’d say: it’s one thing to invite people into your home and share a video that accidentally features your bra laying out on a bedroom chair or an interview where you flail around nervously or admit that you walk around covered in dog fur and cream cheese smears, but it’s a whole different ballgame to say “Let’s take a time machine back to my most awkward moments as a seventeen year old girl being surprised while life-guarding and told she’ll get to interview Eminem for a show called FANatic on MTV – oh look, I have the whole thing on video for you, let’s all sit down and watch it together.” Now excuse me while I giggle uncontrollably for ten minutes. I do that when I’m nervous.
Allow me to spill a few secrets: shows like this are a smidge set up. It’s not to say that I wasn’t completely Marshall Mathers obsessed (I was) but there are certain things you’re highly encouraged to mention so that you come across as the most deserving fan. Things like “I aspire to be a rapper someday.” I’ll pause while you snort whatever you’re drinking out of your nose. It’s true that my best friend Mariam at high school talent shows (we once donned orange puffy vests and belly shirts and parodied the Eminem/Dre duet Forgot About Dre) but it’s a Jersey thing. You had to be there to understand that it was not meant to be taken seriously. So no, I didn’t actually hope I’d be touring the country as a famous female rapper when I grew up.
Of course the show sets up situations too, like us going to the old burger joint where Eminem used to work before the interview…
… but it was pretty cool as a teenager to see some random restaurant and think “he really worked here just a few years ago flipping burgers?” Fun fact: the people I’m serving at that table in the restaurant are the limo driver and one of the production people who carted us around.
Another fun fact is that I hardly knew the girl who surprised me at the pool and came with me on the entire adventure. See, MTV required that the “friend” of the person being featured was 18 or a parent would have to accompany the fan and the friend (which I’m guessing cramped the crew’s style). So when I was going through the whole “you might be a finalist” phase of the process, they asked me about my friends and I gave a list of all my best 17 year old buddies and they sort of heavily suggested that I list someone over the age of 18. So the girl who worked at the front desk at the Marriott (where I was a lifeguard for years, represent) got listed – and she was the friend they picked to surprise me. And yes, it’s still really cool to be in a limo when you’re 17. Especially if you flash the peace sign with your sleeves rolled up.
Here’s where it gets extra embarrassing. At some point in the interview the word “phat” inexplicably slips out of my mouth. I never said that word before and have never said it since. I can only blame the loss of my whole damn mind at the thought of sitting next to a hip-hop star and somehow thinking $herdog could pull off a term like that. And I couldn’t. It rung in my ears for the rest of the interview while I continued to grin like a crazy person and giggle nervously. Although a lot of this experience is what I like to call “retroactively embarrassing” (since at the time it was really cool and I felt really lucky to be chosen), the moment I realized I said “phat” on national television was the moment that I wanted to punch myself in the face.
Then they asked me to rap. Repeatedly. It’s bad. Very very bad. Oh and about the pigtails, I wanted to wear a ponytail and an arm band (yes, an arm band) but the crew gently suggested the pigtails and no arm band. I’m thankful they nixed the arm band but still a little weirded out by the pigtails. So without further ado…
As for how I even got on the show, my friends dared me to send in a tape since I really was a hardcore fan and they thought I had a shot at being chosen. Meanwhile I believed I had zero chance, hence me doing all sorts of ridiculous things that I thought would never be on TV/YouTube (like sitting in a tub full of M&M’s) because I truly believed with every fiber of my being that I would never make the cut.
MTV does a really cruel thing to make you think you weren’t chosen (at least it felt cruel at the time) in order to get that completely surprised ‘surprise shot’ when they sneak up on you. They’re in pretty constant contact with you for a while to collect things like “what you would ask if you were chosen” and “who you would bring as a friend if you were chosen” and then they say you’re a semi-finalist but it’s not a done deal, and then they cut off communication for a few weeks. Total radio silence. So you go from being hopeful that you might get picked to completely and utterly bummed out that you didn’t make the cut after thinking “dude, I might actually get flown to Detroit to meet Eminem.” Which is a pretty cool concept as a 17 year old.
This is of course when you forget about the footage of yourself in a tub of M&Ms and it sounds like it could be The Coolest Thing You’ve Ever Done and not The Most Embarrassing Thing Ever a decade or so later. But I have to admit that as a teenager it was an amazingly fun time. I got to fly somewhere with a camera crew and without my parents, they put us up in a cool hotel, and Marshall was actually a really nice genuine guy (now I’m going to get weird and tell you that he had the best looking hands I’ve ever seen in my life). And he did kiss my neck, which at the time made me believe we would soon be married and we’d go on to have three bouncing babies named Slim, Shady, and Stan (kidding). Dude, I took a picture of my neck after it happened. I’m that girl (can you believe I managed to bag a guy like John? I still can’t).
So I’m extremely grateful for the experience. It just felt like… let’s not all watch it together on video and relive my teenage awkwardness together. But I guess now my “secret past” is out. In summary: it was pretty amazing (it made “the morning announcements” at my high school – haha), but the fact that the footage from a defunct show from over 13 years ago is now somehow on YouTube is something I never imagined. Oh well. The cat phat is out of the bag.
Now you tell me your most embarrassing secrets so we’re even. Go.
Allison says
I, for one, have a new respect for you! I love this, and I love Eminem — don’t be embarrassed!
Rachael says
I’m dying Over here from laughter!! I wanted to be the fanatic to meet Hanson….. Way worse
Kristen says
Love this!!! You made my day, seriously! Totally Robin Sparkles!!! (HIMYM)! My husband was like “Shut up, I remember that one!” (We’re from Michigan and huge Eminem fans! After watching the video he had to Youtube the Guilty Conscience video then a bunch of other old ones from the Slim Shady days and we reminisced ;)
My husband wants to know, what did you do with the tub full of M7M’s? He said he wondered that so many years ago and never thought now he would ‘know’ the girl in the video to be able to ask!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I think my brother and his friends ate them. It was about ten bags of them. It probably would have taken 100 bags to fill the tub but I got in and my friends stuffed the tub with towels around me and then poured M&Ms on top so it looked full. It was our version of “special effects” in the 90s. Haha.
xo,
s
Christen says
I remember lying on my couch watching that episode!!! I do not remember the pigtails or anything else but you at Gilbert’s because I thought it was flipping awesome because my maiden name was Gilbert. Iam sure…I thought that you and your platform sandals were awesome at the time!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that’s so funny.
xo,
s
Rachel says
oh my god.
oh my god.
OH MY GOD.
bwhahahahahahaaaa!!! I am DYING!
John@ Our Home From Scratch says
I literally have to stop watching after 2-3 minutes… I need a break! HILARIOUS! This is so classic/painful. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to laugh at yourself!
My most embarrassing thing… when I was five I used to setup a little tykes table on the sidewalk and try to sell coal to all my neighbors that walked by. I would literally yell “coal for sale!” at the top of my lungs. Didn’t move much product! ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that’s hilarious!
xo,
s
Rachel says
I’m attempting to regain my composure here…give me a moment…
Okay. Whew!
I especially loved the part where you went into full detail about your surprise at finding out he was a white rapper. A WHITE RAPPER. Get the heck out, I inspire to BE a white rapper!
Oh man. This totally made my week.
Melissa @ Loving this {crazy} life! says
This is AWESOME! I could stop smiling the whole way through. Brings back some good memories. Thanks for sharing!
Ashley says
Shut the front door! This is amazing. I love your Jersey accent… oh and the fact that you got to meet Eminem.
christina says
Why this apron is not on display (aka a shrine) is beyond me. After all, it is a crisp white to match your living room ;)
Thank you for making my night. I just. Absolutely. Died. Laughing..!
….Just when I think I couldn’t love this blog any more!!!!!
Stephanie says
I TOTALLY REMEMBER THIS EPISODE!!!!! Especially the part about you reading Rolling Stone for your paper. I was 13 at the time and thought that was so cool.
It could be worse, I seem to remember the Kid Rock fanatic having a Kid Rock tattoo. At least you don’t have a slim shady tattoo… Or do you?!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thankfully I do not.
xo,
s
Jenn T. says
Aw, man. I’m literally crying at this post. I’m assuming when I met you and told you I was from Detroit, you had visions of Marshall and 8 Mile come flooding back?! :)
“Jenn T. from Detroit now Portland”
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- totally. Any time anyone says M&Ms, Detroit, Marshall, Shady, Hip-Hop, or Pigtails I pretty much think of the whole thing. Haha.
xo,
s
Karla says
I am going red for you! Haha, funny.
Rachael says
I have to admit, I saw the video awhile back. I think someone had made a comment on one of your more well read articles (The Washington Post one perhaps?) about your claim to fame and Eminem so I immediately hopped on Youtube. I didn’t email you thought, I understand awkward years should stay in the past.
I’m thank the lord everyday that Facebook didn’t exist when I was in middle school/high school. I can’t even imagine.
Brit says
This is ADORABLE and hilarious!! hahah, I love it. You remind me a lot of young Natalie Portman in this vid, so cute. :) It’s pretty cool to have a time capsule of yourself like this, even if it is an embarrassing one. I feel like since video capable cameras are a pretty new thing for people to have, most people my and your’s age didn’t have a lot of video of their youth. I wish I did! I just have a few rolls of awful film cam photos.
Ashley says
This is quite possibly the best thing I’ve seen all week.
I can’t believe you’ve cheated us out of such a treasure until now.
I get it now…
I can totally jump on the $herdog bandwagon.
Well played, $herdog, well played.
Katie says
Ive been following your blog for years and have never commented on anything because you guys have just SO many followers!
but i am going to say WOW SHERRI! you met him, i cant believe you…hahaha, love it!! that was great!!!
Steph @ One Sleepy Mom says
I’m embarrassed to say I’m jealous! What I would have done to meet Eminem years ago…well, never mind. I think it’s awesome you were on MTV, and that you got to meet him. Was that before or after he did that song “Kim”? That was when he got a little scary lol.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, it was before. This was basically after My Name Is came out, so it was the early days. He was sort of underground in Jersey (and I’d imagine Detroit) before that hit though, so me and a few of my hip-hop loving friends used to listen to old mixed tapes of him battling and freestyling. Like the good ol’ days from the movie 8 Mile.
xo,
s
Karina says
Sherry, you are such a natural in front of the camera! Seriously, you should have been a TV moderator. You guys should totally make a TV show together. I’ll do the Marketing for the German market :)! Oh, and this was hilarious. And the kissing on the neck a little creepy hehe! Phat!
Heather says
The sweetest thing was your comment about John. You interview a man who girls are going crazy over and then say how lucky you are too have bagged John. AWWWWWW!
Heather says
HILARIOUS!! You got some rapping skillz to pay the billz! ;) I think someone should send that to him now, along with a link to your blog so he can see what you’re up to these days…maybe you could have a reunion!
I was never on MTV, but I was filmed by them once when I worked at this Italian restaurant in NH, and they filmed a segment of the show True Life…I had to deliver this couples food like 3 or 4 times, just to “get it right” and then they cut the scene!
YoungHouseLove says
NO way!! I always thought True Life was a one-take show. Who knew they rerecorded scenes?!
xo,
s
Jenny says
Love the video! I love your enthusiasm and courage! Do you still have that signed apron? You can pass it onto Clara hehehe
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, oh yes, it’s sure to be a family heirloom!
xo,
s
Alex says
THIS is the most fantastic thing I’ve ever seen.
Lauren says
I knew I recognized your face but I could never put 2+2 together. I just figured you had one of those faces or that I had seen you in passing since I spent a fair amount of time in the NJ/NYC area for university. Weird. But hysterically worth it. Whatevs, we all have things we wish wouldn’t ever pop up again, lol, but it makes us part of who we are.
Kaila says
Oh Sherry, I love this. I honestly felt uncomfortable and embarrassed watching it! You were adorable of course, but as a former hip-hop fan turned wife/mama decorator I can feel your pain…I just don’t have it on YouTube. This made my day, particularly the rap. You are the best!
Dusty @All Things G&D says
Oh this is fabulous! “Lose Yourself” came on the radio the other day and I bragged to a friend (yes, bragged) that I was surprised to discover I still knew all the words. (The guy driving next to me appeared surprised as well.)
We’ll have to have a rap-off at Haven.
I’ll bring my arm band.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, it’s a deal. Katie and I will tackle you from both sides. Wearing arm bands.
xo,
s
Georgia says
I thought you were amazing in that. My at 17 , I would have been a rambling mess. And so cute (although the pigtails were a bit much. Were they trying to make you look 12?). What a cool thing to have done at that age. Unfortunately all my “most embaressing moments”, involve saying stupid things in front of large numbers of people, or falling down stairs. Although I did meet my husband on the first day of university by falling down the stairs of the steep lecture theatre after coming in late. Everyone stopped talking and was just looking at me as I rolled my way down to the bottom. I got up (mortified) and said (without having eye contact with anyone) that I was ok and kind of slunk back up the stairs wishing they would open up and swallow me. A boy said to me “you meant to do that, didn’t you” , so I sat down next to him because it felt like he was throwing me a rope. That was 21years ago. I knew he was a keeper then. So I guess that embarressing moment had a happy ending.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, that’s so cute!
xo,
s
Carla says
I loved it!!! :)
Carrie Z. says
Does your dad show it to students to warn them that anything they post online could haunt them years later?? :)
I’m a teacher so I’m trying to think like him :)
That was great. Thanks for sharing.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, he should but I think the message is more “Look how into my kids I am!” – hahah. He’s a proud papa.
xo,
s
Tammy says
What I find best about this is the fact that you’ve never lost yourself over all these years. Same bubbly personality, funny sense of humor, it’s just in awkward teenage form ;-)
Karah @ thespacebetweenblog says
I can’t even tell you how funny this is! Coffee has been spat and I can’t stop chuckling. First I saw the mag cover and title and thought, this can’t be right. I have confessed a minor(ly awkward) girl crush on you many a time on my little blog and just recently, as part of a little “blog tag” thing that some of us little blog people do, when asked if I could have coffee with anyone in the world (anyone in the world, mind you!), I answered Eminem. Bwahahaha. Seriously, I’m stoked to hear he seemed genuine…I think he would have an amazing life story to tell (not that I don’t already know it from the movie 8 Mile) … but all of the life after drugs part would be interesting to hear from him. So, would you mind just calling him up and putting in a good word for me, I just want coffee. ;)
Heading off to watch the video now. I will be nervously giggling with you, definitely not at you.
Karah
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I’ll tell him all about it the next time he calls me. Haha.
xo,
s
Avalon says
This quite possibly made my week! You probably beat me out on this show thus suffered the long term embarrassment! Weren’t we all crazy Marshall mathers fans!?
Emily says
Oh my goodness. That was incredibly funny and impossibly embarrassing. I wanted to get on that show so bad…for Hanson. It never happened (probably mostly b/c I never had the nerve to send in a tape) but I would have been the most excited version of myself if I got chosen and it would be the worst thing ever now knowing that anyone I met for the rest of my life could go view it. Kudos for fessing up! :)
Emily
Kim Mickler says
$herdog, you make the jersey girls proud. Thanks for sharing, I don’t know if the blog gets better can get better than this post. How will you make us laugh this hard again? John, as an avid fan of Young House Love and the $herdog, I think it’s time you share.
Erin says
Holy Crap. I just died. That brought back so many memories. I was such a huge fan of the show so I totally remember that episode. I sent in a tape to be on FANatic with Nsync because I was OBSESSED with them. I think I cried when the other girl was chosen. Sherry, long live the early 2000’s, they were a glorious time :)
Sabrina says
Now this is the kind of story I want to start every Saturday morning with from now on. Thanks sherdog! And while we are sharing embarrassing moments…..when you google my maiden name a picture of me prego with my first son comes up with a large baby calf head covering most of my belly. The rest of the calf’s body was intact….no worries. She was the product of my thesis research project and the experiment made the paper. Nice!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- that’s too funny!
xo,
s
Diana says
Not embarrassing at all! In fact, you were very poised for a seventeen year old. (Not to mention the rapping talent!) John’s a lucky guy! :)
Renee says
My most embarrassing moment might have been updated recently, as in last week. I was substitute teaching for a week in middle school music. It happened that there was a bunch of boys clustered together in the seating chart. One was named Ashley. (I thought for a moment – unusual name for a boy, but I’ve heard it before. Plus, baggy jeans, big tee-shirt, scraggly hippie hair.) So, when Ashley raised his hand, I called on him and then confirmed his answer to the rest of the class. (Keep in mind, 6th grade boys’ voices haven’t changed yet, so boys and girls still often sound the same at this age.) “Yes, Ashley is correct. He said that a quarter note gets one beat.”
Ashley: “hey!!! you said he!!!” (huh?? i thought to myself)
but it gets worse. I thought I heard him say “hey. you said SHE.”
so I quickly explained to him, “no, I said he.”
SHE replied: “Yeah. I’m a GIRL!!!!!”
O.M.G. I just about died on that floor of room 137. all i can do is pray that she doesn’t hear about that for the rest of her life.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man. That might win.
xo,
s
Beth W. says
Renee- I feel your pain. I’m actually a music teacher, and I had a very similar thing happen to me. It was either my first or second year as a teacher, and I had a little boy named Jordan in one of my classes (I think he was in 1st or 2nd grade at the time). He had blonde hair down to his chin, and always wore boys jean shorts (that went a little past the knee), sports jerseys and boys sneakers.
You can imagine where this is going. One day in class, I had my students play a game and they decided they wanted to play boys vs. girls. Well, Jordan went over to the girls side, so I said (at least twice), “Jordan, the boys are over here”. One of my other students raised their hands and said, “Mrs. Whitney, Jordan is a girl!” I apologized profusely to her and made sure I said “she” or “her” as often as possible. …and she was my student all the way through 5th grade.
YoungHouseLove says
D’oh! When I was in high school I tutored elementary school kids after school. One day a first grader came up to me and said “Is you a boy or a girl?” I don’t think my look was particularly confusing in that regard (I had a bowl haircut) but I appreciated her being direct! And from then on she had a crush on me, so perhaps she was just trying to clarify a few things before settling into her adoration.
-John
Ann says
Unrelated, but you and John should check out the Target advertisement for this weekend–there’s a pillow for $10 with a bike on it!
YoungHouseLove says
Sweet! Thanks for the tip!
xo,
s
Andrew Moyer says
Hey there! My wife is a long time reader/you guys are her idols, but first time posting for either of us. We LOVE everything you do. We’re out in IL now, but still feel a connection–we both grew up about 20 minutes from you guys!
Anyway, the reason for me posting is that I am pretty sure that I actually remember watching this episode on TV when it first came on. I was really into Eminem then (what sane person wasn’t??), and I’m pretty sure I remember looking forward to it coming on for like a week. The memory is really vague, but I SWEAR I remember certain parts of your interview and how jealous I was of you!! So awesome!!
Again, love everything you guys do–keep on doing it! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that’s so funny! It’s so crazy to think that was 13 years ago!
xo,
s
carshena says
Wow! Do you still have the apron? Do you still listen to hip hop?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes and yes (among other things). Haha.
xo,
s
jessica says
This is the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life! Every girl who has been a teenager can relate to doing something crazy like this……only most of us don’t get on MTV. Thanks for sharing!
Nichole says
$herdog!! That was so PHAT!! No seriously, aside from my three year-old telling me she was too sad to wear pants yesterday (…), that was the highlight of my day!! Not to mention, that took me straight back to high school. I’d race home just to catch Total Request Live (later TRL, but I’m quite sure you remember!). Ahhhh, memories AND insanely awesome teenage moments with Eminem. That’s hard to beat!!! ;) Whelp, it’s total cool points in my book, so hold your head high, haha! (PS, I’ve never commented but I seriously LOVE reading you guys’ blog… Baby naps, I grab my coffee, and get the day started off with inspiration and usually a good gut chuckle. Please don’t stop anytime soon!)
Lindsay says
I was alsooo on Much Music in Canada (I think it was affiliated with MTV?) when I was about 8 years old in a music video called This Will Make you Happy by a band called Furnaceface. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I cannot find the video anywhere. It’s super embarrassing so I don’t really mind, but I’ve been tempted to show it to a few close friends who probably don’t believe me so it might be nice to get my hands on it.
Your Eminem video made me laugh and I might even remember seeing it on TV as a kid! You’re a real natural on camera, even then! And you obviously have great genes, because you still look the same!
Thanks for sharing that!
Robin says
In 1999, I was a total eminem fan (a white 43 year old suburban mom) and it was my little secret. I drove to work every day blaring his albums (and I have every single one) and then walked into the building in my navy suit (NO PANTS allowed, only skirts!) And I did my conventional accounting job. My then 14 year old daughter made fun of me, but she did give me an Eminem poster for Christmas that year. I think you have phat taste.
no shame in that.
amazing video $herdog!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love that. Your daughter must have loved having a cool momma like you.
xo,
s
Larena says
You were an adorable 17 year old! It really could have been so much worse!
Natalie says
bahaha!! Oh my gosh, that is hilarious! I had no idea you were “an aspiring rapper” lol
$warfel says
All I gotta say WOW, $herdog. WOW.
Allison says
You have no idea how jealous my husband is going to be when I show him this! Love it.
leah says
Hahhahha! That was awesome! That was the funniest thing I have seen in a very long time. Serious perma grin going on here. That was great! So are you going to be rapping any of your house tours any time soon. We would love to hear your skills.