Mission: Man Band, Premiere--Depression: Man Band
Smuggling midgets and popping pills...
This is the CelebReality show I’ve been waiting for since February. Finally, it’s premiere night for Mission: Man Band. How can a boy band fangirl like me go wrong with a show like this? I have seen all of these guys (except Bryan Abrams) in concert at least once (and I’ve seen NSync 5 times) and I’m excited to see them all together. So here we go. Forgive me if this recap is interspersed with gushing and shrieking, okay?
As strains of “Bye Bye Bye” come out of my TV, I begin to squeal. This is just the promo I’ve seen dozens of times over the last two weeks, but I’m still super excited. The show starts out with Chris cleaning up his house before the other guys get there to move in. He hangs up pictures of each of the guys with their former bands on the doors to their bedrooms and talks about how he’s done nothing since NSync ended. Chris says the group ended because Justin and JC wanted to go solo and Joey and Lance wanted to do TV, so he went and started partying. He admits he misses hanging out with the guys and throws parties because he doesn’t want to be alone. He thinks this opportunity will help him get back into the groove with his music.
We next see Rich at the Orlando airport getting his own bags and complaining that people used to do that for him. He’s excited to be back in Orlando since it’s been 2 years. He says LFO was his thing and it fizzled as quickly as it came. Rich was diagnosed in 2005 with leukemia and has been undergoing chemotherapy since them. He recently got a stem cell transplant and is currently in remission. He’s thankful he’s even able to walk, let alone get this chance.
Jeff is riding around in an Escalade and says this experience is just for fun for him and he’s not banking on it being his route to the top again. He blames the end of 98 Degrees on DJs making fun of boy bands. Jeff says he’d rather be behind the scenes instead of in front of the camera. We get a montage of him on the phone making business deals. He feels fortunate to be able to use music to make a living.
Bryan is nervously riding in a van, but he says it’s a good nervous. Bryan has been working in Oklahoma City stacking tires since Color Me Badd folded and his money disappeared. He is a recovering alcoholic and now he’s just trying to figure out what he’s supposed to be doing with his life. Bryan introduces us to his baby daughter and his wife had just found out she’s pregnant again. His wife is very supportive of him doing this show so they can pay some bills. Bryan is scared he will fall off the wagon living in the house. He really believes they could take off if they can write the good material.
All the guys show up at the house and hug. Chris can’t wait to see how their styles will gel and he knows they will butt heads and he may kick himself later for saying that.
(There is a commercial break here, so I’m going to talk about how it was good to see these guys again and I like how they caught us up with their lives. I’m ready for some interaction, now, though, so let’s get on with it!)
Chris says he’s nervous about being the host, so he shows them around the house and their pictures on their doors. He got them all bedspreads with their pictures on them, which they all find hilarious. Rich finds an envelope on his bed and reads a note from a manager with sheet music of “Every Breath You Take” by the Police. Jeff doesn’t want to audition for anyone. Rich says they all made the agreement that they would put their foot down and not sing if asked.
They walk into a restaurant and meet Katie McNeil a manager from 10th St. Management. Rich calls her intimidating and she admits that the rest of her firm doesn’t want to represent them. Rich doesn’t like that she said that and Katie tells them she doesn’t like boy bands and Jeff tells her to stop saying that over and over. She thinks they can’t be stupid if they’ve sold so many records in the past. Jeff balks at singing because he doesn’t have much of a voice. Katie tells them to stop fighting her every step of the way. Chris finally agrees to sing, and the other guys follow suit, except Jeff who says his voice is gone. Jeff admits he almost didn’t get on the plane to go there tonight and he’s not excited about this project. After Katie leaves with a smart alec comment directed toward Jeff, the guys decide she’s tough. Rich says he’ll never be able to stop staring at her boobs if she’s their manager and the other guys say they wouldn’t have sung for a guy and only sung for Katie because she was “smuggling midgets” under her sweater. Nice.
The next day, Rich is taking all of his medications he needs to take saying if his health fails him, it will be a problem for the group. He goes downstairs for breakfast and sees Jeff on the couch. Jeff says he’d been up all night wandering the house without sleeping. He says the limelight isn’t for him anymore and it will be his last day in the house. He doesn’t want to deal with auditions and management and all that goes with performing again. Rich just kind of nods and agrees that it’s all overwhelming.
(During this commercial break, I just want to make a note for the Editors of the show to include more giggling at dinner about smuggling midgets and more bedspreads with pictures and less drama, please! The best lines are when the guys are having fun. We get that it’s a tough situation, but really, it’s only been 1 day in the house and we’ve already talked alcoholism, depression, possibly dying, and quitting the show in less than 20 minutes of airtime.)
Jeff keeps talking to Rich about how upset he was. Chris says he’s nervous about Jeff’s stressing out. Katie meets the guys at the house and tells them they are going on a little field trip together. She takes them to a Native American ceremony. They each talk about what they want to become through this process. Rich wants to be healthy and not dwell on the little things. Chris wants confidence and patience. Jeff wants to be a positive influence, and Bryan wants to be a good husband and father and to be a good example. Rich said the ceremony touched him and thinks the other guys were as well.
When they get back to the house, they go out back to the fire pit to talk some more. Chris says he’s ready to go forward with this project and he’s putting his all into it. Jeff admits he doesn’t want the world to see how quirky he is and strange via the cameras. He then lets the guys know he doesn’t care anymore and he wants them to know he’s going all out for them. They toast to their new group.
Next week, Bryan has some drinks, and the guys confront him about his alcoholism. He’s the lead singer of their group and they need him to be sober.
Guess what? Heather has scored an exclusive interview with the guys from Mission: Man Band! Tomorrow afternoon she will be interviewing them for her blog at WatchingVH1.com, so check back there tomorrow evening (Tuesday August 7th) for a transcript and podcast. *FANGIRL SHRIEK* 
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