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.
Elizabeth says
OMG Sherry this made my day! No, wait – this made my whole weekend! Holy crap you are hilarious! Anddd this was amazing.
Emma says
I am dying here! Bwahhaaa!
Margaret Critz says
That his hilarious! I’d be a total dork puddle if I met Jon Bon Jovi and I’m in my late 30’s!
This should make you feel better: My little sister and I met Melissa Gilbert a couple of years ago after she performed in a play. My sister was the “ultimate” Laura Ingalls fan. From the minute “Laura” came to the group to sign autographs,my sister couldn’t stop talking. She even told her she used to wear my dad’s old army boots and “be” Laura Ingalls in the backyard. My sister was 34 during all this :) Her daughter was mortified. It makes for the BEST holiday stories!
Thanks for sharing your moment!!
MM
Aissa says
Sherry Petersik – I have so much more respect for you right now! Not that I don’t love you already, but you’re the bomb! I would not have guessed that you were Eminem’s #1 fan, and being featured on MTV! Loved your rap too by the way. John is one lucky guy! Now one question…how “did” you fill up the tub with all those M&M’s?
YoungHouseLove says
haha, there were towels involved (to partially fill stuff up so we didn’t need to buy 1000 bags of them- I think we bought ten or so and stuffed things in the tub to make up for the rest of the volume).
xo,
s
Amanda says
Oh. My. God. I totally remember this episode! Thanks for sharing….made my day!
Liz R. says
ZOMG Sherry, this is AWESOME. I think my most embarrassing moment was in 7th grade when they played a school choir performance of the anti-drug rap I had to write in General Music class over the P.A. system — giving me full credit at the end of course. I remember sitting in homeroom with my head buried in my desk.
But if the fan letter I wrote to Luke Perry in eighth-grade ever surfaced, I’d die. I made sure he knew we were meant to be by noting we were both from the same state originally, and then cleared the air saying I just wanted to be friends. Because of course while a romance between a 13-year-old and 20-something actor is foolish, a friendship is completely in the realm of possibility.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love it!
xo,
s
Anna says
this is killing me. oh my word! fantastic!
Jessica says
Oh the good ole MTV days! You brought back so many memories of me trying to get my message played across the screen of music videos during TRL.
Sheri says
Thanks, $herdog (or should I say, $herdawg)? I once went through the teenage gangsta phase like yourself. My friends and I saw Eminem (he opened for Mya) at the House of Blues. His songs were just released, so we ran to Walmart and purchased the EDITED version. Hearing him live blew our teenage minds. Thanks for stirring up embarrassing memories. Haha!
Alicia says
Ugh. I meant to write “Thanks for sharing your story” auto correct ruins my life once again!
P.S. Every day I thank God that Facebook an YouTube didn’t exist when I was a teenager. Ha!
Kate says
Too funny and also awesome… I can’t wait to watch this tonight after I get home from work! Go $herdog!
I kind of dispised Eminem back then because I lived just outside of Detroit and was tired of all the crazy antics he kept pulling and it felt like he was making Detroit out to be an even more downtrodden place than it is… But he redeemed himself with the Crysler Super Bowl commercial he did, lol.
The public thing I find embarassing now – in middle school they had a panel of 6th graders come in to do a special story on what it’s like to be a middle schooler for our chain of local newspapers. My mom suggested it and I thought it sounded fun enough, so I went. They ended up picking me as one of two kids to be followed around for a day, so I had a reporter and a photgrapher follow me around for a day at school and then they did about a three page story on it that was in about 4 of the different local papers. Then the next summer they did a follow up interview and pictures now that 6th grade was over – and they took pictures of me (in my bathing suit!) at our local pool and actually put them on the front page. Lol, luckily newspapers from 12 years ago don’t ever get archieved on the internet!
Julie says
This is phat!
Sherry, I am laughing so hard right now. And I swear, I mean SWEAR that isn’t “at” you. But this is so funny! And I would have totally said something ridiculous had I ever gotten to meet my “teen idol”.
Thanks for sharing this!! ;)
Bethany says
This has literally made my week. So hilarious! Thanks for being brave enough to share and making my world better. hahaha…can’t stop…hahaha…laughing!
Jenn says
Do you still have the apron?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! Lovingly tucked away in a drawer.
xo,
s
Nicole says
Thank you so much for providing me with this to watch during lunch. Just, wow. I was totally an Eminenaholic in high school. I would have been the same way about meeting him!
Ps Did you raise the roof at one point during the video? Props for that! The roof is on fire!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh, I think I might have.
xo,
s
Kristy says
BEST POST EVA! yep, i wrote eva… I knew I liked you Sherry for a reason. I thought I was the only 17 year old girl obsessed with Em!
bonniek says
Oh Sherry, this just made my day. You are awesome, awesome for sharing this and awesome for being such a funny girl. Please incorporate more rapping into your YHL videos. I love that your dad shows this video to his students every year. I’m just happy nobody has any videos of me working in Busch Gardens as a highschooler, nightmare costumes.
Lelia says
Hilarious!! Makes me love ya’ll even more now!! My embarrassing story is slipping in front of the entire varsity football team during one of their stupid “stretching” sessions…thought I would never ever survive! But we do…don’t we :) Thanks for sharing!
Andrea says
So that was awesome you made my day, and I’m curious to see if you get the most comments ever on a post other than a giveaway. Ya’ll have a great weekend.
abby says
That’s hilarious!! We’re the same age, so I enjoyed seeing your pigtails and shoes/clothes. That was so in back then:)
Sherry says
I’m pretty sure I would die. It’s enough just remembering high school and YEARBOOK PICTURES! On video tape? Oh…please no.
Andrew says
Slim Sherry, you are JUST adorkable! When I was a freshman in high school, I demonstrated how to make a paper airplane on a local Saturday morning kids show. Oh it was BAD…oily skin highlighted by sunburn, big glasses that cover my entire face (apparently my cheeks needed 20/20 vision)and some sort of polyester sweater contraption that would light on fire if I stood too close to a lit match, and oh yeah… I was making a freaking PAPER AIRPLANE! WTH?!?! Lucky for me? it happened before the internet. Unlucky for me? My best friend still has it on VHS… UGH!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you had me at paper airplane. I would totally watch that.
xo,
s
Sandra T says
OMG! This is so awesome! I know you feel embarrassed, but wow, how cool is it that you interrogated (just kidding) Eminem and kept your cool?! I bet he has not forgotten this. How could he forget being interviewed by a cute white girl rapper? ha ha And I think the pigtails are cute, too!
Wilhelmina says
I pretty much lost it at “as an aspiring female rapper.” i know you had to say it, but it was still fantastic. you absolutely made my day, homie.
Laura says
That wasn’t so bad! But I am smiling from ear to ear now! Does it feel good to have that out there? No more secrets! I have one too, but no way am I sharing. Someone will have to out me too before I come clean! I guess there are lots of perks to taking your husband’s last name. No old google searches!
Elizabeth says
OMG – that was so awesome its unbelievable!!! I love that you actually used the word “phat.” That was so so great. :)
Bethany says
This was hilarious! Thanks for sharing. Now I want to know where that apron is? I think it would look perfect hanging in your newly finished kitchen. ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Hah, safely tucked away in a drawer.
xo,
s
Karla says
Okay, this may be totally off topic but I have to say I miss the sandals from the 90s. I love the ones you are wearing. If I still had any I would still wear them. Wish somewhere still sold them. ***sigh***
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, they were nice for short girls like me! I think they had velcro on them. Haha.
xo,
s
Hilary says
Holy crow. Sherry – I have been obsessed with Marshall Mathers for over a decade (White girl rapper, what?!) and this just made me adore you even more.
Careen says
I think this just made my day.
Is he on Twitter? you should link him to this.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I’m not sure, but that would be way to mortifying. I like to pretend he doesn’t remember me at all, not that he ever saw the show and saw my terrible rapping!
xo,
s
Jennifer says
That is awesome!!! Your 17 year old self was adorable.
Do you still have the apron? I love me some Eminem.
YoungHouseLove says
Heck yeah I still have the apron!
xo,
s
Lesley says
This is my favorite thing ever!
Leigha says
I think of Eminem EVERY time Dora the Explorer’s the ‘map’ comes one!! Bahahaha! My name is What?!
Sayward says
I WISH my most embarrassing moment ended with me meeting a celebrity. The dumbest thing I ever did was on the first day of school during my second year of teaching. I was 22 and very unprepared discipline wise. I teach 11th grade English, and I had the kids reading a poem out loud. The first few kids I called on were stuttering and mispronouncing words on purpose and making everyone laugh. I started getting mad, which made them laugh harder. So out of frustration I randomly called on a 4th boy. He started reading in this fantastically dead on, Liverpool, Beatles, British accent. The class was going nuts. In college you get warned that kids try to test you so you have to start out really strict. So I started yelling at him and the rest of the kids about how inappropriate and immature they were being. Like, REALLY yelling. I really got into my rant. The kids started looking overly horrified and tried to stop me from talking. Finally I screamed “WHAT?!” and some poor meek girl whispered, “Alex really is British. He just moved here.”
Words cannot explain my mortification. I apologized like a maniac and even called home to apologize to his parents. The poor kid didn’t speak in my class once for the rest of the year. His accent really was fantastic… that one fleeting time I heard it… I feel horrible to this day. Talk about a warm welcome to your first day of school in a new COUNTRY. I assure you I’m a WAY better teacher now…
Also, I am DYING at all the Jersey accent comments… I honestly don’t hear one at ALL, although this is probably because I’m from the same state :)
And I love how as soon as you met him you went in for the hug/kiss. My only regret is that you didn’t get to rap TOGETHER.
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha, oh man, that’s hilarious and mortifying. Poor boy! He just moved here and the teacher is ganging up on him.
xo
s
Christina says
That is THE.BEST.THING.EVER.
I was on TRL a couple of times. Requesting what song? Crazy by Britney Spears. My request also included me mentioning the part where Britney says “SING IT!” in the song. I may or may not have shouted that part out just like Britney when I requested it. So don’t feel too too bad. ;-)
Candice says
Oh my heck- that is too funny!! My most embarrassing moment is way too embarrassing to go into detail. In fact I’ve only ever told one person the truth and he’s the guy I’m legally and foreverly married to. Let’s just say it involves an assembly in high school to try out for cheerleader, a hilarious skit and a bladder malfunction. I hid it with a pretend hurt knee. But I know the truth and I cringe and hide my face under a blanket whenever I think about it many years later.
Emily says
This is so great! Thanks for sharing! I have an embarrassing moment with my music obsession, Keith Urban. He was in town a few years ago doing a concert. He was staying at the hotel right by my office so I “casually” walked by hoping he’d come out of his tour bus and he did! And I was completely unprepared. He was super nice and stopped to talk and I drew a blank. Couldn’t think of anything to say, couldn’t remember my name, forgot that my camera was right there in my purse waiting for me to take a picture of me and the beautiful Aussie…all I could think to say was, “Um, I just wanted to say hi.” He shook my hand, called me baby, and got on his motorcycle and drove away and out of my life forever…moment lost! You were much more cool and collected with Eminem. Way to go!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- but he called you baby! And touched your hand! I hope you took a picture of that hand to remember it like my neck pic. Haha.
xo,
s
Mandee says
Oh Sherry Sherry. You win hands down for most embarrassing teenage story!
Mandi says
WHOA! OMG!! I remember that episode!
I was a huge Eminem fan and I was SO ENVIOUS of the girl on MTV who actually got to meet him!! I remember thinking how cool it was they picked a girl fan.
Sherry, don’t be embarrassed!! This is awesome!!!
Jen says
Too funny! I actually saw a comment on the YHL Facebook page about a year ago where someone left you a post alluding to “the video.” I had some time, so I spent a few minutes on Google/YouTube and found the video pretty quickly. I didn’t think you’d ever admit to it on your blog, though! You’re being SUCH a good sport!
Mary Beth says
That completely made my Friday at work so much better, thanks for sharing!
Ashley says
I have to comment again. If you haven’t already, you should see 21 Jump Street, because it’s surprisingly hilarious, but also because of the first scene – you will identify with Jonah Hill. :) It’s a really funny reminder of the total Eminem obsession that was the late 90s/early 2000s.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, will have to add it to the Netflix list!
xo,
s
Amelia Davis says
That was AHMAZING. And this is probably how I would act if I met you! Fantastic. :)
Athena says
I almost didn’t want to mention it, because I was afraid that it would embarrass you even further, but seeing how so many other people remembered the episode I feel like you’ll be able to keep taking it in stride: you were semi-famous at my middle school for more than a year as the Bathtub M&M Girl. EVERYONE talked about it. And I had a friend later on whose initials were M.M. and she was teased for years about how she should fill a bath tub with M&Ms so she could meet Eminem. Finding out that it was *you* all this time is almost surreal.
I think you’re awesome for not only owning up to it, but explaining how it went! And at least you didn’t accidentally burp from excitement/nervousness into the face of Bill Nye (the Science Guy). Unlike some other people who shall remain nameless.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh, that did it. I just keeled over at the fact that I was Bathtub M&M girl.
xo,
s
Mel says
One word … AMAZING !
Kelly M says
I remember this show being on and my friend begging me to write in saying that HAD to meet LL Cool J. I was like… what would you even say?! Can’t wait until I am out of work so I can watch this video!
jenn aka the picky girl says
This…is the best thing EVER! I love Eminem, too, actually. One of my bffs freaked out when his music came on shuffle in my car one day.
But this? Seriously, it made my day. We’re almost the same age, so seeing the styles and everything really made me laugh. Hey – you were enthusiastic.
I’ve got too many moments to count…
Amanda says
Ha, I love this!! As a fellow teenager in the early 2000s, I totally get it. I was even on multiple episodes of Tyrese’s MTV show during spring break (we shot like 4 in a house on one day, so they had all of us bring multiple outfits).
Jenny @ DIY Newlyweds says
Oh my goodness, this is so amazing!!! I have so many comments about this!
1- Don’t blame rapping in a puffy vest at your school talent show on being from New Jersey. As another Jersey girl, I’d like to reassure the rest of the world that this is NOT a Jersey thing, hahaha. (Although I listened to Eminem in high school too, so maybe that part is true)
2- Does Burger know your “#1 Dog” before him was Eminem?
3- I’m not sure what I enjoyed more the rap you did in the limo or your mention of wanting to be “taken seriously” as a white rapper.
4- I can’t believe you didn’t share this video earlier, it brings total street cred to your $herdog name.
5- How does John feel about being married to a former (maybe secretly a current) white rapper?
6- Are you available for hologram rap performances?
Hahaha, I hope you don’t mind the teasing, it’s impossible not to make jokes after seeing this gem.
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahaha, John seems to be ok with it. I mean he totally died laughing and went through a phase where he wanted to show the video to everyone but now he’s more normal about it (lets me hide from it and doesn’t bring it up, haha).
xo,
s
Christie says
We have all had a moment like this that we are ashamed of. My moment came in 1998 when I was in the audience of the Jenny Jones Show and the topic was ‘Women Who Wear Extremely Tight Clothing’. I got on camera and made a comment to a woman named Echo Valley (yes, the name is indicative of a large body part). I told her she needed to stop shopping at Babies R’ Us and we got into a bit of a verbal battle. I was so embarrassed!!!! And it seemed like that episode played numerous times. Shameful. :-/ All that to say, I feel your pain. LOL
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh, I love it! You speak your mind, girl!
xo,
s