Tyga on Bustas
It’s embarrassing, but that’s definitely Tyga in this thang. TMZ uncovered unaired footage of the Young Money rapper on reality show Bustas in 2008, talking about his mom’s Range Rover and his cushy life in the Valley—this coming from the guy who now says he grew up in Compton. Tyga’s camp apparently responded to the video by saying that he lived in the Valley only temporarily, around the time he happened to tape the show.
The Game on Change of Heart
A skinny, tattoo-less, Hawaiian shirt-wearing version of The Game appeared on dating show Change of Heart in 1998 with his then-girlfriend, a girl named Sedita. “J.T.” (Jayceon Terrell, The Game’s real first and middle names) gushed about how Sedita was the first girl he ever really cared about. Sedita, on the other hand, complained about feeling smothered by J.T., because he bought her lots of nice things, was sensitive and affectionate, and wanted to spend a lot of time with her. She then dumped him on TV. This explains so much.
Lady Gaga on Boiling Points
A mere three years before “Poker Face” became a mega hit, Lady Gaga’s temper was tested by a particularly slobbish waitress on MTV’s Candid Camera–like reality show Boiling Points. Wearing an unnervingly normal black dress and dark, sideswept hair, Gaga flipped out at the salad that was brought to her. “I’m gonna vomit. This is disgusting! Oh my god. Who puts that in their mouth? Would you put that in your mouth? It has shit all over it. Clearly you would, ’cause you’re just, like, fucked up,” Gaga raged.
Arnold Schwarzenegger on The Dating Game
In its several decades on air, The Dating Game amassed an impressive record of past contestants. Steve Martin, Suzanne Somers, Burt Reynolds, Tom Selleck, and Farah Fawcett are just some of the mega-watt names who sat behind a wall and asked questions to find a future date. In this 1973 episode, an Austrian UCLA business student named Arnold Schwarzenegger sets himself up for some double-entendre embarrassment.
Emma Stone on In Search of the Partridge Family
In 2004, a brunette, 16-year-old “Emily” Stone, took the stage to belt out “We Belong” on VH1’s In Search of the Partridge Family. She was auditioning for the part of Laurie Partridge in a planned re-creating of the hit 1970s TV show about a singing family band. Stone won the part but the series never saw the light of day—to the relief of both Partridge Family and Emma Stone fans everywhere.
Zac Efron on Room Raiders
Zac Efron scandalized hordes of teeny boppers this summer when he accidentally dropped a condom on the red carpet at the premiere of The Lorax—but in 2005, a 17-year-old Zac freely fondled both condoms and handcuffs during his guest appearance on MTV’s Room Raiders. At the time, Efron was known mostly for his supporting role on Summerland, but the lack of Disney in his life is mostly evidenced by his reaction to the condoms: “I can work with that!”
Ke$ha on The Simple Life
Her life’s not so simple anymore, but Ke$ha and her family once played host to Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie on The Simple Life, in an episode dedicated to finding Ke$ha’s “hippie, free-spirited” mom the perfect man. Utterly unfazed by the celebrities in her house, a teenage Ke$ha sits gamely beside Hilton and Richie as they ask men questions like, “do you ride horses?” and “how rich are you?”
Aaron Paul on The Price Is Right
The price is right, bitch. Aaron Paul, who plays Jesse Pinkman on AMC’s Breaking Bad, made his (extremely hyperactive) TV debut on The Price is Right in 1998. A 19-year-old Paul nearly combusts when he gets called down, dance-stomps his way to the stage, and never uses a normal speaking tone again. After he wins the first round, he hurtles on stage and shrieks, “I’m touching Bob Barker, YEAH!”
