The Seven Most Forgettable Boy Band Members

This is for the member who never got his fair shake. For the member whose microphone always seemed to be less amplified than the others. For the member who never heard his name screamed out a teenage girl’s mouth at one of their concerts. For the member who was always cut out of the camera shot when his group won an MTV Music Award. For the member who was told at the music video shoot, “Just aaa…just ummm…just like, stand over there…no, no…back a little more, yep, right there.” This is for you. This is your recognition…kind of.

Chad Linus, 2gether

I know my calculus. It says Chad Linus + the tag as “The Shy One” for a satirical boy band who’s second single was called “Say It (Don’t Spray It)” = the first boy band member we’ll never think of ²

Ken Lewko, Soul Decision

Oh, those Canadians. I can’t even say they are a forgettable group, because “Faded” was a relatively a well-produced song, heavy on the bass line. But this trio was the perfect recipe for a forgettable member. You have the good-looking lead singer, who is in every scene of their music videos (Trevor Guthrie); the second member, who is slightly less attractive than the lead singer, but usually makes up for it by singing the bridge, (David Bowman); then there is the other guy. He doesn’t sing a lick and gets about 75 percent less music video scene time. But when he does appear, look for him in the back of the party scene, bobbing his head to the beat. You’ll find Ken Lewko.

Trevor Penick, O-Town

O-Town was the first project for the MTV show, Making the Band, before P. Diddy infiltrated it with Da Band (notice: “da” is supposed to sound like “the”). Despite having one of my all-time favorite boy band songs, “All or Nothing,” (that’s another list for another time) the group quickly fizzled. The world should have anticipated this once they were named after Orlando, a city where none of its five members were from. Anyway, on to Trevor Penick. He wasn’t lead singer and semi-successful Ashley Parker Angel. Nor was he all-American second vocalist Dan Miller. The “wild one,” (because there is always a “wild one” in boy bands with five members or more) Jacob Underwood, was more memorable. And no, Trevor Penick, you were not as suave as fourth noteworthy member, Erik-Michael Estrada. In your Liquid Dreams.

Justin Jeffre, 98 Degrees

How would you like it if you were the fourth member amidst a trio of very handsome men, and you looked like the group’s 40-year-old manager trying to sneak in the back of their music videos? I feel for you, Justin Jeffre. You wanted to be the soldier driving home to see his wife in the “My Everything” music video, I know you did. Instead, it was Drew Lachey. I mean, 50 percent of the time a Lachey got a part. And what role did they give you? The guy who went to the graveyard to see your deceased grandmother. And I hear you, they never gave you a single solo to belt. Maybe you didn’t want to sing. Maybe you were content with your “that fourth guy” role, who somehow ALWAYS got the short straw when it came to the plotlines of videos. But I always thought you had the pipes…somewhere beneath that patchy goatee.

Kevin Richardson, Backstreet Boys

Howie D (Howard Dorough) really gave Kevin Richardson a run for his money. I lost sleep over putting Richardson here, because I always felt that he was the glue that held the Backstreet Boys together. If Nick Carter was bickering to Brian Littrell about not getting enough voice time in “Larger than Life” or if A.J. McLean was pissed off that Howie D stole his leopard-print cowboy hat, Richardson would undoubtedly be the father-figure to put them in their places—which is why he’s on the list. When BSB released their mega-hit “I Want It That Way” off Millennium in 1999, Richardson was 28 years old. That is ancient in terms of boy band ages. What girl at a concert is screaming to the guy who is three times her age? He was the other, other white guy in the group, who sung the fifth most out of the five members. That’s not a good percentage. But remember, Kevin Richardson, Backstreet Boys would have been nothing without you. It’s just that you played your biggest (and only) role behind closed doors. You know it, and I know it.

Chris Kirkpatrick, *NSYNC

As if you had any doubt. But *NYSNC deserves some credit for doing a satisfactory job in giving each member some light. Behind those yellow-tinted sunglasses, Kirkpatrick could actually hold his own vocally, and *NSYNC gave him that opportunity in the first verse of “Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy).” Not many boy bands would give their fifth notable member a sensitive verse that so many Total Request Live eyes would see, especially with Kirkpatrick’s wardrobe. Also, the group produced some successful dudes post-boy band era. Justin Timberlake became the coolest dude in Hollywood, and should be in the running to host next year’s Oscars. JC Chasez had a short solo music career and now is a judge on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew. Joey Fatone had a role in My Big Fat Greek Wedding and hosted NBC’s The Singing Bee. Lance Bass guest-starred on 7^th Heaven, confidently came out of the closet, and then got all sorts of space-oriented. And Chris Kirkpatrick, well, let’s just hope those dreadlocks aren’t making a comeback any time soon.

Ohad Einbinder, B4-4

It must be hard to swallow being the most forgettable boy band member in a boy band that no one’s ever heard of. Ohad Einbinder was the third member of the Toronto group B4-4, and the other two members, Ryan and Dan Kowarsky, were twins. So by default, really, Einbinder will forever be lost in the boy band ether because he was in that group that one’s ever heard of with those two guys who looked very similar, and had enough frost in their tips to freeze over the Caribbean….and who touched each other…way too much.

Enjoy watching. But don’t enjoy it as much as they enjoyed each other.