Hundreds of pitches flush through my inbox every day—some are useful, and some tout a New! Hilarious! Comedy! Web Series! that I will certainly hate. But last week, I was blessed with a beautiful gift in electronic mail form: "You’re Invited to Hot Yoga with Nick and Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees." The pitch was part of a Bud Light-sponsored "Summer Bucket List" gimmick, but no matter—I accepted, of course, and yesterday I found myself in an (insubstantially) heated Bikram yoga studio with several dozen journalists, a whole lot of #BudLight-branded paraphernalia, and one-half of 98 Degrees.
It's okay to be jealous.
98 Degrees, for the uninitiated, was a boy band from the late '90s/early aughts. They were once considered contemporaries of more successful groups like the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, but sadly, they never rose quite to JTimb & Co's heights. I remember exactly two songs of theirs, though according to the Internet they had several, and their star burned out by 2002 or so. Frontman Nick Lachey went on to become the man who allegedly took Jessica Simpson's virginity, and, according to a number of other pitches in my inbox, has since been using his tepid fame to hawk brands like Lays and something called "DreamJobbing." I do not know who Drew Lachey is, but according to Wikipedia, he is Nick's little brother.
As mentioned earlier, #Bud #Light, a beer-like product that is not meant for human consumption, was behind this particular event, held at Bikram Yoga NYC in Flatiron. It was unclear, from the invite, what exactly this hot yoga class would entail. Bikram is a rather rigid style of yoga consisting of 26 postures, performed for about 90 minutes in a room heated up to 104 degrees, and teachers are required to go through extensive training for certification—is this what the Lachey brothers have been doing now that celebrity has passed them by?
Turns out this wasn't so much a yoga class as an attempt to market #BuddLyte to millennial women, most of whom apparently can't complete Summer 2015 without twisting themselves into shapes in front of former boy band members. The room was heated to 98 degrees—duh—instead of the requisite 104, and Nick and Drew, outfitted in #Bud#LiiGhT branded t-shirts, teamed up with instructor Donna to lead us through about 20 minutes worth of postures. Since this was a room predominantly full of people who write for women's magazines, everyone was an expert yogi, and 20 seconds of standing bow wasn't going to cut it.
But while it was gimmicky, the Brothers Lachey were game, and indeed, Nick Lachey is both endearingly funny and self-aware—when a tub of #Bud #Light #Bier was produced at the end of class, he cracked one open and noted that, "The more Bud Light you drink, the better 98 Degrees sounds." Probably true! Once 49 Degrees began drinking, though, the class was over, and we were dismissed without having even broken a sweat. How can you #hydrate with #Bod#LiYTe if you aren't secreting fluids out your pores?
Ah, well. I didn't stretch a muscle or befriend a boy band, but at least I got this sweet #bUdLiGhTT #swag.
Perfect for water or shitty beer. (Rebecca Fishbein/Gothamist)
After all, as instructor Donna said right before we closed out class, "I really think Bud Light is the best thing."
A profound spiritual intention for the ages, thanks, Donna.
