When They Popped - A Y2K Pop Culture Podcast
Were you team Backstreet Boys or NSYNC? Britney or Xtina? Simple Life or Newlyweds? With When They Popped, you don’t have to pick a side, because we’re going to mention it all! When They Popped retells the stories of the late 90s and early 2000s biggest celebrities, trends, and phenomena like boy band mania, celebrity-based reality TV, and the rise of “famous for being famous” socialites who ruled the tabloids. Hosts Kelsey and Mary are discussing Y2Ks most impactful cultural moments, icons, and celebrities while chronicling their rise to stardom and discussing when they reached the pinnacle of pop c...
The Next Generation: Soulidified on Bringing Boy Bands Back Their Way
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by Soulidified - Shade, Malik, Bradley, and Landon - the four-part harmony boy band bringing nostalgia back to pop music. Formed on Netflix's Building the Band, where they could only hear each other's voices before meeting face-to-face, the guys share their journey from their viral "U Remind Me" performance to training at the infamous boy band bootcamp with Johnny Wright (the legendary manager behind *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys) to wrapping the Bandemonium Tour with 3quency. Soulidified is proving that tight vocal harmonies and...
Jason Wahler on Laguna Beach, The Hills, & Addiction Recovery
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by reality television star Jason Wahler of The Hills and Laguna Beach. Jason shares what was going on behind the scenes of these iconic reality shows as he struggled publicly with addiction and mental health struggles, and how he found his way to recovery. Now, as an addiction and mental health advocate, Jason is dedicated to addiction education and prevention as director of Change Your Brain Foundation.
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Brian Friedman on Dancing Through Y2K
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In this episode, legendary choreographer Brian Friedman joins Mary & Kelsey to discuss creating some of the most iconic routines of the 2000s - from Britney Spears' "Slave 4 U" (yes, THAT performance with the snake) to "Toxic" and beyond. Brian shares stories about dancing alongside Britney, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Lady Gaga, and Prince, his time judging So You Think You Can Dance, producing X Factor and America's Got Talent, as well as his upcoming documentary about the dancing and choreography landscape.
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Willa Ford Is So Back
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by pop icon Willa Ford to discuss Amanda, Willa's highly anticipated return to the music scene (her first new album in 25 years!!). Willa shares behind-the-scenes stories from her 2001 breakout hit, I Wanna Be Bad, her hiatus from the music scene, and her journey to reclaiming a dream nearly destroyed - a powerful story of trauma, healing, and finding her voice again. Amanda is out now!
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Cheyenne Kimball on Growing Up on MTV, Gloriana, & What’s Next
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey catch up with musician Cheyenne Kimball, who rocketed onto the TRL charts at just 16 years old with her debut album The Day Has Come. Cheyenne opens up about growing up in the spotlight while her MTV reality show documented her every step, navigating teen fame, and evolving from pop-rock solo star to member of country group Gloriana. From mall tours with Jonas Brothers to arena stages with Taylor Swift, she shares her wildest road memories, why she chose to step back from the industry...
A*Teens On Creating their Own Identity, Reuniting, New Music, & What’s Next
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In a full-circle Y2K moment they truly manifested, Mary and Kelsey are joined by Marie, Sara, Dhani, and Amit of A*Teens for a candid and hilarious deep dive into life as global teen pop royalty. From selling millions of records as the world’s favorite ABBA-loving supergroup to creating their own original music and identities, A*Teens takes us behind the scenes of their hits that defined an era, world tours with the likes of *NSYNC and Britney Spears, and what it felt like to reunite after nearly tw...
2026 Is The New 2006
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey make their case for why 2026 is *not* the new 2016 - it's the new 2006! The hosts throw it back to their favorite pop culture moments of 2006 including the debuts of 30 Rock, Hannah Montana, chart-topping bops from Rihanna, Nelly Furtado, Shakira, and Panic! At The Disco. This episode will have you wishing you still had your Blackberry or LG Chocolate to text your besties during free period. They also share their predictions for Backstreet Boys' upcoming Super Bowl commercial and thoughts on Hilary Duff's new tour.<...
Pop Culture Moments of 2004 with @Nostalgiachick
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey welcome nostalgia creator Raissa, the creative powerhouse behind @nostalgiachick, to revisit pop culture highlights from 2004 including A Cinderella Story, the finales of Sex and the City and Friends, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 13 Going on 30, MySpace’s peak, and the debut of the Motorola Razr (you just had to be there). Raissa also shares how she built her community and her ever-growing collection of screen accurate clothing and home goods.
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Y2K Era New Year’s Eve Specials
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey go back to New Year’s Eve celebrations on the y2k era, discussing the history of the y2k bug hysteria, the history of Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve special, and MTV’s iconic New Year’s Eve countdowns. They also gab about their favorite live performances from O-Town, Jessica Simspon, 98 Degrees, BBMak, Hilary Duff, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, and New Kids On The Block.
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Our Favorite Things in 2025
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey look back at their favorite moments of 2025 - from their personal experiences seeing Backstreet Boys at Sphere in Vegas (4x times!!), to Hilary Duff and Ashlee Simspson’s much-anticipated comebacks plus their favorite moments and milestones thanks to their incredible listeners!
Episode with Joseph Kahn (Apple & Spotify)
Episode with Andreas Carlsson (Apple & Spotify)
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Christmas Movies of the 90s & 2000s
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey discuss their Mount Rushmore of Christmas movies from th 90s and 2000s: The Muppet Christmas Carol, Elf, and The Holiday. They discuss behind-the-scenes stories - like which lines in Elf were improv and how Nancy Meyers convinced Jack Black to sign on to film (spoiler alert: it has everything to do with Kate Winslet) and more!
Past WTP Holiday Themed Episodes:
Y2K Holiday SongsY2K Holiday MoviesBSB vs, NSYNC Holiday Album Listening PartyBeanie Babies, Furby & Razor Scooters: Th...Backstreet's Back (in Düsseldorf?): An Emergency BSB Investigation
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EMERGENCY EPISODE! Mary and Kelsey spiral over the cryptic clues flooding the Backstreet Boys' social media. What do the Millennium references mean? Why the Homecoming: Live in Orlando throwbacks? What's with the countdown? And most importantly—why Düsseldorf, Germany?! Join us as we dissect each post, analyze every Easter egg, and theorize wildly about what the Boys have up their sleeves. We're connecting dots and fully embracing our Backstreet conspiracy theorist era!
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Beanie Babies, Furby, & Razor Scooters: The Top Holiday Toys of the 90s & 2000s
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Remember when we as a nation all collectively believed that Beanie Babies would fund high education and down payments on our future homes? In this episode, Mary and Kelsey go back to their Christmas wish lists of the 90s and 2000s and revisit the most-wanted toys. All of their picks included a hint of drama and they break it all down including how the Beanie Baby bubble burst, why Tamagotchi sent kids to the guidance counselor, the time Furby caused a spy scandal, and the litigation-happy founder behind Razor scooters...
Celebrating the Pop Genius of In The Zone
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey rewind to 2003 for a nostalgic deep dive into Britney Spears’ In the Zone, the album that defined an era of frosted lip gloss, chrome eyeshadow, iconic hits and performances. In a track-by-[criminally underrated]-track listening party, this episode unpacks why In the Zone - with hits like Toxic, Me Against the Music, Everytime, Breathe On Me - wasn’t just a moment, it was the future of pop, planting the seeds for Britney’s foray into EDM with her subsequent album, Blackout, and so muc...
The Pussycat Dolls’ Carmit Bachar Dishes On Dancing, Dolls, & More
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey sit down with Carmit Bachar, one of the powerhouses behind The Pussycat Dolls, to talk about her wild ride through pop culture history. From dancing beside Beyoncé and Michael Jackson to shaking up the world at Janet Jackson’s legendary Super Bowl halftime show, Carmit spills the tea on the choreography, chaos, and charm of the early 2000s. Carmit shares her perspective on the rise of The Pussycat Dolls, the making of chart-topping hits like “Don’t Cha” and “Buttons,” and what it was really like b...
Revisiting John Mayer’s Room For Squares
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Before Waiting on the World to Change, Gravity, and Say, , there was Room for Squares - John Mayer’s smooth, suburban soundtrack to every early-2000s crush and quarter-life crisis. In this episode, Mary and Kelsey dive track by track into the album that made acoustic pop cool, unpacking its Y2K charm, lyrical angst, and why “No Such Thing” still hits as your go-to AIM away message.
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Still Unbreakable: A Track-by-Track Celebration of Backstreet Boys’ Unbreakable album
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey celebrate the anniversary of Backstreet Boys’ 2007 album Unbreakable. This track-by-track listening party celebrates one of the Boys’ most underrated eras: post–boy band frenzy, pre–Sphere/Millennium 2.0 TikTok dominance. From the soaring harmonies of “Inconsolable” to the criminally underrated pop banger “Something That I Already Know,” this episode revisits every beat, bridge, and beautiful BSB harmony that made Unbreakable such a confident comeback in their first album sans Kevin Richardson.
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Actor Riley Smith on Motocrossed, New York Minute, Bring It On, & His Newest Venture
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Bring It On. New York Minute. Freaks and Geeks. Motocrossed. True Detective. Not Another Teen Movie. 24. These are just a few iconic films and tv shows that Riley Smith has starred in. In this episode, Mary and Kelsey catch up with *the* Dean Talon himself to discuss Riley’s decades-long career, behind-the-scenes stories from these cultural heavyweights, and his current projects including his newest startup that aims to keep the things you love safe.
Follow Riley on Instagram at @rileysmithofficial and check out the Pocket Buddy her...
Rochelle McLean on Backstreet Boys’ Sphere residency, legacy, and more!
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by Rochelle McLean, the mastermind behind the Backstreet Boys Millennium 2.0 album. Rochelle talks about the genesis of this genius concept from back in 2014, to watching it take shape 10+ years later alongside BSB’s Sphere Vegas residency, and how the iconic pop group is finally getting their well-deserved flowers. They also talk about Taylor's latest album and so much more!
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Fantasy Boy Band Draft with Kelli Williams and Boyband Stacy
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It’s football season, so WTP is holding a fantasy draft - a boy band draft, that is! In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by the OG boyband influencer, Boyband Stacy, and Kelli Williams of Beyond the Blinds podcast and @laguna_biotch to draft their dream boy bands. The judge? Real life boy bander, Trevor Penick of O-Town! Plus, another boy bander makes a surprise appearance.
Check out our previous episodes with our esteemed guests:
Kelli Williams celebrates 20 years of Back...
3Quency on Girl Groups, Netflix’s Building the Band, and more!
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey chat with 3Quency, the three-woman group consisting of Brianna Mazzola, Nori Moore, and Wennely Quezada, who won Netflix’s “Building The Band.” 3Quency scored a record deal with RECORDS/Columbia Records and is managed by music industry legend Johnny Wright who helped spark the careers of Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, and Britney Spears. They share stories from filming the show that viewers at home didn’t get to see, what it was like working with host of the show, Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean, and iconic panelists...
The Life Of A Showgirl Listening Party
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In this emergency minisode, Mary and Kelsey share their real-time, unedited thoughts on Taylor Swift’s newest album, The Life Of A Showgirl, which was produced in partnership with Max Martin and Shellback.
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The Click Five on Just the Girl, New Music & More!
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The Click Five is back, baby! In this episode, Mary and Kelsey catch up with Kyle and Ethan of The Click Five to reminisce on the band’s explosive rise to the top of the charts with their 2005 hit “Just The Girl,” and what the band is up to now including their first North American tour in 15 years, new music coming soon (!!), and their recent performance with the Jonas Brothers. Get your tickets to their upcoming tour and VIP packages at https://theclickfive.komi.io/!!
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Hilary Duff Deep Cuts
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey celebrate the thrilling news that Hilary Duff is coming out of musical retirement and working on new music. They revisit Hilary’s most underrated bops and compiled their top 10 favorite deep cuts spanning her entire discography - Metamorphosis, Hilary Duff, Dignity, Most Wanted, and Breathe In. Breathe Out. - and discuss why these tracks deserve more love!
This episode references a few previous episodes - check them out here if you haven’t already for the full Hila...
Mandy Moore’s Debut Album
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey go track by track through Mandy Moore’s debut album, So Real, dishing on everything from bubblegum bangers like “Candy” to the deep cuts you may have forgotten were total Y2K gems. They also discuss how the album was reissued as I Wanna Be With You with four new tracks that make for a perfect time capsule of teen pop magic.
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Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together Review
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey recap Nelly and Ashanti’s eight-episode docuserie that follows the iconic Y2K couple’s journey as newlyweds and navigating parenthood. They recap what the critics have to say on the series and their own favorite memorable moments from the show, including the couple shopping for a $300k mattress, Ashanti preparing for his first performance post-baby, and Nelly’ 50th birthday party.
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Clay Aiken on American Idol & When He Popped
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In this episode, Clay Aiken dishes on his American Idol experience during the show’s explosive second season, he reflects on his quick rise to fame, unlikely fan encounters, and his #1 hit 2003 album, "Measure of a Man.” Plus, Clay discusses his spirited fanbase (Claymates rise up!), his enduring friendship with Ruben Studdard, and what's next for our favorite American Idol runner up!
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Backstreet Boys at the Sphere
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Oh my God, we're back again... In this episode, Mary & Kelsey recap their second trip to Vegas to see Backstreet Boys at the Sphere, giving a play-by-play of everything they’ve learned from their four shows including what time to arrive to the venue to get a spot close to the stage, which side of the stage they prefer (after trying out left, center, and right!), and more! Plus, they discuss Max Martin’s new collaboration with Taylor Swift for her recently-announced album, The Life of a Showgirl, and...
Revisiting Disney’s Freaky Friday & Freakier Friday
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey dive into the body-swapping icon of a movie that is 2002’s Freaky Friday (2003) featuring Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Chad Michael Murray. They discuss the behind-the-scenes stories, including the very last-minute musical chairs casting process, its incredible soundtrack, cultural impact, and their take on the brand new film, Freakier Friday!
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Revisiting Jessica Simpson’s “In This Skin”
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In this episode, Mary & Kelsey go back to the days of Juicy tracksuits, colorful Louis Vuitton bags, and flat irons with a deep-dive listening party of Jessica Simpson’s iconic 2003 album, In This Skin. From “With You” and its cheeky self-parodying video to Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica, this album feels like a true Y2K-era time capsule.
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GTL Forever: A Jersey Shore Deep Dive
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Cabs are here! In this episode, Mary and Kelsey go back to Seaside Heights in 2009 to chronicle the origins of MTV’s generation-defining series, Jersey Shore. From Snooki’s iconic entrance (party’s here!) to fist-pumping at Karma and working at the Shore Store, they detail their favorite moments from the beginning seasons up to now Jersey Shore: Family Vacation. It’s T-shirt time!
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Catching Up with Visionary Director Joseph Kahn
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey sit down with Grammy-award winner and visionary film and music video director Joseph Kahn. They discuss Joseph’s new 2000s nostalgia-packed horror comedy movie “Ick” which hits theaters for a limited time July 27-29, how he became one of the most sought-after music video directors in the industry, and his work with with the world’s biggest names in music including Backstreet Boys (Everybody, Larger Than Life, Incomplete), Britney Spears (Toxic, Stronger, Womanizer), Taylor Swift (Blank Space, Bad Blood, Wildest Dreams, Look What You Made Me...
Answering Backstreet Boys at the Sphere FAQs
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In this episode, Mary & Kelsey answer all of your questions from opening weekend of Backstreet Boys Into The Millennium at the Sphere in Las Vegas. From how they got front row on opening night, to what bags to bring, to merch selection, to the Backstreet Boys pop-up experience at the Venetian, this episode is a must-listen if you’re planning a trip to see the show!
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Live from Backstreet Boys at The Sphere Part 2
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In this episode, Mary & Kelsey share yet another unhinged episode live from Vegas recapping Backstreet Boys residency at the Sphere night two on July 12, 2025. They discuss the When They Popped met up, the official Backstreet Boys After Party at Voltaire, merch FAQs, and more.
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Live from Backstreet Boys at The Sphere Part 1
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In this episode, Mary & Kelsey share their raw and unedited post-show ramblings following opening night of the Backstreet Boys at the Sphere in Las Vegas on July 11, 2025. They share what surprised them most, their favorite moments, and so much more! **MAJOR SPOILERS are included in this episode!
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Hayden Panettiere
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey deep dive into the career of Hayden Panettiere from her soap opera start to Disney Channel star (Tiger Cruise and Disneymania 5, hullo) and leading lady of appointment television series including Heroes and Nashville.
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Songwriter Lauren Christy on Avril Lavigne, Hilary Duff, Jason Mraz and more
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey catch up with Lauren Christy, songwriter, singer, and 1/3 of legendary production trio The Matrix, to discuss writing Avril Lavigne’s breakthrough hit album, Let Go, and other hits for Hilary Duff, Jason Mraz, Liz Phair, and more.
Follow Lauren at @thelaurenchristy on IG and TikTok
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In the Spotlight: Tania Baron on Dancing with Britney Spears & More!
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by dancer Tania Baron to discuss Tania’s professional dancing journey including touring with Britney Spears and appearing in her iconic music videos including Baby One More Time, (You Drive Me) Crazy, and Oops!… I Did It Again. Tania shares how she got into dancing, what it was like to perform with the princess of pop as she experienced a meteoric rise to fame, behind-the-scenes of auditioning and landing roles (like RENT the movie), and so much more.
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American Idol Season 1 Memorable Moments
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey rewind all the way to 2002 to dive into the dazzling debut of American Idol Season 1 — the show that turned everyday dreamers into pop royalty and gave us unforgettable gems like Kelly Clarkson, Simon Cowell’s savage zingers, and memorable if not cringe-worthy auditions. This episode sheds light on the show’s British origins, its American makeover, and the iconic chemistry between Simon, Paula, and Randy. Plus, remember how season one had two hosts? You will after tuning in!
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20 Years of BSB’s Never Gone with Kelli Williams
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In this episode, Mary and Kelsey are joined by Beyond the Blinds co-host Kelli Williams (aka Laguna Biotch!!) to celebrate two decades of Backstreet Boys’ Never Gone album. They go track by track and dive deep on bops like Incomplete, I Still…, Crawling Back To You, Just Want You To Know, Siberia (a song that continues to be criminally underrated, if you ask us) and more!
Follow Kelli at @laguna_biotch and @beyondtheblindspod
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