Another Top 10 Horribly Awkward TV Cameos
#10: Boy George
Top 10 Horribly Awkward TV Cameos
“The A-Team” (1983-87) Can you think of a more awkward pairing than Boy George and this squad? “The A-Team” was a very popular show in the mid 1980s. It followed four Special Forces veterans who escape from a military prison, and work as mostly do-gooder mercenaries. Although comical in spots, it was constantly being criticized for its sexism and violence. Which is why the inclusion of Boy George was so jarring. In the show, Boy George wins over Mr. T.’s B.A. Baracus, and ends up performing to a bar full of tough, country-lovin’ good ol’ boys. We’re not sure, but we highly doubt that Culture Club is their kind of music. Can anyone say “ratings ploy?”
#9 will.i.am
Top 20 Horribly Awkward TV Cameos
“Joan of Arcadia” (2003-05) We’re not dogging will.i.am’s acting chops here, because he’s actually not half-bad. We’re just docking points for how unnecessary his cameo is. In the episode “Independence Day”, he appears as God, in the form of a Three Card Monte player, and gives Joan some advice about life, by using the card con as a metaphor. His inclusion in the episode is really unnecessary, as a regular actor would really do just fine, and it simply comes across as pandering to “Joan of Arcadia’s” teenage audience. That said, if you didn’t know who will.i. am is, you probably wouldn’t even know it’s anyone special.
#8: Tom Morello
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“Star Trek: Voyager” (1995-2001) The worst kinds of cameos are the obvious ones. Such is the case with Tom Morello appearing as Crewman Mitchell. In the scene, Mitchell randomly appears and gives Janeway directions. The two then share a brief, awkward conversation (complete with Morello looking directly into the camera) before Janeway walks away. Morello is a fan of “Star Trek,” and the son of series producer Rick Berman is a fan of Morello’s work in Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. The scene (which could have easily been cut from the episode) screams “we just wanted to hang out with Tom Morello for a day.”
#7: Alice Cooper
“Monk” (2002-09) In the episode “Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike,” the garbage collectors of San Francisco go on strike, and Monk grows delirious from the smell of garbage. While single-handedly cleaning up the city, Monk tells his colleagues that he has solved the murder on his mind. As he explains, the real Alice Cooper is a collector of antique wing chairs and committed murder when he discovered that the head of the sanitation union had one that he wanted. While this is being explained, Alice can be seen snarling at the camera and caressing a chair. It’s very weird and very awkward, but then again, that’s “Monk” for you.
#6: Michael Stipe
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“The Adventures of Pete & Pete” (1991-96) R.E.M. was all the rage in the early 1990s, and their popularity resulted in one incredibly awkward cameo from the band’s singer, Michael Stipe. In a special episode of “Pete & Pete,” Stipe appears as a “sludgsicle” vendor named Captain Scrummy. And while Stipe is a great singer, as an actor he’s . . well . . . . Look, we understand that “Pete & Pete” is intentionally corny and ridiculous, but there’s a difference between good corny acting and bad corny acting. This is the latter. Stipe makes some truly weird facial expressions, and his voice stays in a sleep-inducingly monotone throughout the entire scene. It’s surreal, but not in a good way.
#5: Quentin Tarantino
“All-American Girl” (1994-95) Look, we all know that Quentin Tarantino is one of the best directors of the past few decades. That said, everyone also knows that he isn’t the strongest actor, especially when he puts himself in scenes alongside titans like Samuel L. Jackson and Jamie Foxx. Quentin appeared in one episode of the short-lived ABC sitcom “All-American Girl.” Yeah, the constant Tarantino jokes were fun, but the dude was his usual fast-talking, awkward self. If that wasn’t bad enough, his on-screen chemistry with Margaret Cho was…well, they weren’t very compatible, let’s just say that. It’s weird to think that Tarantino went from “Pulp Fiction” directly to…whatever this was.
#4: Macy Gray
“Fuller House” (2016-) Call it an awkward cameo for an awkward show. In “Fuller House’s” third episode, wittingly titled “Funner House,” the gang runs into Macy Gray at a nightclub. OK, let’s get the obvious out of the way first: Why Macy Gray? She may be a great singer and talent, but her last big hit was in, like, 1999. We don’t think the demand for Macy Gray cameos are very high. Our question is answered later in the episode, when Gray awkwardly plugs her new album, although the following dig at herself is admittedly quite funny. It’s the one redeeming aspect of this otherwise cringey and terribly-acted cameo.
#3: Donald Trump
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“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1990-96) We mean, it’s Donald Trump. Need we say more? In the fourth season episode “For Sale by Owner,” the family is offered an exorbitant amount of money for their house by a mysterious buyer. This buyer turns out to be none other than The Trumpmeister himself. Donny T awkwardly appears to an incredibly lame and overly-scripted fanfare, including an exaggerated announcement, and Carlton fainting in excitement. Trump then awkwardly acts and prances his way around the set, delivering horribly-timed, monotone lines before leaving barely two minutes later. Come on “Fresh Prince,” you’re better than this.
#2: Lance Bass
“7th Heaven” (1996-2007) Some musicians and singers beautifully transition from music to acting. And some don’t. Case in point: NSYNC’s Lance Bass, who appeared as Rick Palmer in an episode of “7th Heaven.” This was Bass’s first role in television, and it shows. His acting is painfully wooden and emotionless, and his line delivery is stilted, like he’s reading off a cue card just offscreen. This episode aired in January of 2000, the same month NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” debuted, and only two months before their most successful album, No Strings Attached, was released. This show was geared towards teens and preteens, hence Bass’s blatantly commercial cameo. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Wayne Gretzky “The Young and the Restless” (1973-) Carly Rae Jepsen “Castle” (2009-16) Michael Palin “Home and Away” (1988-)
#1: Paris Hilton
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“Veronica Mars” (2004-07) Paris Hilton has made numerous cameos over the years, like when she appeared as a goddess on “Supernatural.” And, as you can probably imagine, they have all been very jarring. Her most awkward cameo is arguably her appearance as Caitlin Ford in the second episode of “Veronica Mars.” Here, she is given an important role, but her character falls wicked flat. It seems incredibly out of character for the new show to do a cameo like this, and it reeks of network meddling. It’s as if UPN wanted to pander to its viewers, and was willing to jeopardize the quality and identity of its show to do so.
