As a blogger, there have been a few times in my life where I honestly couldn’t believe the email that arrived in my inbox. In May, one of those emails came through and I was offered a chance to spend the day in Boston with members of the band New Kids on the Block. My time with them would include a 15 minute group interview as well as time aboard a private yacht to celebrate the season 2 premiere of their show, Rock This Boat. I have ALL THE FEELS about what I experienced and so much to tell you. But I’m starting with the most important.
Rock This Boat is a reality show that follows the members of the band while they cruise on the NKOTB cruise. This is a cruise the New Kids on the Block put together once a year as a way to give back to their fans. It’s the five members of the band plus 3000 of their biggest fans (also known as Blockheads) for 4 days on cruise ship. Season 1 followed 5 groups of super fans on their quests to get up close and personal with NKOTB.
I binged through season 1 in preparation for my day in Boston to interview them about season 2. As someone who has loved NKOTB since she was 7 (and still loves them), I’m their target market for this show. However, season 1 didn’t exactly wow me. It was really fun to see the boys on the ship, but the story lines in season 1 focused heavily on the super fans.
What is special about season 2 is that the show has taken a slight pivot for the better. Each member of the group checks in via selfie “interview” style…. 5 members of the band + 20 cameras = a look inside the world of New Kids on the Block that you’ve always wanted. They’ve coined the phrase “more band, hot damn.” #morebandhotdamn is right.
One of the things I love about NKOTB is that they’re just as in love with their fans as their fans are with them. During my interview, Joey spoke about getting to attend prom night on the ship (there are several themed parties and events during the cruise) and dance with a fan. He was 15 years old when the band took off and launched into super stardom. So, he never got to attend a prom of his own. On prom night on the ship, he got to live out an that experience.
In the days to come, I’ll be writing a ton more about my experience, everything from how I kept my nerves in check to the question I asked the guys and how I decided who my plus 1 would be.
Season 2 premiers June 1, 2016 on Pop TV (check your local listings) at 8:30 pm. I’ll be watching. And live tweeting.
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