Backstage at The ESPYS 2010

Wow! Where to start!

I could barely sleep the night before because I was so excited about working for the ESPYS all day the next day. I got ready for my day having no clue what to expect. I had been to the Nokia Theatre the day before to get my picture taken and my media credentials (aka my golden ticket into ANYWHERE!) My Boss even told me to sleep with my credentials in case someone needed something in the middle of the night, and never go anywhere without them for the next 48 hours. I put on black pants, my official navy Espys shirt, and my media credentials. I looked very official. I arrived at the W Hotel on Hollywood Blvd at 10 a.m. My boss has a sister whose production company in NY runs the ESPYS. My boss loaned me and the other intern I’m working with to her for the day. Our job title was called “Escort”. Basically every escort is assigned to an athlete and it’s their responsibility to make sure 1. Their athlete makes it to the red carpet and walks with them down the red carpet, 2. Your athlete is in the correct seat by 5:45 because we went live at 6:00, and 3. Find your athlete after the ESPYS and see if they want to go to the after party. If they do- walk them there then you’re done.

There were about 30-40 escorts, and the ones I met were between 20-25 years old. The other escorts had all been given a tour the day before and been briefed about what to wear, how to act and given a HUGE book of EVERYONE that would be there and their pictures and information to know who to look for, etc. They had also been assigned their athletes for a couple days so they could sufficiently stalk them on the internet. But, Mike and I were just kind of thrown into this because our boss’s sister needed more escorts and people she trusted. We came highly recommended and made a really good impression on Tuesday so we were given very high profile athletes! Most of the athletes were staying at the W Hotel – so the other escorts were just hanging out upstairs waiting until it was time to get to the red carpet. Then they were all going to ride on shuttles or buses with their athlete. However, there were some athletes who were not staying at The W that were given special treatment. That’s where Mike and I came in, and we met two other escorts named JR and JT. Luckily JR had done this before so he could show us around. We went with JR and JT to the JW Marriot right beside the Nokia to wait for Brett Favre and his family to arrive around 12 and to wait for Colt McCoy and Toby Gerhart to arrive at 3:30. I was initially assigned to Colt and Toby and Mike was assigned to help with Brett. The four of us shuttled over to help with Brett.

We arrived at the Nokia and walked through the theatre to see where Brett’s seats were so his escort knew exactly where to take him. They were practicing with the music the sounds and the lights. It was incredible. All the seats had people’s pictures and names on them where they were supposed to be sitting with empty spaces for the athlete’s guests. We walked over to the JW Marriot to wait for Brett Favre. Since we had our walkie talkies on, our ESPYS shirts on and our credentials lots of athletes would come up to us and ask us all kinds of questions. Antawn Jamison came up and asked me how to get a shuttle back to the W Hotel. I was really really excited to talk to him! I grew up watching him play for UNC so I recognized him before the other three guys.

Brett Favre and his wife and 11 year old daughter finally arrived at the hotel lobby so all four of the escorts (me, mike, JR, and JT) went out there to help. We had his room keys and were supposed to get him to his room, take him to Nokia to practice giving out an award, and then get him when it was time to go on the red carpet around 5 ish. He was so cool, and his wife and daughter were really sweet! Brett made a joke about how ESPN sent four of us to get him, and he would definitely need to check all of us for steroids- especially me! It was so easy to be around all these athletes- you realize they’re just real people too! Except with people coming up to them like crazy. That would be incredibly stressful. We got Brett settled in his room, and he actually ended up getting another room so the stylist could get his daughter and his wife ready, and he could have his own room to just chill.

We were downstairs hanging out in the lobby answering various athletes’ questions and waiting for Colt McCoy and Toby Gerhart to arrive, when I get this text message from a lady I had met the day before for about 5 minutes:

Espys Lady: “Can you come back to handle Reggie bush for us?”
Me: “Yes sure how many do you need? We’re at the Marriot now. I can head back to the W.”
Espys Lady: “Just you”
Me: “Ok you got it. I’m trying to get a shuttle back now.”
Espys Lady: “Ok perfect.”

That was it. I was freaking out. I begged one of them to come with me but they all had already been assigned to Brett and Colt and Toby. So I began my quest to find a shuttle ride back to the W. That was easy because there were tons going back and forth. I arrived and ran up to the second floor to find the lady who texted me. She sent me to Sue who had all Reggie’s information. In the mean time another lady named Carrie had called me and explained that she already gave my cell phone number to Reggie, he’s giving a speech downtown, and I needed to get his hotel keys at the Ritz and meet him in the lobby around 4. WOW! No. Big. Deal.

I found Sue and about 20 of the other escorts in a big meeting room all eating at a table. Sue gave me a copy of an email with Reggie’s hotel confirmation and a headset and that was it. I said – maybe I should head back to the Nokia and find his seat so I know where to take him and get his hotel keys in the lobby. She said that was probably a good idea and gave me her phone number, and I set off back to downtown LA to the Nokia Live. Except this time there were no available shuttles when I went downstairs. I calmly showed the email and said I had to get to downtown LA I was getting Reggie Bush. Throwing a name like that around pretty much gets you whatever you want. Two ESPYS shuttle workers in green shirts) found a shuttle for me within 10 minutes. Lucky for me I got to ride in a shuttle with Dr. J! We talked a little bit about his daughter, then he got a phone call and he was on the phone most of the rest of the ride. He said it was nice to meet me and waved goodbye when we got out of the car.

Now, it was time to get ready for Reggie. It’s about 1:30 p.m. by now. My 3 guy friends were with Brett in the Nokia watching him practice giving his award. Great! I found them and I found Reggie’s seat. Right in the Center front row on the very right end. That’s called a “camera seat.” It was very important that Reggie and not his guest sit in the camera seat. We walked with Brett back to his hotel room, laughing and joking the whole way. The three boys adored Brett. We walked back to the hotel dropped him off, and I made the escort JT show me EXACTLY what I needed to do when I got Reggie. He showed me how to take Reggie from the hotel lobby to the red carpet down the red carpet. Then he showed me where the Players Lounge was inside and how to get to Reggie’s seat. I felt a LOT better after this walk.

Then, we had to go back to the hotel lobby because it was almost time for Colt and Toby to arrive, and he was their escort. I got Reggie’s keys and checked his room to make sure it was absolutely in tip-top shape. Also, I randomly met the girl who had called me on the phone and set me up with Reggie. She said she had no idea what was going on or where Reggie was and I should just text him my number so he could call me when he was done!! So, YES I HAVE REGGIE BUSH’S NUMBER IN MY PHONE!! I texted him that I was his ESPN escort named Jordan and his hotel room was ready for him whenever his speech was over. She also gave me his drivers information so I texted his driver the same thing. His driver called me back and explained he had just parked the car. He said, “Let’s meet in the lobby and discuss everything.”

I walked with the driver to find out where his parking spot was (which comes in VERY handy later) and then headed back to the lobby. It was around 3:30. I waited in the lobby with my escort friends, and they were waiting for Colt and Toby. THEN A CRISIS. Colt and Toby’s room had been given to someone else on accident. The hotel didn’t have a room for them now, and the hotel was sold out. Poor JT their escort was freaking. They were going to be there at any minute, and we didn’t have a room. So we go over to the Ritz- where Reggie’s room is (the JW and Ritz lobbies are connected) and JT is trying to get them a room frantically. JT found an available room luckily after going back and forth to the lobbies all before Colt and Toby arrived. It was around 4:15 now, and still no sign of Reggie.

Then, my friends Mike and JR ran back into my lobby to tell me Reggie is in the bar/restaurant right down the corner. They just spotted him with some of the SNL crew, and I should go there and talk to him. So off we go. Me, Mike, and JR. JT was left with Colt and Toby. We get to the restaurant and bar and the boys point him out to me. The restaurant is closed to outside guests, but with my media credentials and ESPYS shirt- I CAN GET IN ANYWHERE! It’s the Golden Ticket. I wave to Reggie and say that I’m Jordan his Escort. He calls me over. He says it’s nice to meet me, and he’s not going to use his hotel room. He is already dressed. He wants to eat dinner and then we can go down red carpet around 5:15. I leave and let his driver know the plan.

I waited until 5:10, and then I went back to get Reggie. He waved me over again, and said, “What’s the deal? Do I have to walk down the red carpet because I don’t think I want to?” In the meantime a random number calls my phone and I answer. She’s talking really fast. Freaking out. She’s saying, “Where’s Reggie?!” I said we were about to head to the red carpet, but he doesn’t want to walk on it. She said I should take him the back way do I know where that is. Absolutely not. So, she said bring him to the red carpet NOW, and we will get a security guard to walk him the back way. So off I go with Reggie, and his little brother. A really really tall basketball player for a college in San Diego. I asked Reggie about how his speech went today and them BAM! Someone spotted him and it was all over. One of the top two most craziest experiences of my life. Crazed fans swarming him with footballs and shirts and cameras and wanting to take their picture with him and screaming his name “Reggie Reggie” “Please Please” “I Love you!” “Please Reggie” “Over here Reggie” “Reggie Reggie REGGIE!!”. I am literally in shock. Dumbfounded. Never seen anything like this in my entire life. There is nothing I can do. Reggie is pretty cool about it. Trying to take as many pictures and sign as many things as possible and looking back at me saying, “Are we going the right way? Is this where we need to go?” I nod my head, and I manage to say “I need Reggie to move along please. Reggie really needs to get to his seat. We need to keep moving!” This is incredibly ineffective. Thank goodness his brother was with us and totally huge to keep Reggie moving. We make it to the security guards at the place in the fence where we can cut through to get to the top of the red carpet. When Reggie gets there the four random women I have been in communication with throughout the whole day see him and run over. They confirm that he doesn’t want to do red carpet and get a security guard to take him another way. Someone hands me his tickets and off we go. At first no one has noticed us. We cut through outside along the Nokia on the complete other side of where the Red Carpet is. Then BAM! Surrounded and same thing again. The security guard is practically helpless. And I feebly say, “We need to keep moving” and “I’m sorry he’s really busy and he needs to get to his seat quickly.” That was again not very effective.

Finally we make it to a gated off area and into the back entrance of the Nokia. Reggie wants to go to the Players Lounge before taking his seat it’s about 5:30. So BAM! Here I am seeing tons of celebrities I could barely take it all in or think of who I was actually seeing- Samuel L. Jackson, lots of past and current SNL guys, ESPN TV guys, Landon Donovan, honestly probably more people I can’t even think of. It was incredible. I met my boss’s sister who warned Reggie there would be one Kardashian joke in the show, but that was it. He didn’t even care. Reggie was really cool about getting to his seat on time. I said we should probably head into the theatre around 5:40.

We started to walk towards our seats. Then, we entered the theater. WOW! THIS WAS INCREDIBLE. Everything you could possibly imagine and more. Stunning gorgeous people and dresses and tuxedos and famous people every way you look. I led Reggie to his seat and explain to him where I’ll meet him after the show, and I told him to have so much fun! He thanks me and confirms where we’re meeting. I casually say if we get separated you have my number. Because he does. No big deal.

Then, I decided I didn’t want to leave the auditorium just yet. I took a step back and just stood with my hands behind my back and looked out. Wow. It was a lot to take in. It was incredibly crowded because of course everyone waited until the last minute to take their seats and it was HUGE. Some headset lady was telling all the escorts to exit if their athlete was in their seat so I slowly made my way out of the auditorium. Then, at 6:00 the show started! It was awesome to be able to listen in on the headsets and hear exactly what was going on during a live show. I was listening to Channel 2. This channel was called “talent”, and it was the channel for escorts to listen to in order to know who would be winning awards and what commercial break to go get your athlete or actor if they were presenting an award or about to win. One girl was escorting Kenny Chesney. I explained that one of my girlfriends would DIE to be his escort. This crazy escort said “Oh really, I had never heard of him until I was assigned to him.”

The weirdest part of this experience is just seeing the famous actors and thinking you know them. You think they are your best friend. You really feel like you know their personality. When I was walking past all the dressing rooms I saw Seth Meyers walking with a beautiful woman. I smiled the biggest smile ever right at him, and I felt like I should say hey or wave to my nearest and dearest friend. He didn’t even see me- haha. Reality Check.

It was crazy just walking past all the dressing rooms and seeing the different names on the doors like Jon Hamm and Will Ferrell. The Escorts were supposed to stay right outside the theater doors of the Nokia incase our athletes needed anything or we needed to talk to them during a commercial break or they won an award. We were really only supposed to go to the back stage press area if our athletes were back there. I was hoping with all my heart that the Saints would win the last award for “Best Team” so I could go back there!

I loved commercial breaks. I would sit right beside the door because you never know who will be coming in and out. I saw Zac Effron, Landon Donovan, Kenny Chesney, Apollo Ohno, Dara Torres, and many many more athletes that were constantly being pointed out to me. Then, I had to go in during the second to last commercial break and tell Reggie what to do in case the Saints won the last award. I told him I would meet him backstage, and we would have to go through the different press rooms. Then, I exited the theatre and got ready to find out if the Saints would win the final award or not. THEY WON! There was so much going on that the lady on the talent headset forgot to announce or I didn’t hear her, but luckily one of my friends texted me they won. So me and Drew Brees’s escort raced off to go backstage! All the Saints players were filing backstage to be interviewed by Hannah Storm. Kenny Chesney was with them all too. He looked very small compared to all the players. Reggie smiled at me and acknowledged that he knew where I was. I talked to his brother too, and I finally got to talk to my boss. He kept asking me, “Did they teach you this in school?” That’s his favorite line. He said, “You should have just skipped college and paid me your tuition because look at all you’re experiencing. They can’t teach you this in school.” Well obviously they taught me something in school because I figured out a lot all on my own today- would have been a great response. But you know me; I just smiled and said, “This is a great experience behind the scenes of an award show I never could have imagined without being here. Thank you so much. And Reggie is SO COOL!”

We walked with Reggie and the whole team to two other press rooms where they had to answer questions and take lots of pictures. It was such a happy moment. One of the reporters in the second room asked a silly question to Reggie. He said, “I heard you have to be dating a Kardashian to win a Super Bowl. What are you going to do about that?” But some publicity woman stepped in and said Reggie would not be answering that question. After that press conference Reggie came up to me. He had asked me earlier to get his driver to pick him up right outside the press area because he was hungry, and he didn’t want to go to the party right after. There were like 3 or 4 parties. One right after- one starting at midnight- one starting at like 2 in the morning- and one at like 6 in the morning for breakfast I think. But, the entire area around the theatre was blocked off so his driver couldn’t get him, but the hotel lobby was literally a block - (of course this takes a LOT longer to walk with Reggie Bush). There was another Saints player and his date walking back to the hotel lobby with us- a REALLY big white guy. He was not as nice to the fans as Reggie. He said, “No I’m not signing that. I know you will just forge my signature anyways and try to sell it.” I thought that wasn’t very nice, but what do I know about crazy mobs following you around all the time. Not that much.

We got to the hotel and Reggie wanted his driver to drive some of his friends, but he also wanted his range rover for the night too. He asked me if I would walk with his brother to get his car out of the parking deck. Luckily, I knew where it was because the driver had showed me earlier. I hung out with his brother for like 30 minutes as we walked. We had to cut through a special area, and once they found out he was Reggie Bush’s brother that wasn’t that hard. So yes- I HAVE RIDEN IN REGGIE BUSH’S BLACK RANGE ROVER. I asked his brother if Reggie got annoyed with all the Kardashian questions and he said no. He said that Reggie really doesn’t care. He is used to all the questions, and he knows he will get them. I should have asked about USC, but I refrained. We pulled up to the lobby where Reggie was waiting. He opened the door for me and smiled. I gave him his tickets, and asked if he needed anything else. He said he was good from here, and thanked me so much for all my help today. I asked if I could get one picture with him even though I know he’s taken so many today, but he said of course! And his brother snapped it for me right in the car. I told them that I loved meeting them both and I hope they had such a fun night! Reggie gave me a hug goodbye.

Crazy life. I found Mike and Kelly and we rode back to the W together to get our cars (after stopping to get an In-N-Out Burger of course). Despite our exhaustion and lack of food, we all laughed and shared our different stories of this crazy, celebrity filled night together. It’s definitely something I could never have imagined, and an experience I’m so happy to have! Just another day out here in L.A.