My boy Mill Freek (aka The Mayor) and I spent 20 minutes discussing our favorite Saved by the Bell episodes ("I'm So Excited" still ranks as my favorite) on Wednesday night. It was one of my favorite conversations of the past two years and one that got me thinking about what the Super Six have done since it went off the air in 1993. To help rank them in terms of success I did a little IMDBing...here are my official rankings.
6. Dustin Diamond - Not only has Screech not done anything of worth since leaving SBTB, he has no redeeming qualities. A sex tape, some chess videos, an appearance on Celebrity Fit Club, some random tv movies and an role on SBTB: The New Class is nothing to write home about.
5. Lark Voorhies - I honestly cannot believe I am ranking Lisa below Jessie, but the fact is she has done NOTHING since a 1999 tv series with LL Cool J. Maybe she is happy with her life away away from the spotlight, but that won't help her here.
4. Elizabeth Berkley - After SBTB she took her clothes off in the ultra-slimy Showgirls and played a hooker in Any Given Sunday. She has also had bit roles in CSI, CSI: Miami, Law & Order and The L Word.
3. Mark-Paul Gosselaar - After falling on some hard times immediately following his time at Bayside, Mark-Paul rebounded with a highly successful stint on NYPD Blue and has had supporting roles on seveeral other tv series since. He is quietly making a solid career for himself.
2. Tiffani (Amber) Thiessen - I had a really hard time choosing between Kelly and Slater because they have been successful in different ways. Thiessen had an extremely successful half decade as Valerie on 90210 and has since been supporting roles on 4 other series. I saw her just the other night on White Collar and while she may be a little older and have put on a few pounds, she still looks damn good.
1. Mario Lopez - As mentioned above, his success has come in different ways than Thiessen. He hasn't had a lead role on a tv series since 2003, but he always seems to be on my tv. Whether it is as host of Extra or Entertainment Tonight or his appearance on Dancing with the Stars or his stints as host of Miss Universe, Miss America or Miss Teen USA, Slater is everywhere. His IMDB page may not be as impressive as Thiessen, but I think you have to say he is more of an A-Lister than Kelly.
Hey I kinda like "The Mayor" nickname...surprised no one came up with it before you!
ReplyDeleteOf course I've been racking my brain about other episodes...and what did I cathc this morning? The episode where Zack and Kelly are fighting because Kelly wanted to see an ex-boyfriens who was in town, and Slater wanted to take Jessie to the Raiders game but she wanted to go to the ballet. We all know how that ends: somehow they rent out The Max to play "What I Should've Said", with Zack saying he trusts Kelly (role-played by Screech in a cheerleading outfit), and Slater emasculating himself by tearing up his Raider tickets (which I think he should've sold, but whatever) and tearung off his clothes to reveal the unitard thing ballet guys wear. Nice going tough guy hahaha!
I agree with your above list except I would switch Lisa and Jessie. Depending on how you determine success post-SBTB, Lark went on to star in 2 soap operas for a few years(Days of Our Lives and Bold and the Beautiful...I knew she was on a soap opera, so I Wiki'd it. I don't think we need to argue the fact that Screech (who almost got his a$$ kicked by the drill sergeant guy on Celebrity Fit CLub a couple of years ago, and yes, I did watch that because Warren G was on it and I was curious, as was Nicole Eggert and Tiffany, star of current SyFy film Mega Pirahna vs. Gatoroid with Debbie Gibson...google it) and Jessie are the bottom 2, and always will be.
I'm very impressed someone knows this show as well, if not better, than I do. Nothing like nostsalgia to welcome in the spring!
Funny because that was an episode you and I spent some time discussing. Meant to tell you that yesterday morning I saw "I'm so excited" and "Rod Belding". Classic.
ReplyDeleteAlso, no need to google Mega Piranha vs Gatoroid - actually seen it on The Soup. Looks amazing.