The telecast delivered great comebacks and wacky costumes, but plenty of action never made it to air. By Nuzhat Naoreen Mary J. Blige and Drake perform during the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty From meat dresses to all-star performances, the 2010 VMAs had no shortage of memorable moments, so it’s no surprise that people are still talking about it. The awards show drew nearly 11.4 million viewers (no big deal, just the biggest audience for any MTV telecast since 2002). Althought you’ve probably seen many of the pictures, videos and even the blink-and-you-missed-’em moments , there’s actually a lot more awesomeness that happened offcamera. Check out the five best unseen moments from the 2010 VMAs: Drake, Mary J. And Swizz Beatz Nail It While Drake, Swizz Beatz and Mary J. Blige delivered a flawless performance of “Fancy” at the 2010 VMAs, they actually only rehearsed it once. “Mary J. was not in L.A. earlier in the week because of prior commitments, so Swizz and Drake rehearsed with a stand-in,” said Kim Reynolds, executive assistant to VMA Executive Producer Dave Sirulnick. While the trio’s hectic schedules kept them apart initially, Mary made it a point to get there for dress rehearsal and the trio was able to practice at least once before the show — but that was the first and only time. Fortunately, the legendary Mary J. had no trouble nailing the performance along with Drake and Swizz. “Even with only one rehearsal the performance was amazing,” Reynolds remarked. 30 Seconds To Mars Discover Glitter Hurts The glitter dispersed by the bikers accompanying 30 Seconds to Mars on their VMA entrance did more than leave a stain on the carpet, some of it actually got into Jared Leto’s brother Shannon’s eye and the paramedics had to be called. VMA audience member Kenny Mellman saw it all go down an hour before the show. “The door to the restroom was being held open and I saw a bunch of people around the sinks,” Mellman explained. “At first I thought that it was a celebrity getting ready and that they had taken over the bathroom, until I saw two paramedics assisting.” Mellman soon realized the medics were helping to remove glitter from Shannon Leto’s eye. “I overheard Jared Leto saying something to the effect of they didn’t know the glitter was going to hurt, but it is the worst thing to get in your eyes.” Will.I.Am Gets A Lift From A Toaster? Will.I.Am’s surprise appearance during Nicki Minaj’s pre-show performance actually had a little more “pop” to it than what cameras caught. MTV News had a “toaster” — a hydraulic lift used to catapult people — ready to go backstage for Will. The lift would make it appear as if Will, who was hidden behind a trapdoor, magically appeared on the stage. “You could compare it to a trampoline that doesn’t require you to jump on it to give you height,” said Adam Stewart, the production manager responsible for overseeing the building of the entire red carpet stage. While the toaster worked perfectly, it wasn’t in the live show. Cyclists Crash White Carpet — Twice! By now, you’ve probably already heard about 30 Seconds to Mars’ epic VMA entrance. The guys arrived at the carpet with a crew of bicyclists, who unexpectedly threw feathers, water and glitter into the crowd. A cleaning crew was dispatched to clean up the mess afterward … but that wasn’t the end of it. The bicyclists actually crashed the red carpet again. “I’m walking up to go to the entrance of the limo route, and right around the corner comes one bike, comes two three more,” Production Coordinator Damian Vaca recalled. “They just crash the red carpet again. They’re weaving in and out of limos in and out of people. They completely took over the carpet until security was really kicking them out.” Gucci Mane Rains Hundreds On VMA Carpet Feathers and glitter weren’t the only things flying around the white carpet; Gucci Mane made his very own contribution by tossing out money — and lots of it. “It was during the commercial break. He was on the photography press line and all of a sudden he whipped out a spot of cash, it was quite a bit,” said producer Matt Harper, who was standing at the top of the carpet. “At first he was just sort of showing it to the cameras, and then all of a sudden he just sort of threw it and then there was chaos,” he continued. Harper couldn’t tell exactly how much money was dispersed, but he did note that most of it was hundred dollar bills. Share your favorite VMA moments with us in the comments! Related Photos VMA 2010: Show Highlights Related Artists Drake Mary J. Blige Swizz Beatz 30 Seconds To Mars Will.I.Am Gucci Mane
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2010 VMAs: Top Five Moments You Never Saw!
