At the end of October, Paramount Australia announced that the MTV music channels were permanently shutting down.
It really wasn’t a surprise, given the fact that you can look up any music video you want on YouTube. At the same time, most of the MTV reality shows are on Paramount+.
MTV played a massive role in my pop culture journey, and is a key reason why the 2000s are my favourite decade.
Early MTV in Australia
MTV would come to Australian loungerooms in 1987, not as a cable TV channel like it was in America, but on channel 9 (or WIN if you lived in regional Australia) as a compilation music show. Entertainment Journalist Richard Wilkins hosted first by himself, and later with Malinda Rutter. Wilkins would be there until it ended in 1993.
When cable television arrived in Australia in 1995, the channel would be available on Optus Vision. MTV, along with The Disney Channel, ESPN, and the movie networks Optus Vision, would all move to Foxtel in 2002 and to Austar in 2004 (Austar was the regional cable TV subscription; it was precisely like Foxtel).
When my family had cable TV before MTV moved over, and with no Optus Vision to watch unless I visited my uncle in Sydney, my education of MTV in those in-between years was through these two gentlemen.
That’s right, Beavis and Butthead were part of my MTV education, and I will forever be grateful for that. Watching these was not easy, as my stepdad had pretty much outlawed The Simpsons (I watched it when he was at work), so I had to watch Beavis and Butthead when he wasn’t around.
Adding to the education was none other than the Beavis and Butthead spinoff, Daria. Somehow, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) had the right to show Daria. It was nice to have a show that should have been out of my reach available to me on the ABC.
The 2000s
Thanks to being obsessed with American culture and the internet, I was learning more about pop culture. Music and sports were two things I watched a lot of (I’m including pro wrestling in sports as well). Had a love for TV shows, but not the understanding and love I have for them now.
A little show called The OC took over the world and my friend group in 2003. The 2000s were an era when DVDs ruled, so I was at Sanity every second payday buying movies or TV shows to watch. One day, I came across the first season of an MTV show called Laguna Beach. What pulled me in was the tagline, ‘The Real OC.’ Laguna Beach was the next step in my education in American pop culture and MTV’s reality TV.
By this stage, I had only just got my licence. My very first car was a 1980 Toyota Corona, which my stepdad brought for $800. I wasn’t upset; I was just happy to have a car. My co-workers would make fun of my car all the time. One day, one of them said, “You need to put your car on Pimp My Ride!” Having no idea what it was, I went home and looked it up. Watched a couple of clips on the MTV home page and was amazed at the work they were doing on these cars, so I ran out and got the first season on DVD.
Laguna Beach and Pimp My Ride really opened my eyes to what MTV was doing, and I have to say, I wanted to watch more.
Getting cable back
In 2006, I was still living at home with my parents. After being approached at a shopping mall about getting cable TV installed, I decided to go ahead with getting it installed in my room. To this day, it is one of the few decisions I have not regretted.
Before this, my knowledge of MTV reality shows was really limited to Laguna Beach and Pimp My Ride. I was about to be introduced to what I still think were the glory days of MTV reality shows.
The very first show I watched was called Next, a dating show that was very different from The Bachelor. he premise of the show was that one person was looking for love and would go on five dates with five suitors waiting on a bus. If the date wasn’t going well, they would say the magic word, “next,” and the next suitor would come out. If the date went well, they would ask them for a second date.
The show could be ruthless at times, but I loved it. Extxt gave me some of the best TV viewing of the 2000s. Unfortunately, the show isn’t on Paramount+, so I have to rely on YouTube to watch old clips, like the one below.
Next wasn’t the only MTV dating show that was utterly insane. A show called Room Raiders was on another level. A bachelor of bachelorette would get the chance to go through the rooms of three different people. Those three people would get the opportunity to watch a potential date go through their rooms.
I’m not sure if those who had put their hand up to have a random person rummage through their room had any notice that MTV were coming to their house and got the chance to clean up, My guess is no, but you don’t know exactly what people did and didn’t know before, especially with what we would find out later with Cribs.
By 2007, Laguna Beach had ended, and a show called The Hills had come along in its place. Starring Lauren ‘LC’ Conrad, The Hills was the spinoff of Laguna Beach. It would run for six seasons and would see the birth of one of the most iconic B-grade celebrity couples, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt. Like Laguna Beach, the theme song was iconic, with Natasha Bedingfield’s ‘Unwritten’ becoming a global sensation.
Another of my favourite shows at this time was Total Request Live, or TRL, as it was better known. Since I loved American pop culture so much, I knew all about TRL and would watch it whenever I could. One of my favourite things to do on a Saturday morning is wake up, have breakfast, and watch the latest countdown and the celebs who would be live in the studio.
2007 VJ Search
I watched MTV so much that I really wanted to work there. Being ‘Mr Pop Culture,’ I thought it would be the perfect place for me. I had also had enough of being a butcher and the shop I worked at.
One day, while I was watching MTV, I saw an ad for a VJ search, and all you had to do to enter was send in an audition video. Back then, phone cameras weren’t like they are today. My flip phone would not have done so well at the time. Luckily, my parents had a video camera I could use.
For my audition video, I decided to do an MTV news segment. It would have to be the worst audition tape anyone has ever done (that’s what I think, thinking about). This was way before I went to uni and knew anything about script writing and video editing. So I sent in a video that had mistakes. I also thought it would be a good idea to do this shoulder thing T-Pain does in the ‘Buy You a Drank’ music video.
As a dreamer, I thought I would become the next VJ. I was picturing myself hosting MTV News and interviewing Eminem, T-Pain and Justin Timberlake. I was devastated when they announced the finalists. I shouldn’t have been so upset. As I said, I sent in an audition tape full of errors and would have been cringy to watch. Ruby Rose would ultimately win the competition.
I would watch on in the hopes that another chance to become an MTV VJ would come up. Unfortunately, I would not see another opportunity to join the music channel I loved so deeply.
The 2010s
In early 2009, I had moved in with my then-girlfriend and had to cancel cable TV because we couldn’t afford it. I still kept up with my favourite shows when free-to-air TV in Australia expanded, with each TV channel getting two extra digital channels.
I got to see my old favourites like The Hills, and was lucky enough to be introduced to new shows like Jersey Shore. Around 2017, when streaming was starting to take over, I signed up to Foxtel Now. I mainly got it for the sport, but I would watch MTV when I could.
I would finally get the chance to watch Geordie Shore and Ex on the Beach. But, it wasn’t the same as it was in the 2000s. I would continue to watch in the hopes that they would have a Room Raiders or Next marathon; however, that was wishful thinking on my part.
MTV will forever have a special place in my heart, and I will do my best to keep the memory alive.
Until next time, take care.