EW’s Music Mix is searching for the Greatest Guilty Pleasure Musical Act of All Time. With four seeded contestants remaining (see all the matchups), this tournament is continuing to change hearts, minds, and lives, as well as make some people remarkably agitated! Read/listen to the following, and then cast your vote in the poll after the jump; reader comments will be used from here on out, so we encourage you to also post a comment explaining why you chose the way you did. Note: In case of a tie, please select the artist you feel more ashamed to adore.
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It was a true clash of the titans, but Backstreet edged out Britney Spears to claim the ’90s teen-pop crown.
“I don’t want to exaggerate here, but this is like Sophie’s Choice.” — et
“BSB still makes my voice jump two octaves when I hear them sing (especially a capella), even though nobody likes to admit to teenying out… I do. All it takes is those voices and a Carter smirk, and I’m there. damn. So they get my vote.” — Anna
“The Backstreet Boys truly are larger than life-they represent an entire area to anyone who was a tween/teen in the nineties, girls and boys. Put them on in a room full of nineties kids and in about 10 seconds everyone, EVERYONE will be singing along.” — kaitlin
“Now here comes the important question, why do I feel more guilty for a liking the Backstreet Boys? My guilt is not self generated but rather pushed on me by society. We live in a world where it is perfectly acceptable to like a female singer for the size of her breast and not the sound of her voice. However when a male singers is appreciated for their appearance in addition to their talent, there considered less of an artists. In addition, it is okay for men to like someone for only aesthetic reasons, but not for women. This is an unfortunate double standard. If I admit I like the backstreet boys to a coworker, they look at me like I crazy and think I need to grow up. If someone admits they like Britney spears, everyone assume it is because she looks good in her panties or that they enjoy a watching train wreck. PS. Does this match up remind anyone else of his or her TRL days?” — Ms. Car
George Michael performed a miraculous upset of early front-runners ABBA in Round Three.
“Every one of you is on drugs. George Michael is GOD!” — sarah d
“Wham! What’s a guiltier pleasure than having a superfluous member than no one remembers?” — Lisa Simpson
“Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou is the only person who could make me abandon ABBA before the final round. I am helpless in the face of his army of overly plucked supermodels in both ‘Freedom 90′ and ‘Too Funky.’ Also, he was fierce with Mary J. on that cover of ‘As’ and he does the best ‘Somebody to Love’ this side of Freddy Mercury. He may be a car crashing, habitual line stepper now, but he’ll always live in my memory as my first unattainable gay man crush.” — kat hayes
Want to vote in a previous matchup? Click here to visit Guilty Pleasure Bracket Central!
Photo Credit: Both: Everett Collection
Wham bam!…I wanna get George’d!!!
BSBs are so good I paid $120 so I could have THREE KTBSPA accounts! BSB for EVER! No True Fan WOULDN’T pay to support their favorite talented musician’s message board!! BSB4Eva!!!
I don’t know whats worse, actually liking the backstreet boys or actually having to pay for an account to prove your allegiance.
I LOVE that song Bend Me Over and call me Sally!
a true fan is within not how much you pay..
LOSER! Who the hell pays for that!?!
nans
KTBSPA! BSB ARE THE BEST AND LEGENDS! AND I’M A HUGE FAN BUT DON’T PAY ANYTHING! BSB ARE GREAT PEOPLE
wow thats weird. 3 accounts? What the hell do you need 3 accounts for?
BACKSTREET BOYS RULE FOREVER!!! TO HELL WITH THE HATERS, WE HATE THEM JUST AS MUCH AS THEY HATE US INFACT…. I HATE THE BSB OPPOSERS WAAAAAYYYY MORE THAN ALL OF THEM PUT TOGETHER WILL EVER BE ABLE TO HATE ME…
ADVICE PEOPLE…
HATE = JEALOUSY
AND JEALOUSY MEANS YOU ARE SOOO GOOD SOME PEOPLE CANT HANDLE IT!
MORAL OF THE STORY….TAKE PRIDE AND JOY FROM EVERY NEGATIVE COMMENT COS IT’S ALL FUELLED FROM JUST HOW EXCEPTIONALLY FABULOUS YOU ARE KTBSPA!!
I have all 6 albums and have never felt embarrassed of being a fan or blaring BSB in my car and singing along to all their songs. I happen to like good music and BSB sings good music. They are the beatles of today. It’s just too bad the rest of U.S. has to be so blind of seeing that. I too have had co-workers laugh at me for saying I still love their music. Even most my friends don’t all like them because they are into different music. But some of my friends n I have no fear in saying we will all road trip to see them in concert. How many chances in a lifetime to you get to hear good music live? To me as long as they keep making music I’ll keep buying every album and try to see them in concert. Sure I have to beg sometimes to get the radio D.J. to play “Straight through my heart” but it’s worth it. I blare their music in my car now and I will still 60 years from now.
!!!!!!!!!!!STOP!!!!!!!!!!! being so embarrassed if being a BSB fan. We’re adults now. You don’t see your grandmother afraid to say she still loves Elvis….. Do you? So admit that you like them and maybe the rest of the closet fans will!! Keep your BSB pride ALIVE!!
That is blasphemy! Let’s see how much people are raving about re-releases of music the BSB put out 30+ years after the initial creation of their music. It won’t happen.
Whitney!!!! PHISH AND THEIR “PHANS” SHOULD BE DISQUALIFIED!!! HOW CAN YOU CALL THIS POLL LEGITIMATE!!!
THEY RUINED THIS POLL FOR THE PAST MONTH! TIME TO END IT NOW! THIS WAY, PHISH WILL LOSE!
On what grounds, fan!?!??
-No Nans
The Backstreet Boys are really Steaming Hot. They are The BEST & The NUMBER ONE Boy band in the WHOLE UNIVERSE. BACKSTREET ROCKS!!!
You phish losers really need to get high… I mean lives
Lance doesn’t want you people to know he likes little boys but I can’t keep the secret any longer
That’s the best you could come up with? Are you freaks high all the time or something. At least BSBs have some talent
hey Lance
i’m new on twitter and i would like to know how to twitter the BSB and follow them do you know how to do that.
I’ve already been George’d. many many times.
Whitney, it has come to my attention that you were rallying the fans of other bands against Phish by using your private Twitter account. You can’t erase this 24 hours a day. The truth will come out.
P.S. Phish always wins.
Agreed. Watch it Whitney.
Stop using me for Funny Business!!!
huh?
Phish sucks hard. A bunch of losers destined for mediocrity.
that’s not very nice to say about Phish.
learn how to spell retard.
need a dictionary? not a single word in my comment was spelled incorrectly, idiot.
“learn how to spell retard.”
learn how to punctuate, retard.
“need a dictionary? not a single word in my comment was spelled incorrectly, idiot.” Whit Swallos – obviously you didn’t pass the 2nd grade. or maybe you’re just too high on Trey’s
please forgive my phans. they’re a little out of it from smelling my crack and listening to my crappy music.
Trey, have you heard of a proper noun? It is what it is. I know how to spell my name. Generations of my family are proud of it.
read the book, dumbass
oooh. Whit Swallows? Me too!
Now that Journey is no longer in the running, my only true guilty pleasure is BSB. Larger than Life is on my playlist right now and I keep giggling. I just don’t feel any guilt liking George Michael. Anyone ever listen to “Faith.” Great song!
Excellent Point. Wear this Wham love on your sleeve proudly people!!
FREEDOM!!! Quit Playing Games with My Heart. Can’t we crown en both?
either way the winner of this loses
I feel the same way!
EW will claim that bands urinate in their fans ears, but will also censor any comments making such a reference.
I was a thrift store with my sister recently and saw the N*Sync dolls in a bin… need I say more?
Backstreet for the win.
PS: I love George & Wham, but when you stack the CDs next to each other…
…you get a big pile of sh*t.
Rebecca I feel a connection with you. Want to meet and go out for a cup of coffee, just talk? If something happens, it happens. I get the sense that you like me.
Plasmatic, you sound gooey! Wanna meet up sometime for a Playful Encounter?
George Michael is a pioneer in various forms of bathroom based sex acts. In fact, George Michael practically invented Backstreeting Boys. He actually built a nest in his flowing chest hair, plucked these lads out once they had hatched, slapped their asses and sent them on their way. George Michael is a truly great man.
Whitney Pastorek for American Idol judge! (How’s that going?)
she would have just told the audience how to cheat against the person she didn’t like
and at least George Michael plays a damn instrument .. BSB needs a bomb dropped on them Hiroshima style
They all play instruments.. multiple instruments
They all can play instruments you would know that if you could think before you write.
so where’s the bathroom around here?
I don’t know… but I’m ready for a little SIIBSB
Whitney I cant believe you would encourage people to cheat in a contest you were running and what is even mre disturbing is you would encourage them to defeat phish. Phish always wins. Oh and you will never make it on American Idol ever.
Yeah Dog, that’s messed up
::snooze:… wha? Yeah!… I thought you did sush a great job out there honnney! You guysh arre the Greaterst!
A few years ago in college, I was playing BSB somewhat loudly with my door open. A girl from the room across the hall popped her head out and asked if that was BSB. I said yes and then she nodded and smiled. Could George Michael do that? I think not (though to be fair, we were both born in the mid/late 80s so we didn’t grow up listening to his music). Viva BSB!
I feel a connection with you. Want to meet and go out for a cup of coffee, just talk? If something happens, it happens. I get the sense that you like me.
that is truly a miracle. Maybe I, too, will one day have a stranger nod and smile at me for my choice in music. thank you so much for sharing how deeply bsb has impacted your sw33t lyphe.
LMAO!
I have the exact same experience almost EVERY TIME I play Phish but that is not the point. #1? This is not nam.
That’s a pretty sweet story Rebecca
Any #1s? Forget about plasmatic… I would take you out for a fancy dinner and then take you out for a classy applesauce dessert. 
Did she give you a distinctive look? Was there a ceremony that followed?
BSB are truly great artists
a quote from miss integritys twitter
“The quote: “I BEG OF YOU PEOPLE: VOTE ACE OF BASE. MAKE YOUR FRIENDS VOTE. THEN UNPLUG MODEM, REPLUG, AND VOTE AGAIN.”
The quote that upsets me: “The Phish fans are such retards. Do they really think I haven’t followed the trail back to their message board? I CAN SEE YOU PHUCKERS!!”
I wasn’t even cheating before, but now that i know how…
anyone realize its groundhog day???
a quote from miss integritys twitter
“The quote: “I BEG OF YOU PEOPLE: VOTE ACE OF BASE. MAKE YOUR FRIENDS VOTE. THEN UNPLUG MODEM, REPLUG, AND VOTE AGAIN.”
The quote that upsets me: “The Phish fans are such retards. Do they really think I haven’t followed the trail back to their message board? I CAN SEE YOU PHUCKERS!!”
The picture of those sissies in hockey jerseys just made me throw up in my mouth. Compare them to a real man, like George, and my last name turns to huge!
Phish always wins.