I was in line for pictures in eighth grade and I had a slip with my name grade and homeroom on it. I wasn’t paying attention and it was my turn to go up and the guy who was collecting the slips had his hand out and I shook it… and he said no I need your slip but nice to meet you.
~Nikki Williams, 17
One of my most embarrassing moments happened in front of an entire audience at the Broadway Theatre during one of my early matinee performances as Eva Peron in the original Broadway production of EVITA in the 80’s. Body mics were used in Broadway shows for years sound engineers were still trying to work out the sound kinks hoping not to pick up any of the frequencies from taxies outside. Costume designers also had to be aware of where the body mics were placed on our costumes to achieve the best vocal qualities. That all being said, my clip for my mic was attached to the somewhat “enhanced with padding” under gament (bra) I wore in the show. This particular under garment, hooked together in the front at the center of my chest…if you get the visual, where the mic was attached! I was getting ready to perform “What’s New Buenos Aires” which was the first big vocal/dance number in the show. The opening choreography was a grand, sweeping movement of my arms stretching out with excitement to welcome the thrills of the big city. Well, I did the first move on beat 1. The undergarment snapped open, and the mic and under garment enhancements wound up in my armpits!!! And by beat 2 my arms snapped back across my body, trying to at least get the microphone to a location where you could still hear me singing!!! And, as they say, the show must go on so I continued with the rest of the number until I could get off stage and fix it. I always wondered if the audience realized what had happened or if they just wondered why the dancing was so strange at certain times…Ha! The looks on the faces of my cast members and fellow dancers as they joined me on stage for the number was priceless. We all did our best not to break up on stage. It was a great moment to laugh about when we finally could. I also had a new and adjusted undergarment for the rest of my shows!
~Terri Klausner, I’m grateful for every year on this planet…65, Broadway Performer/Musical Theatre Teacher
Pre-pubescent me decided to be a real romantic and write a love letter to my 5th grade crush (it was real poetic and honestly I think I can make anyone fall in love with me with that note). Anyways, I lost the note and tried looking for it until I inevitably gave up. The next day my social studies teacher asked me to stay after class and I was scared that I had forgotten a homework or something like that. But oh boy I was wrong. He reaches into his desk and pulls out the note and said “I believe this belongs to you”. I don’t think my face has ever been more red in my life.
~Dylan Martini, 17, George W. Bush Impersonator
When I was 12, I wore a Fitbit zip on the strap of my leotard. I was chubby for ballet at the time and my dance teacher asked me in front of the entire class if I was a type two diabetic (because I was chubby, and he thought the Fitbit attached to my leotard would shoot insulin). And this other time: When I was 10, I did a grand battement (high kick) on stage in a jazz number and kicked myself in the head, knocking me unconscious.
~Ella P, 16, dancer
I was walked in on while going to the bathroom… in a school stall.
~James Ryan, 17, professional
One time I went ice skating and I started singing Thinking Out Loud because it was playing at the rink. The girl next to me kinda like looked at me and reached her arm out so I fully thought that this was an invitation for me to start singing to her. And I did. I started serenading this random girl very loudly for a couple seconds before her friend grabbed her arm and that’s when I realized she was, in fact, not asking me to sing to her, but rather trying to catch up to her friend.
~Emily Boyle, 16, professional uber driver
In first grade there was a bathroom stall that didn’t close correctly and i always went in it bc no one did and i opened the stall and started to sit down when i realized someone was already on the toilet oops. (I literally sat on them) This other time: I saw nate wearing a bracelet and i complimented it and everyone laughed at me bc it was his diabetic band
~Megan Gillespie, 16, Dylan hate club co-president
A classic “the White Room” case – (where everything goes blank). I’m on stage, dressed in black pleather at the top of the second act of the Broadway musical RENT. I was on for the role of Maureen – a role I rarely performed. The confrontation scene with Benny was just starting. I knew I had lines coming up but for the life of me, I couldn’t think of what they were. I told myself not to stress, that it would come to me at the last second. It didn’t. Instead, I approached Benny and rambled on and on about “how mean he was” to kick us out of the building. The band kept vamping the same chords over and over, hoping I’d get back on track. I didn’t. Nothing like getting stuck in the White Room in front of 1,200 people.
~Yassmin Alers, 57, Before Covid, I was a stage performer
At age 9, I won camper of the year at my camp. Back then, I didnt like the spotlight and was embarrassed to get up in front of everyone to accept my trophy. I still don’t like the spotlight lol. I got the trophy and tried to sit back down. Nope, I had to take a picture with my brother and sister. I wanted to get out of there so badly it felt like hours.
~Alison, 16, certified sleeper
When I was young, I jumped in a public pool jumping on my “friend’s” back, when he turned around… oops, it wasn’t my friend! Then I went under water to escape…
~Christine Murray, 54, Mom
Ahhhh so I basically went to my english class and then I went to lunch. I sat down and there was nobody else there so for about 10 minutes I was sitting in the cafeteria alone. The lunch monitors were staring at me so I knew something was wrong, but i continued to assure myself that I was right and everyone else was wrong. I soon realized that the time was not that of my normal lunch period, and instead read 9:30. I realized I went straight from first period to lunch so I rushed to photography and was so embarrassed because Mr. Mitchell had me tell the story to the whole class.
~Katie Mcevoy, 16, “student I guess haha”
I simply don’t have the time to elaborate. So for unspecified reasons – every second of my life so far.
~Ryan, 16, being a disappointment
(Ryan is not a disappointment, he just has a very dark sense of humor)
Last spring my dad (who works at my school) was on a zoom meeting with the superintendent of my school district, and a few other teachers planning something. Without knowing this I walked right up behind him and LIFTED UP MY SHIRT to look at how bad a sunburn I had gotten the day before was in the mirror behind him. He then said “uhh emma you know i’m on a zoom meeting right?” and I was mortified. Definitely happy we were all virtual so I didn’t have to walk past dr. mccahill in the hallway.
~Emma, 17, a person who clearly isn’t aware of her surroundings when she’s going to do something stupid
The summer going into 6th grade, I started going to a new camp. As any kid would be, I was NERVOUS. When I got off the bus, I walked over to my group and the counselor started talking to me, getting to know me… the first day shenanigans, you know? She asked me a bunch of questions but the one that stood out was, “do you have any siblings that go here?” I answered, “maybe”. HOW WOULD SOMEBODY NOT KNOW IF THEY HAD ANY BROTHERS OR SISTERS?! I didn’t realize at the time that my answer was nonsense, but it dawned on me during lunch that I was an idiot. Samantha, welcome to camp where you are now known as the weird kid…
~Me, 16, only child
Not to completely embarrass myself and give ANOTHER story but I feel like it’s the time and place to do so… I’m in school, freshman year of high school and I’m all excited about the new cafeteria. I go wait on the lunch line and get the “soup of the day.” I just figured it’d be something I like… I have a HUGE backpack that weighs a ton and I have folders and books in my hand. Well, I have to figure a way to carry this soup with me back to the table. My plan was to pile everything on top of my arms and walk back to the table like a waitress. Well, halfway back to the table my books fall and down goes the soup. Picture Kevin from the office and the famous chili seen. Remember how I said new cafeteria? Well it’s very new, like it just opened that day with new carpets and flooring… The soup’s all over the rug, all over me, and quite frankly all over everyone near me too. That’s not the worst part. The soup is MEATBALL AND NOODLE. Who orders meatball and noodle soup??? NOT ME, I don’t even eat meatballs… Well, the custodians come over and clean up this disaster but in the meantime my huge backpack has flung open and my HOT TEA is all over the floor. The custodians hate me at this point… Again, Samantha, you’re really great at making good first impressions…
~Me, 16, soup lover