Ranking How Well Each Member Of The Backstreet Boys Has Aged

 

Backstreet’s Back today, thanks to this fun virtual concert they did.

https://twitter.com/AustinKellerman/status/1244434527616933895

The Backstreet Boys were a pretty huge part of my life. They went from being the most popular thing in America to a punchline. Then they disappeared for a while, and I feel like their resurgence of late started with their appearance at the end of This Is The End. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s when I learned that they were touring again (still?) and it appears they’re kinda cleaning up.

Which leads us to this: who has aged the best and worst from the greatest ’90s boy band?

Ranked from worst to best…

5. AJ McLean

 

Vs.

Somehow, I still think AJ looks better today than he did 20 years ago. But that’s mostly because 20 years ago, he looked like shit. His arm tattoos are nauseating, and he never wore sleeves. At least he’s covering up a bit more now, though he’s added that wonderful neck tattoo that seems to say, “Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, make it a sleeve. Now I’m addicted.” The guy looks like a walking attitude problem. But maybe I’m bitter because I’ve been turned down by so many doormen who look exactly like this dude in the Meatpacking District. But AJ McLean has aged the worst of all our beloved ‘Boys. Sorry AJ.

4. Brian Littrell

Vs.

I feel bad about putting Brian in the 4 spot. He’s kind of a ginger, and we are notorious for aging worse than every other breed of human. It’s not his fault; he was dealt a shit hand. Sure, back in the day, he brought the heat. Look at those dimples! He had that boyish charm that made him the favorite of many of my 2nd grade female classmates. But now, he looks like the leftover DNA scraps that made Blake Griffin. Sorry Brian. Truly.

3. Howie Dorough

Vs.

Big-time improvement from the least memorable member of the band. Howie Dorough is definitely aging in the right direction. We shouldn’t blame him for the ponytail; it was a sign of the times. But he went from looking like someone’s younger brother who needs a job to the world’s safest bet on Bumble. Honestly, that top picture is what you show Ellen Degeneres on a special episode where she’s trying to help guys with their online dating profiles. Howie Dorough in 1999 might have ghosted you after a few flirtatious quips, but Howie 2020 will be right there responding the second he reads your message. Let that man tell you about his tutoring company!

2. Nick Carter

Vs.

Nick Carter looks fantastic today. Where once there was a sexy boy, now we see a sexy man. His face has filled out, and his Leo from Titanic haircut has been replaced by the spiky, modern fade that suits those robotic outfits they wear for their reunion tours. Is it even a reunion tour if they do them every year? Probably not, but Nick Carter is aging very well. Especially when you compare him to his brother Aaron…

Whoof. In a weird way, I feel like these two are the precursor to Logan and Jake Paul. Logan is Nick—clean cut, the first brother to gain massive success, relatively put together. Meanwhile, Jake started as the cuter spinoff with the potential for a higher ceiling. And then he got tattoos. Maybe it’s a stretch, but it’s the first thing that came.

1. Kevin Richardson

Vs.

I mean the dude legitimately looks better. At WORST you’d say unchanged. Kevin Richardson’s dedication to the goatee knows no rival. 21 years later and his facial hair (and eyebrows) are thicker than the sort of fog you might need to steal someone’s boat. At 6’1”, he’s the tallest member of the band too. He’s got that steely-eyed cyborg attractiveness that makes me think he’s probably not the nicest guy, but that I’d like it if he mistreated me. Way to go, Kevin. You’ve aged the best.

PS-

I found these photos of the boys at a charity golf outing in 1999. Look at the pants. Unreal.