Former *NSYNC members Joey Fatone and Lance Bass revealed their go-to hangover remedies in an interview with E! News ahead of the premiere of their new mixology competition series, Cocktail Wars. The reality show debuts on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, at 10 p.m. on E!.
Fatone, 49, said his favorite morning-after meal comes from McDonald's and consists of a Double Quarter-Pounder with cheese alongside a 20-piece Chicken McNuggets. He eats each item individually rather than placing the nuggets on the burger, adding that he considers himself really classy when he tops the nuggets with caviar.
Bass, 47, prefers a drive-thru trip to In-N-Out for a Double Double. Because he has Type 1.5 Diabetes, he gets the burger lettuce-wrapped if he has not taken enough insulin. Bass recalled eating two of the burgers after drinking and noted he once made a bet with his assistant years ago that he could eat five. However, Bass emphasized that the ultimate hangover remedy remains drinking water and electrolytes.
Cocktail Wars production and guest judges
Cocktail Wars features boozy mixology battles judged by celebrity guest stars, including Melissa Gorga, Justin Sylvester, Seth Green, and Sonja Morgan. With reporting by Casey Austin, the hosts explained that they are already eager to return for a second or third season.
Bass expressed a desire to add more flair and dramatic elements to future episodes, joking that he would love to bring in fire and perhaps require the fire department to attend. Fatone teased his co-host about already being flair-y and added that incorporating dangerous stunts could lead to bonus points for contestants.
Band formation in Orlando
The partnership between Fatone and Bass extends back to the creation of *NSYNC in the mid-1990s. Chris Kirkpatrick, then 23, began searching for bandmates after being passed over for the Backstreet Boys by music impresario Lou Pearlman. Pearlman agreed to fund the project if Kirkpatrick found the singers.
Kirkpatrick recruited 14-year-old Justin Timberlake, a former cast member of The All New Mickey Mouse Club, who then brought in fellow Mouseketeer JC Chasez, 19. Pop singer Christina Aguilera later recalled to Rolling Stone that Chasez was the cool older guy Timberlake idolized. Kirkpatrick then recruited 18-year-old Fatone, whom he knew from performing at Universal Studios in Orlando.
To find a bass singer, Timberlake's vocal coach suggested 16-year-old Lance Bass from Mississippi. Bass flew to Florida on Oct. 1, 1995, where Pearlman and Timberlake picked him up at the airport in a black Rolls Royce. Backstreet Boys member Howie Dorough told Pop Crush in 2015 that his group had asked Pearlman to help Kirkpatrick fulfill his dream, eventually leading to the creation of *NSYNC.
Original member Jason Galasso and group name
Bass was not the initial fifth member of the group. Fatone first recruited his high school choir friend Jason Galasso, who also knew Chasez from hanging out around Mickey Mouse Club stars. Galasso joined after the group sang Boyz II Men's End of the Road, praising Timberlake's impressive vocal talent.
However, Galasso had a background in R&B and hip-hop and was simultaneously performing with a three-member group called Unreal. When presented with contracts, Galasso took them to a lawyer and discovered Pearlman had written himself into the *NSYNC contract as a sixth member in a document thick as a phone book. Galasso opted to sign with Unreal instead and later entered the mortgage loan business.
The name *NSYNC originated after Timberlake's mother remarked that the singers sounded in sync. The name also incorporated the final letters of the original members' first names: Justin, Chris, Joey, Jason, and JC. After Galasso departed, the band jokingly nicknamed Bass Lanceton for a year so the acronym would still work.
Disney Channel break and touring stories
After building an early fanbase in Germany with Max Martin-produced singles such as I Want You Back and Tearin' Up My Heart, *NSYNC earned their American breakthrough in 1998. The group secured the televised concert special NSYNC in Concert on the Disney Channel after the Backstreet Boys turned down the offer. Bass told 20/20 that the repeated cable broadcasts established their career in the United States.
Life on the road brought behind-the-scenes antics and long workdays. During a trip to Miami for their Challenge for the Children charity basketball game, Fatone showed up 15 minutes late to a press call after Timberlake ate a bite out of his room service burger. Bass recalled on the Inside of You With Michael Rosenbaum podcast that Fatone exploded in anger over the eaten food, a moment the bandmates still tease him about.
Bass also admitted to losing his patience during grueling promotional tours involving 20 interviews a day, occasionally telling Kirkpatrick to stop joking and answer questions directly. Meanwhile, the band's iconic frosted tips hairstyle was born out of necessity when Bass was too busy to visit a barbershop and applied bleach using his fingertips.
Lou Pearlman lawsuit and Jive Records
Despite massive commercial success, including their 1997 debut album selling 10 million copies to reach diamond status, the members initially saw little financial reward. Manager Johnny Wright, who previously managed New Kids on the Block with his wife Donna, presented the band with diamond-and-platinum pendants to celebrate the sales milestone, prompting Timberlake to joke to Rolling Stone that he was ready to retire.
In reality, Pearlman was underpaying the group while taking one-sixth of profits as a sixth member alongside management fees. Bass recalled being flown to Los Angeles in 1998 for a check presentation party where each member received only $10,000. Unable to afford his Orlando apartment or a car, Bass ripped up the check in his hotel room. Kirkpatrick also noted that despite public perception, the group was not making hand-over-fist money.
The group broke away from Pearlman to sign with Jive Records, sparking a $150 million lawsuit from TransContinental Records and RCA parent BMG Entertainment. *NSYNC countersued for $25 million and settled out of court in 1999 for an undisclosed amount, retaining rights to their group name. Pearlman later died in prison in 2016 while serving a 25-year sentence for money laundering connected to a Ponzi scheme.
No Strings Attached and Michael Jackson
Free from Pearlman, the band released No Strings Attached in March 2000. Kirkpatrick conceived the album title from Disney's Pinocchio song I've Got No Strings as a declaration of independence. Producer Richard Marx wrote and produced I Promise You for the album after Chasez had won a middle school talent contest singing Marx's Right Here Waiting. Chasez noted that Michael Jackson's vocal staccato heavily influenced the record. The album sold 2.4 million copies in its first week, including 1.1 million on its first day.
The group collaborated with Michael Jackson at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards during their performance of Pop, followed by a joint performance of Dancing Machine at Jackson's 30th Anniversary Celebration at Madison Square Garden. Bass revealed on The Meredith Vieira Show in 2016 that Jackson gave him the silent treatment for a year after Bass giggled when Jackson insisted they stay for a group rendition of Heal the World for the children.
Member relationships and final years
With their newfound wealth, Timberlake purchased luxury vehicles, including a Mercedes, a BMW M Roadster, a Dodge Viper, an Audi TT, a Porsche 911, and a Cadillac Escalade, while decorating his Orlando home with a Jimmy Buffett-themed game room and an acrylic nude sculpture. Fatone bought a black Cadillac truck and houses for his family, Kirkpatrick bought a home for his mother, and Bass purchased properties in Orlando, Mississippi, and Floribama. Chasez developed a passion for red wine and bought a $2,500 Helmut Newton photography book.
Their personal lives also evolved. Kirkpatrick married Karly Skladany in 2013 with all bandmates attending. Timberlake dated Britney Spears during the peak of their stardom before marrying Jessica Biel in Italy in 2012. Bass previously dated Boy Meets World star Danielle Fishel, publicly came out as gay in 2006, and married Michael Turchin in 2014. Fatone married high school sweetheart Kelly Baldwin in 2004, welcoming daughters Briahna in 2001 and Kloey Alexandra in 2010 before splitting in 2019. Chasez dated Bobbie Thomas and later hard-launched his relationship with Jennifer HuYoung in 2019.
The band maintained distinct personalities, with Kirkpatrick describing himself as a crazy dude, Bass known as humble and patient, Chasez as quiet offstage, and Fatone as a wild boy. During rehearsals in New Orleans in 2001, Fatone suffered a leg injury when a stage platform trapped his leg, requiring surgery to remove metal fragments before he returned to perform with a cane. Despite earning $2.5 million per night on their PopOdyssey tour behind their 2001 album Celebrity, *NSYNC entered an indefinite hiatus in 2002.
Timberlake launched his solo career with his debut album Justified in November 2002, while Chasez scored a solo hit with Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love). Bass later revealed that management and label executives knew the hiatus was permanent three years before informing him. The group reunited for performances at the 2013 MTV VMAs and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018, where Bass spoke to young LGBTQ+ fans about his journey.
