The 2018 Teen Choice Awards saw unprecedented celebrity mashups, gigantic bed frames, and plenty of psychedelic surfboards during Sunday’s telecast. “Love, Simon” won comedy movie, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard took home prizes for summer movie actor and actress, Khalid and Meghan Trainor performed — but you saw all of that on TV. Here’s what the cameras didn’t capture inside the Forum in Inglewood, Los Angeles.
Jam Session
Disney Channel alumna Sabrina Carpenter helped introduce fellow singer-songwriter Trainor on-camera from the teen pit. But during Trainor’s turn to perform, Carpenter continued her support off-camera on her way to exit the crowd, bopping and clapping along as Trainor sang her single “No Excuses.”
.@Meghan_Trainor takes the stage at the #TeenChoiceAwards pic.twitter.com/nPfMI9WevH
— Christi Carras (@christicarras) August 13, 2018
Tumble For Ya
Lele Pons and co-host Nick Cannon joined “Dance Moms” star JoJo Siwa for a dance bit on the giant bed frame prop Bebe Rexha used to perform “I’m a Mess.” But climbing onto the massive mattress proved easier than getting down. Pons took a tumble backwards off the bed when trying to descend the ladder — luckily falling gracefully into the arms of a staff member poised at the bottom.
.@BebeRexha has the largest slumber party of all time on a giant bed prop to perform “I’m a Mess” #TeenChoiceAwards pic.twitter.com/w6p6PgtVKB
— Christi Carras (@christicarras) August 13, 2018
Confetti Confusion
A confetti cannon stunt from Cannon backfired (literally) when a long string of green confetti wrapped itself around Pons as she welcomed viewers back from a commercial break in the podcast. Fortunately, Cannon came to the rescue, unraveling Pons as the pair exited the stage.
Smell You
While presenting the award for summer movie actor and actress, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” star Rachel Bloom and Nina Dobrev showed their appreciation for each other by jokingly smelling each other’s armpits. But as the nominees played on the screen, Dobrev and Bloom had to hold their arm-locked pose until they were back on air. The actresses made the most of the awkward positioning by pausing every now and then to laugh and readjust before the cameras landed on them again.
“Dance Moms” Reunion Dancers
Ahead of the show, “Dance Moms” alumna Nia Sioux decided to cross over to the media side of the Teen Choice Awards pink carpet as a guest correspondent for Tiger Beat, interviewing talent passing by, including several of her former “Dance Moms” teammates. She, Chloe Lukasiak, Maddie Ziegler, and more greeted each other with familiar smiles, as well as congratulated one another on their respective upcoming projects.
It’s a #DanceMoms reunion on the #TeenChoiceAwards pink carpet with @NiaSioux and @ChloeLukasiak pic.twitter.com/bt3YyFSZJZ
— Christi Carras (@christicarras) August 12, 2018
Kiss Me Kate
All the night’s winners made sure to thank their fans when accepting their surfboards, but Katherine Langford added an extra show of affection when “Love, Simon” nabbed the award for comedy movie by blowing kisses to lucky fans in the audience as the show went to commercial break following their acceptance speech.
Fan Appreciation
After accepting the award for drama TV show, KJ Apa, Madelaine Petsch, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, and the rest of the “Riverdale” cast exited through the crowd, pausing to high five and greet fans along the way.