The internet might be forever, but viral fame only lasts so long.
For these youngsters, digital domination turned out to be fleeting.
So, what happened to those kids that got famous online?
Here's a look at where some of those former web celebs are up to now.
Leave Britney Alone!
Britney Spears' comeback at the 2007 Video Music Awards went down in history for all
the wrong reasons.
Her seemingly lifeless, mimed performance was torn to shreds by both music journalists
and industry moguls alike.
Britney was reportedly "disappointed" and "embarrassed" by the show, but it didn't stop
the haters from mocking her.
This all became too much for vlogger and aspiring actor Chris Crocker, who posted a tearful
video vehemently defending the pop icon.
"Leave her alone!"
The video was viewed 43 million times before Crocker left YouTube, and catapulted the 19-year-old
to fame, leading to appearances on talk shows and music videos.
All the while, he was himself ribbed for being gender fluid, but Crocker capitalized on his
infamy by trying to launch a career as an adult-film actor — a move he came to regret
as his Hollywood hopes evaporated.
He later told Out Magazine, "Career opportunities for me have been very slim to none."
He still promotes music and merchandise through Instagram and recently returned to public
interest by revisiting the video on its 10th anniversary and revealing the harrowing story
of why he was so impacted by the attacks on his idol.
Chocolate Rain
If streaming had been taken into account by the Recording Industry Association of America
in 2007, like it is today, Tay Zonday would have gone multi-platinum with his annoyingly
catchy original song "Chocolate Rain."
Zonday's deep, rich voice and somewhat bizarre mannerisms made this video a hit on YouTube,
though it actually took a little while for it to take off.
As he later explained, "It didn't instantly go viral.
About three months after it was uploaded, someone posted it on the front page of Digg.com,
which is kind of what Reddit was back then.
And then someone saw it on Digg and posted it on 4chan.
After that, it started to go viral and become a national news story."
The video was everywhere for a while, and spawned some pretty hilarious parodies.
Zonday went on to make numerous cameo appearances in film and TV and also took part in a memorable
commercial for Dr. Pepper, performing a new track named "Cherry Chocolate Rain."
While he later admitted that his business savvy wasn't as strong as it should've been
at the time, his dulcet tones have allowed him to find work in other areas of entertainment,
including a voice role in the animated mini-series Transformers: Titans Return.
Miss Teen South Carolina 2007
In 2006, a girl named Caitlin Upton was crowned Miss Teen South Carolina.
The following year she appeared at the Miss Teen USA pageant representing her state.
With millions watching across the country, Upton was asked about why a fifth of Americans
couldn't locate the United States on a world map.
Her answer was...not great.
"And I believe the education such as South Africa and the Iraq…"
Soon after, she had a chance to redeem herself on talk show appearances …
"I was overwhelmed and I made a mistake.
Everybody makes mistakes, I'm human."
But her cringeworthy stage flub didn't stop her from going on to do big things.
Weeks after the pageant, Upton was signed by Donald Trump's agency on a $25,000-a-day
contract.
Even so, no amount of money could erase the damage done by that YouTube video, and Upton
admitted in 2015, "I had some very dark moments where I thought about bad things."
She now works in real estate in addition to the entertainment business, which means she
probably knows a lot more about maps now.
The New Canon Rock
In 2006, 17-year-old Paris, France native Matt Rach blew YouTube away with a face-melting
guitar cover of a well-known, classical piece known as Pachelbel's "Canon."
The video became a sensation and spawned many imitators.
He later told Slash Media, "I picked up this piece that I did not use particularly, because
the few subscribers I had at the time insisted that I do it.
I posted a first version identical to the original and it brought a wave of haters that
thought I was pretending to play.
So, I made my own version…
I did not expect that success."
The talented Frenchman has continued to share music via his channel in the years since and
has released several cover albums.
He revisited "Canon" for his 2016 album ClassiK with a brand new take on it, and released
another album in 2017.
He does compose his own music, too, with a band called the Atmospheres.
Zombie Kid Likes Turtles
YouTube has always loved a good news report gone wrong.
From the infamous falling grape lady, to the guy who looked up and got a mouth full of
bird poop, some of the biggest jokes in YouTube history have been at the expense of reporters.
In 2007, this brief interview with Jonathan Ware from Portland, Oregon, went viral after
he answered a question about his zombie face paint with a blunt and hilariously bizarre
statement:
"Jonathan just got an awesome face paint job.
What do you think?"
"I love turtles."
"Alright, you're a great zombie!"
The video was watched over 50 million times and made an overnight celeb of the unmasked
youngster, who later admitted:
"I was nervous, and I didn't even know what to say."
He's since enrolled in college — no word yet on whether he's studying marine biology.
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