Prepping for Super Bowl 50 With Nick Lachey
Nick Lachey watches a 2014 NFL game from the sidelines. (Photo: WireImage)
Don’t be surprised if Nick Lachey’s next ballad is about the crushing loss in the playoffs that his home team, the Cincinnati Bengals, experienced against the Pittsburgh Steelers, ending the team’s season and shutting them out of the Super Bowl.
“I actually have not gotten over it yet,” Lachey told Yahoo Celebrity nearly three weeks after the 18-16 loss, which ended with two personal fouls against the Bengals. “Not only to lose, but the way we lost was brutal as any loss I’d ever had in my life. And trust me, we’ve had quite a few bad ones. I still wake up some mornings and I’m like, ‘I just feel like that was a dream, I feel like it didn’t happen.’ It was such a surreal game, and you know, when you lose to your hated, hated rivals, it’s not the way you want to end your season.”
Can you tell he’s upset? Still, the sports fanatic will be attending the NFL’s championship game between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium. He’s leaning toward the Panthers for the win.
Lachey’s Plans for Super Bowl Sunday
Alas, Lachey won’t be cheering on his team, but he does have a role at the sports event of the year. The singer and reality star was part of the team behind PepsiCo’s Game Day Grub Match, a cooking competition in which students at The Culinary Institute of America were tasked with creating the ultimate football food using PepsiCo products as ingredients. The winners cooked up a dish they call Doritos Dim Sum, which will be served at the Taste of the NFL’s 25th annual Party With a Purpose on the big weekend in the Super Bowl city of San Francisco. (All the recipes are now available at GameDayGrubmatch.com.) Student chefs Claire Kim, of Glendale, California, and Yejin Yoon, from Baltimore, each won a $5,000 scholarship and a trip to the game. And there’s more!
Lachey samples a Game Day Grub Match dish. (Photo: PepsiCo.)
“All the proceeds from that party go to benefit Feeding America, which is an organization that I’ve ben involved with a long time,” said Lachey, who’s part of the group’s Entertainment Council, along with celebs such as Ben Affleck and Laila Ali. “That’s really why it felt great to be involved with this whole thing, because it benefits a cause that’s certainly very near and dear to me … having all those proceeds go to food banks across the country. There are a lot of very hungry people in our country that need help.”
Lachey, who attended a performing arts high school, didn’t play football. But he’s candid about whether he’d allow his 3-year-old son, Camden, out on the field.
“That’s a loaded question a little bit just because of all the new stuff coming out about head injuries and whatnot,” he said. “It’ll be a while before we have to consider that. I think there’s a lot of great technology that’s being implemented into the game, and we’re treating that side of the game a lot more carefully than we ever have before. I don’t think any parent would want to put their child in jeopardy. I certainly don’t want to put my child in jeopardy. If I felt like it was going to be a danger to him, maybe I’d hold him out of it. But it’s a great sport, and I think they’re making all the right adjustments to make it even greater. By the time he’s ready to play, I’m confident that we’ll be able to.”
Related: Nick and Vanessa Lachey Celebrate Their Birthdays With an Adorable Kiss!
The Lacheys and their kids hit the beach. (Photo: Instagram)
For now, Camden is happy to watch football with his dad in Nick’s theater room. Baby girl Brooklyn, 1, has a while until she joins them.
“He’ll come sit in the 'Big Boy Room’ with me and watch 'big boy football’ and I’ve got him doing the Bengals chant, 'Who Dey,’ and he’s into it,” Lachey said with a laugh. “And [Lachey’s actress wife] Vanessa’s a big sports fan, so she’s always down to watch the game with me.”
Nick’s Tip for Throwing the Perfect Super Bowl bash
Lachey has been lucky enough to attend the big game in person several times, but he often hosts a viewing party when he doesn’t have tickets. The Super Bowl expert has one important tip for people planning a bash for the first time.
“My best piece of advice is — even before the food is ready — make sure that the TVs are all troubleshot and that there aren’t any technical issues,” explained Lachey, who experienced this problem at one of his Super Bowl bashes. “Check your Internet connection and your satellite connection, cable connections before the game starts. When people are there to see one thing and one thing only, and they’re not able to see it, they’re not happy.”
Good point. As for the snacks, one the owners of Lachey’s Bar in Cincinnati keeps plenty of cold beer and a dish from wife Vanessa on hand for guests.
“My wife makes an excellent seven-layer dip for tortilla chips,” he shared. “My buddies have now come to expect it every time they come over to the house, so thankfully, Vanessa usually obliges them.”
Timeout — A 98 Degrees Halftime Show?!
Lachey is looking forward to munching on that dip this year while checking out the halftime show from rockers Coldplay.
Related: Report: Beyonce to Join Coldplay at Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show
The former 98 Degrees heartthrob and solo artist is a fan of the group and music in general. In fact, he plans to return to the studio early this year, although he made no promises about what will come out of that.
“You don’t ever know where that’s going to lead you,” Lachey said. “I always try to go into a project with an open mind and let the producers I work with kind of steer me in a direction and see where it goes. But yeah, music’s something I always love to do. I haven’t done as much of it in the last few years, but I’m making it a point to get back to that. And 98 Degrees is always looking for opportunities to perform together as well, so whether in the solo capacity or with the group, yeah, I think there will definitely be some music on the horizon.”
Lachey and 98 Degrees perform in 1999. (Photo: Getty Images)
When asked if he would ever want to sing at the halftime show, Lachey didn’t hesitate.
“I don’t think you could find an artist that would tell you they didn’t want to do it. And if they did, they don’t like performing. It really is the ultimate stage,” he said. “Sadly, my group was more ballad heavy. I’m not sure that’s what a bunch of football fans want to hear during halftime of the big game of the year. 'I Do (Cherish You)’ doesn’t really get the adrenaline pumping for the second half, you know what I mean?”
We do.
