Okay, so you might not find it as exciting as I did but guess who teaches at the Gold’s that I go to here in Cali.
That would be Billy Banks. He is the guy that made kickboxing/tae-bo for a workout REALLY popular. The sis and I had all of his workout videos back in the day and so of course we were a little starstruck. Me being the creeper that I am took a picture of him on my phone. My sister was embarassed and ran to the door so that she wouldn’t be caught stalking him.
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Have you ever seen a ‘celebrity’ at the gym/or anywhere else?
-I TALKED to Lindsay Lohan at the Gold’s Gym in Orem, Utah that is located right by the Sundance drug rehab place that she stayed at, let’s just say she was very interesting and her body guard wouldn’t let me take a picture of her. Kirsten Dunst was also at that rehab at a different time and was in the same spin class as me…….someone told the teacher (couldn’t see her) and the teacher said, ‘No, Kirsten DRUNKS isn’t here!!” Yeah, she felt SO bad when she realized that it really was her in the back!
What was your workout?
-We did 60 minutes on the elliptical, talking the whole time. Talking makes workouts SO MUCH FUN!!
60 comments
Danielle
OMG BILLY BLANKS!!!! I love him! Totally have a collection of his workouts (on VHS that’s how old they are!) and did them with my friends back in the day. I’d have been so starstruck too!!!
This morning I ran a short loop but this afternoon I’m going to spin – my favorite class! =)
Mary Jo
I always wanted to meet Billy Blanks! I love the way he looks into the camera on his workout tapes and talks to you like you’re right there with him. Did you get to talk to him??? Enjoy your vacation!
mary (sisters running the kitchen)
i love Billy Blanks!!!! that is so awesome that you saw him….awesome stalking skills!!! my sisters and i did his taebo tapes all the time… we weren’t normal kids! can’t believe you talked to lindsey lohan!! ahhaha
Madison
Billy Blanks! I had all his videos too.
Paula @ Eat: Watch: Run
I’ve met a lot of celebrities! My FAVORITE was Kristen Bell. OMG. Veronica Mars is my fave TV show EVER.
And my brother used to live next door to Matthew Fox, so they went surfing together all the time. That was back in the Party of Five days.
Keelie (SweatEqualsSuccess)
Wow. So jealous of you right now. Ohhhh Billy….
Colleen
Billy Blanks?! Fun!!
Did you approach Lindsay Lohan? How would one start that conversation?? “So… how is rehab?” ;)
I was at an event at Sea World for the Rock n Roll Marathon and I saw Tamra Broadwell from Real Housewives of OC and Ali Fedotowsky from the Bachelorette. They wear SO much makeup. At the same event I also saw Desiree Davila and Meb Keflezighi! I was totally athlete/star struck!!!!
Star sightings are the best. They make me feel like I am kind of famous just for seeing them :)
Hannah
Yeah, I want to know about your conversation with Lilo, too! (Yes we are on a nickname basis.)
Katie
I triple that!! WHAT did you talk to LiLo about? :)
Katie
No celebrity sightings for me, but once my friend was getting ready to get off the treadmill when Chase Crawford got on next to her. She kept on running, hoping he’d talk to her, until she got shin splints. And he still didn’t talk to her.
I did a Core Yoga class this morning, which felt AMAZING! Zumba and Body Pump tonight!
kari @ Running Ricig
How cool is that!? Billy Blanks! Also, I love that you and your sister are matching at the gym.
I haven’t met any celebs…my life is so boring.
Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn
I once met Lauren Graham on a chorus trip to NYC (I stood two feet away from her. I KNOW) and I was totally starstruck / speechless / totally 1000% teared up. I felt silly but it was like she popped out of the tv!!
Kristen
Mia Hamm was once in my kickboxing class. She was quiet and pretty new to kickboxing. It is taper week but I need to go for a run tonight. I am getting the itch and feeling like a slacker. I may or may not go to the abs class at my gym.
Rachel
I’ve never met a celebrity, super lame :( Unless you count my friends who made it to American Idol but were cut early on.. that’s the closest I’ve gotten lol.
Lisa Jameson
Travis Stork (from “the doctors” and the bachelor back in 2006) was on the elliptical next to me last year in Nashville- just as dreamy in person :)
Lauren @ Hungry Dancer
That’s so funny you saw him!! I used to go to his studio in the san fernando valley when I was a kid!! Now I go to his brothers studio that’s near my house!! All their classes are SO FUN!!!
Brittany *Sparkles*
I love how you and your sister work out together so often!! My sister just had knee surgery a few weeks ago — but I cannot wait til she can come back to the gym!
Jessica B.
Billy! I have his tapes at home still. Yes, the VHS tapes haha. Only famous people I have seen are biggest loser contestants. Not many famous people hang out in Cleveland and the famous Clevelanders all leave :(
Becky
I met Harrison Ford in Rexburg, Idaho at an air show. That’s about the most celebrity interaction I’ve had!
Now I’m intrigued in that Lindsay Lohan exchange…
Lisa @ Sunny Seed Stories
Billy Blanks, no way!!!!! I would have been supa starstruck. And maybe tried to give him a hug.
Andrea @ Onion in My Hair
HAHAHA! So awesome!
I could spot him in a crowd miles away! Way to go, girls!
Emily @ Perfection Isn't Happy
Cool! I used to love Tae-Bo…I forgot about that workout! When I was in high school, I danced with my dance school in the Indy 500 parade and got to meet Patrick Dempsey. We had our picture taken with him and he chatted with us for a minute or two. At the time I wasn’t that familiar with him because he wasn’t as famous as he is now (or familiar to me, at least), but I remember him being really nice!
Jesse
So awesome! I totally loved Tae Bo back in the day :)
michele
He always kicks my butt!! I love him.
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen
I’d love to hear your explanation of “interesting” on Lindsay Lohan ;) haha
I’ve never seen anyone famous at a gym, maybe I should join one first that might up my chances.
Maggie
My bff/college roommate LOOOOVED him! I can’t tell you how many times I came home to her rockin out some tae bo.
That is so awesome :)
Also, I love the gym pics you take…they make me smile because you always look happy!
Tara @ texasrunnergirl.com
I think we can all agree we need a recap of the Lindsey conversation.
I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone famous… ah, I feel kinda sad now.
Allison @ Happy Tales
YESSSSSS!! I’m dying to know what y’all talked about!! Spill, girlfriend!
Angie
Well I’m excited for you to see him! Mr TaeBo! I have all the dvd’s too! I think I originally bought the VHS tapes, eek!
My celebrity stalking: I went to a benefit concert in January in Denton, TX. It was Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland and Jack Ingram. I found out she was staying in my hotel, and I freaked!!!!! After the show, we waited in the hotel lobby and got to meet her! :)
Nelly
lol that is awesome that you saw Billy Blanks! I remember him from all the taebo informercials, he was always ripped in the commercials, haha
Awesome that you met Lindsay Lohan, she would have been interesting to talk to!
Alecia
I’ve met a few bands. Toadies, Seether, Shinedown, Oleander… my friend used to win backstage passes to concerts all the time by calling into radio stations. It was insane how lucky she was.
Grace
Wow! You’ve had lots of celebrity sitings! The closest I’ve come to is that my cousins were hanging out with this 15 year old from the movie Prom the whole time we were about the beach for about a week.
Heather
I went for a quick ride on my mountain bike with my dog that turned into an epic fail. She saw a rabbit and forget that I was attached to her via leash so we both went smack into the bushes. If I can get over that embarrassment, I might try for a run–without her!–later this afternoon :)
Evan Thomas
I used to see Emma Watson all the time when she was on campus(I go to Brown). That’s always the first question out of everyone’s mouth once they know I go to Brown, which is funny because it felt so ordinary seeing her around that I never thought anything of it.
Janae
AHHHH You are FAMOUS for being Emma’s FRIEND:) That is so so cool!!
Jamie aka "Sometimes Healthy" Girl
hahaha you have had more celeb sightings in Utah at your gym than I have in NYC. I have 2: P Diddy…AMAZING :-) He’s a very nice guy! Also David Duchovny from Californication with his wife, Tea Leoni. It was awkward because he kept pinching her butt…he ran on the treadmill next to me and I ran faster. Take that Duchovny.
I ran 6 slow miles on the treadmill and then did situps while reading about teen moms in InTouch. FUN!
Janae
P DIDDY!!! That is the coolest thing ever. I am visiting your gym!! GREAT RUN!! Gotta love teen moms…..
Holly @ pink runner
That’s crazy!!!!!! I wish I was in Cali and saw celebs in my gym!
Tabaitha
I had all of the Billy Banks Tae Bo video tapes back in the day too. That is so cool you ran into him. I remember doing the videos and he would say just a few more and then repeat that statement like 5 more times. I always thought I was going to die.
christina cadden
That is cool!
Shelby
I work at a gym…we have had Clive Owen, Courtney Cox, Hillary Swank, Jason Segel and Neve Campbell!
Janae
NO WAY!!! That is AWESOME!!! Holy cow…..Hillary Swank is RIPPED, I would love to see her workouts!
Allison @ Happy Tales
I’ve never seen real celebs in my gym… just NFL Panther’s Football players (I live in Charlotte). And I don’t even know who they are until one of my coworkers tells me (I work at the Y, btw). I went for a week calling one of them Joe when his real name is Nick. Just learned that last week, and he’s been coming into my office for the past 3 weeks now! Oops?
Michelle
Haha I love that!! I just did Tae-Bo randomly yesterday, so that is so funny to me that you saw him! I honestly do love him though! How exciting!
Mary
OMG! How are you not taking his class?!
sally kate
i want to come visit you so i can take this class.
Janae
PLEASE TELL ME THAT YOU WILL!!
alex
I saw Nicole Kidman, Gerard Butler and the Wayans brothers at my gym in NYC! I try to act normal but its mega hard, I def caught myself staring a few times. aaand, I totally rocked out to billy banks vids back in the day! he was da bomb!
Janae
DANG!!! Your gym is hopping with celebrities!!!
Emily@RunningPerspective
OMG SO SO JEALOUSSS!!! he is a BEAST!
trouble
My husband saw Ali Vincent from Biggest Loser at the airport and he called me to tell me. I immediately started peppering him with questions: How does she look? What is she wearing? Is she eating/drinking anything? What is it? How close are you to her? etc, etc. He was not in the least excited and was “so over it” so I hung up with him. Then… my phone rang again and it was HER!! He actually approached her and asked if she would talk to me, which is a big deal because my husband is not a “talker” especially to strangers. We talked on the phone for awhile! She was very nice and talked to me about what she’s up to etc. THEN she said that my husband wanted his phone back so he could board the plane. Now I know he loves me!
P.S. You and your sis are A-dorable!
Janae
OHHHHHHH MY GOODNESS!!! Your hubby is AWESOME, that was so nice of him to have her call you!!! Seriously, that story made my day!
Ashley G
I actually worked on a show here in Southern California with Billy’s wife Sharon. She’s a musical theatre actress, who has quite a voice (and is also is INCREDIBLE shape). She was really sweet.
I’ve met a lot of people working in “hollywood”. My favorite story is when I met Cameron Diaz, and nearly fell out of her trailer because I wasn’t expecting her to walk out of the dressing room as I was walking in. She was really sweet and was convinced we had worked together before (which we had not).
Janae
CAMERON DIAZ!?!?! THAT IS SO SO COOL!!! AHHHHH!!! I am JEALOUS!!!
Danielle Spellman @ Squirrel Snackin'
Haha that’s awesome!! I bought one of his videos like 5 years ago! I’d be more excited about fitness celebrities than regular celebrities. :)
Yolie @ Practising Wellness
Billy Blanks is such a dude! I used to use his DVD all the time! :-D So cool that you have seen so many famous faces at the gym! I didn’t know people hit up the gym in rehab but I guess it does make perfect sense :-) all those happy hormones and postive activity and doing something good to take care of yourself <3
I did a full body weights circuit that I just posted about…I loved it so much and completely surprised myself by that! Normally I'm a cardio queen and have a monogomous relationship with the arc trainer. Not anymore! I'm playing the field, lol! ;-) xyx
rumfunandsun
Billy Blanks is cool! I have a seen a few celebs. Mostly when I was in NY. The best was creeping out Jimmy Fallon! My daughter is still mortified by it!
Girl in the pink
Wow, I cant believe all of your gym celeb sitings!!
I haven’t had many sitings, but I did see Dave Matthews when I was walking around Greenlake in Seattle!
Janae
DAVE MATTHEWS!?!?! I WOULD HAVE DIED!! That is SO cool that you saw him. I would have ran up and given him a hug!
kati
i just saw this celebrity post linked from another post of yours and i can’t believe i missed this since i read your blog 10 times a day! i would have jumped on billy blanks if i met him (your sister would have been really freaked out then!). i used to have all his videos. i have very vivid memories of me waking up before classes in college to do his kickboxing videos (on silent) in my shoe-box of a dorm room while my roommate slep. oh memories!