The show opened with Ashley narrating a brief summary of what he did and experienced in 2000 and 2001 as a member of O-Town over clips of O-Town during that time. I believe that the first clip was of O-Town performing "All for Love" at their first public performance at a commercial venue, the House of Blues in Orlando (when Ikaika was part of the band). Subsequent footage included clips from their "Liquid Dreams," "We Fit Together" and "All or Nothing" music videos, the opener of season one's "Making the Band," their first appearances on TRL and in Canada, a MTB clip from the first time Ashley heard "Liquid Dreams" on the radio, the presentation of their platinum record plaque at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, the opening of one of their concerts and a public appearance.

While die-hard O-Town fans might have found the introduction unnecessary, I know from personal experience that there are a lot of people out there that draw a blank when I bring up the subject of O-Town or the names of its members. Most of the time, I can bring them around to the fact that they do know what I'm talking about when I mention Lou Pearlman's nationwide competition to find members for his next boy-band that would be developed on ABC TV. Almost always, I'll get an, "Ooooh yeah, I do remember that. I never found out the name of the band or its members."

There and Back - Episode 101
January 9, 2006
In-Depth Recap and Opinion

"But you know what? It didn't last. So what's my life like now? Let's just say… It's different. The only girl that I have screaming at me now is my girlfriend -- and she's pregnant. And the two of us are living in a tiny apartment with her mom. Yeah, my O-Town money is long gone and I'm down to my last few dollars. But you know, things really aren't that bad. I managed to score a record deal. Unfortunately, the only producers I can work with aren't treating me fairly and they're controlling the money. I definitely need a manager. But I should stop complaining, because at least I'm getting a second chance." The lyrics for Ashley's song, which is show's theme song, also reflects the show's perspective and premise:

Ashley's tone of voice, in my opinion, was neither arrogant nor sad. I would say his narrative was basically matter-of-fact. Even when he mentions not liking his spiked hair in the old clips, his comment was expressed with what I'd define as good-natured resignation, one of the qualities that I feel all of the guys possessed and one of the reasons I became one of their admirers. They realized that they were very fortunate to have earned the position in which they found themselves and gladly took the bad like good sports in exchange for the benefits of the wild ride. That same positive attitude continues as Ashley concludes the set-up for the show's premise.

Continued on Page 2

Written by Charmaine Frost
Edited by Heather D'Amico and Susan Muir
Screencaps by Susan Muir
Video and Webpage Design by Debbie Braasch