5 Lance Bass Pop Culture Moments That Have Nothing to Do with NSYNC

Lance Bass made a name for himself as part of uber-successful early '00s boy band NSYNC but his contribution to pop culture does not stop there. The host of LOGO's upcoming Finding Prince Charming has done so much more than just sing the bass part of "(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You". Bass' influence in culture is everywhere from making television history to even dabbling in space travel. We have collected some of the wonderful artifacts Lance has given us that have zero things to do with J.T., J.C., Joey, or even Chris.

Astronaut Aspirations

A fan of space travel, Bass became involved with the Youngest Person in Space project in 2002 and underwent cosmonaut training in both Russia and Houston to prepare. He was slated to be part of the Soyuz TMA-1 mission that would depart Kazakhstan in October of the same year. Allegedly, Bass' involvement was proposed to include a television docu-series, as well as substantial corporate sponsorships. At the last minute, TV producers failed to raise the necessary funds and Russian space officials decided to boot Bass from their cabin but the NSYNC member's love of space still left an indelible mark on our pop culture brains.

Dating Boy Meets World actress Danielle Fishel

It's true! Bass' "high school" sweetheart was Topanga, herself. The two began dating after meeting on the set of a TGIF special in 1998. The pair were together from 1999 to 2000 and Lance accompanied Danielle to her senior prom. According to Fishel, Lance asked her to the dance by sending a dozen long-stemmed roses with a note, asking, "Will you go to prom with me? Check yes or no." The two remain close friends and Fishel alleges that the singer told her after he came out of the closet, "Lance said, 'If I can't make things work out with Danielle, who is beautiful and wonderful, then I must be gay.'" Class act, that LB.

Coming out on the cover of People

After speculation from paparazzi photos and blogs, Bass came out on the cover of People in July 2006. In his interview the pop star declared, "I don't think it's wrong, I'm not devastated going through this. I'm more liberated and happy than I've been my whole life. I'm just happy." The response was generally positive, noting the significance of a male pop star coming out as gay but Lance's announcement didn't come without it's controversy. When Bass said he identified as being a "straight-acting gay," saying, "I call them the SAGs — the straight-acting gays. We're just normal, typical guys. I love to watch football and drink beer," the LGBTQ+ community was quick to call out the self-hating comment. Bass would later express regret over the choice of words in future interviews. In his People interview, Bass also revealed that he was in a relationship with former Amazing Race star Reichen Lehmkuhl. They ended their relationship in December 2006.

That "Gothic" tango on Dancing With The Stars

Bass' appearance on the reality dance competition mainstay made quite the splash but nothing topped his epic tango with partner Lacey Schwimmer to Rihanna's "Disturbia". Judges called it "quirky with a Gothic twist" and "amazing" and crowned Lance sir "Dance-a-lot." Bass came in third place on DWTS's seventh season but his tango lives on forever.

Making history as the first same-sex wedding on TV

Bass became engaged to painter Michael Turchin in 2013 and their subsequent nuptials were televised on E! as Lance Loves Michael: The Lance Bass Wedding. The special reportedly made history documenting the first same-sex couple to exchange vows on cable TV. Bass explained why he wanted to record the ceremony for the boob tube, saying, "What I’ve learned from being out is that it’s all about visibility. I come from Mississippi and I know you don’t change people's minds until they get to know you and they get to witness what a gay person is like." The wedding special showed the moments up to the big day, as well as the ceremony. And yes, all the guys were there except for Justin who was on tour.

Watch a sneak peek of Lance's new series Find Prince Charming below and don't miss the series premiere tonight at 9/8c on LOGO and VH1.