My lovely co-host VJ Holly pointed out to me last week that MTV must really love me to go to such great lengths to Punk me. They even went so far as to ask one of the hottest singer songwriters of today, Christina Perri, to jump on-board a train that was sure to end up a wreck. Being the well-balanced and down to earth human being that she is, I think she was just flat out tired of too much success and decided to join a scheme destined for failure just for kicks and giggles.

When I first found out that we were going to interview Christina, I thought wow this will be so awesome! And then my producers said they’re selecting one ‘lucky fan’ to get a tattoo given by Christina herself. Whoa! I was thinking, “This is the opportunity of a lifetime!” Even though I’m totally tattoo-less the thought of her even marking the bottom of my foot for remembrance, even though no one else would ever see it again raced through my mind. We would share this timeless, Twilight-esque bond that would outlast even career failure as an MTV VJ; Something that could never be taken away from me.

Morbid. Maybe. Crazy. Maybe. Therefore, going into the interview, there was this tiny voice in my head that kept screaming, “If this guy for some reason does not show up, you, VJ Rich, can get a tattoo from Christina Perri!” Hmmm, that would be sweet!

The con was now set in motion. At the hotel, my producers began pacing the floor unnecessarily, complaining that the guy who was supposed to get inked had not shown up nor was he answering phone calls to him. Our intern, Anjali, was given the daunting task of asking me if I would actually stand in for the guy and allow Christina to ink a jar of hearts onto the middle of my back. I told her, “Yeah sure it’s fine, but you have to call my boss and ask her,” knowing she would say, “NO WAY,” if it was really for real! Anjali returned after a few minutes saying it was all clear and we could proceed. I raised my eyebrows in suspicion but agreed with vigour to receive the first tattoo on human skin that Christina would give. What an honour right!?

So they draped me over a chair like I was some wet towel hung out to dry and began. It didn’t feel like anything people had told me about tattooing. Nothing at all. No pain, no blood. I just thought I was extra tough, haha! What was confusing was Christina stopping every few seconds and Joe, the real tattoo guy supervising, theatrically exclaiming, “Oooohhh Noooo DoooooD, that’s baaaaddd Doooood… Toooooo deeeep Doooooood. Possible infection laaah!” Had they drawn some blood, it would have been much more believable. I’m kind of like super, extra smart you know!

So Christina walked out of the room and everyone looked befuddled. I kept screaming for her to sign it because I wanted something pleasant after spending 15 minutes being bent over a chair in such a vulnerable position. When she returned and they showed me the picture, telling me I had just been Punk’d, I was a bit upset that I had no real tattoo but some crappy stencil instead!

Oh well, I was more than game for it and my producers were slightly caught off guard by my insanity. So, good one producers! You got me good… I still love you but turnabout is fair play so watch your backs… all of you!