NSYNC's Riff On The Chili's Baby Back Ribs Jingle Is The Most '90s Thing You'll See

When you think of boy bands that dominated the '90s and early 2000s, some that likely come to mind include Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, New Kids on the Block, and of course, NSYNC. The five-piece group consisting of Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and JC Chasez made their debut in 1995, per AllMusic, with hits like "Tearin' Up My Heart," "I Want You Back," "Bye Bye Bye," "It's Gonna Be Me," and "Pop," just to name a few.

To this very day, the 2000 studio album "No Strings Attached" is one of the top 22 albums in history to sell a million copies in its first week, per Insider. NSYNC was undoubtedly a pop culture phenomenon that still transcends generations. The boys did, however, have one gig in particular that even their most hardcore fanbase may have forgotten about. A mere two decades ago, NSYNC starred in a TV commercial to promote arguably one of the most popular Chili's menu items of all time — or at least one with an extremely memorable jingle: Chili's Baby Back Ribs.

There's no question that, over the years, advertisements featuring celebrities have been more popular with the general public. And the more outrageous, silly, or heartstring-tugging the ad, the more clout for the brand. In 2002, NSYNC appeared in a Chili's commercial that debuted during the 59th Golden Globe Awards, according to BuzzFeed. The reason for the silly marketing campaign? The restaurant sponsored NSYNC's Celebrity Tour, their final voyage as a band. The commercial's plot is, as probably expected, purposely comical.

The setting of the ad is on a deserted island, where Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and JC Chasez break into song. The ballad starts with the somber lyric, "I want my baby back," as JC flings a message in a bottle into the ocean, Justin etches another notch into a stone calendar, and Chris and Lance saunter down the beach — all while harmonizing. Then, the boys break the fourth wall to let the viewers know they aren't, in fact, singing about their long-lost lovers but rather their collective craving for the sticky-sweet and iconic Chili's baby back ribs. They even write, "SEND RIBS" in the sand, to which a rescue helicopter responds. But when the chopper drops a giant wooden box of ribs, it lands on a dancing Joey. If you haven't watched the NSYNC Chili's baby back ribs commercial yet, you are probably missing out on one of the most '90s thing you'll ever see.