Robbie Williamshas launched a social media investigation to find outwho the “hardest” 1990s boyband members were.
The formerTake Thatsinger took to Instagram on Monday (November 24), calling out toall ofhis fellow‘90s boyband veterans to discuss a subject that he felthad “never been discussed enough…or at all”.
Citing a video in which Scottish comedianLimmyanswered a question about who would win in a fight between Take That andtheir classic rivalsEast 17, Robbie asked: “Who’sthe hardest individual member?Who’sthe most game? Which group is the toughest unit? And if there were a ‘Ryder Cup’ of Boy Band Fighting – USA vs Europe – who wins?”
Williams began by breaking down the Take That-East 17 odds. “Howard [Donald] is bricks,” he wrote. “I was on Human GrowthHormoneand I stillcouldn’tbeat Howard in an arm wrestle.”
He went on to say Jason Orange would be “relentless, strong and awkward”,and pointed out thatGary Barlowwas “the UK’s youngest black belt”,whiledescribinghimself as “a lump”.
Setting out the “fight card”,he pitted Donald against East 17’s Tony Mortimer and declared Donald the winner “all day” despite Mortimer’s martial arts background, calling his erstwhile bandmate “a panel beater by day, a ballroom dancer by night”.
Recommended
He said a tie between Orange and John Hendy was “tough”,but Hendy was the winner because he is a “roofer”,while Orange is “literally having saunas in health spas”.He tipped himself to come out on top against Terry Coldwell anda“methodical and patient”Barlow tobeat outa “scrappy but emotional”Brian Harvey.
Overall, hesummarisedthat Take That take the contest 3-1, although he noted that “E17 would win in a bar fight because they would arrive tooted up”.
In terms of the Ryder Cup contest, he saidBlue’s Antony Costa, Lee Ryan and Simon Webbe were all game,while heNewKidsOnTheBlock’s Joey McIntyre was “very dismissive” about Europe’s chances. “I mean, I get it,” Robbie responded. “Five lads from the mean streets of Boston.I’veseen the films. But lads… can you do it on a cold,rainy night in Stoke?”
He went on flesh out his USA team, which included McIntyre’s former bandmates Donny Wahlberg and John Knight, as well as98Degrees’Nick LacheyandBoyz II Men’s Wanya Morris and Michael McCary.The European team, he said, would be captained byBoyzone’s Keith Duffy, with bandmate Shane Lynch as hisvice captain.Five’sJason ‘J’ Brown also made the team.
Signing off his Instagram post, Robbie concluded: “Thisisn’tabout violence.It’sabout legacy.It’sabouthonour.It’sabout settling the arguments nobody was having until I started them. History willdecide.”
In a follow-up post earlier today (November 29), Robbie adjusted his TeamEurope line-up, with Duffy and Lynch now joined byBBMak’sSte McNally, who he said was “a 3-time World Kickboxing Champion”, as well asMN8’sG-ManandBad BoysInc’sAlly Begg, who he said looks “like a man who has seen war and misses it a bit”.
With that, Williams launched into a long fantasy about a film version of the Transatlantic boyband wars, which he has dubbedBoyband: TheAbusical, and has described as“Billy ElliottmeetsJohn WickmeetsTrainspottingmeetsThe Full Monty.”
“It would be set up north, andwe’dnever explain why Kevin and AJ fromBackstreet Boys live there. Wewouldn’thave to,” he added.
“This is the start of a fully-fledged Boyband Cinematic Universe none of us asked for, but all of us clearly needed. If Marvel can have multiverses, then we can absolutely have Boyband: The Abusical. A national treasure in waiting. Upnorth. Unexplained.”
“History begins here,” he concluded. “Who’swith me?”
Several of Robbie’s fellow boyband members responded to his Instagram posts, including Costa, Coldwell,Five’s RitchieNevilleand Another Level’sDane Bowers,whileMortimer wrote: “Back thenwe’dneed a referee. Today we would need a chiropractor.”
Elsewhere,Williams recently described Lily Allen’s new album ‘West End Girl’ as “likeBlack Mirrormeets Smash Hits”,while his own new album ‘BRITPOP’ is set to be released in 2026, after beingdelayed to avoid a clash with Taylor Swift. He hasplayed his smallest-ever showin London to promote therecord, andrecentlyreleased a video for ‘Pretty Face’,in which he travels back in time to play onThe Word.