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Drew Lachey first made it big as part of the 1990s boy band 98 Degrees. He won the second season of Dancing With the Stars in 2006.
Synopsis
Born in 1976, Drew Lachey worked as an ambulance driver before finding pop music success. He joined his older brother Nick Lachey, Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre, in the band 98 Degrees. The group became one of the popular boy bands of the late 1990s. After the band split up, Lachey won the popular televised competition Dancing With the Stars in 2006. In 2012, Lachey returned to DWTS for all-star competition.
Early Life
Born in Ohio in 1976, Andrew "Drew" Lachey was drawn to the arts at a young age. He and his older brother Nick both studied at the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati. After high school, Lachey spent some time in the Army Reserves.
A nineteen-year-old Lachey was working as an ambulance driver when he got a life-changing request from his big brother. Nick invited him to join his musical group in Los Angeles, and Drew decided to pack his bags and head west. The band, which also included Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre, would become known as 98 Degrees.
98 Degrees
Lachey's band, 98 Degrees, landed a recording contract with Motown. Their first hit single, "Invisible Man," from their 1997 self-titled debut album, made it into the Top 20. The group did even better the following year with their ballad "Because of You," which went platinum. Lachey and his band mates became teen idols, known for their romantic pop songs. But they never quite reached the same level of fame as such rival boy bands as 'N Sync and Backstreet Boys.
More hits soon followed with 1999's "The Hardest Thing" and "I Do (Cherish You)." The following year, 98 Degrees had their only number-one single, "Thank God I Found You," which they recorded with Mariah Carey and Joe. The Latin-influenced "Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche)" climbed as high as the number-two spot. By 2001, 98 Degrees seemed to be losing their pop appeal. Their ballad "My Everything" didn't even break into the Top 30. The band soon went on hiatus.
Later Career
After 98 Degrees, Lachey branched out in a new direction, making his Broadway debut in 2004. He spent several months as a cast member of the long-running musical Rent. On the small screen, Lachey also made appearances on his brother's reality show Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica during its run on MTV from 2003 to 2005. The following year, he became a television star in his own right. Lachey competed on the second season of Dancing With the Stars against the likes of former football star Jerry Rice, former wrestler Stacy Keibler and actresses Tia Carrere and Lisa Rinna. He and his partner Cheryl Burke impressed both the judges and the television viewers so much that they ended up winning the whole competition.
Buoyed by his success on DWTS, Lachey landed a number of other television projects. He served as the host of the 2008 DWTS spin-off Dance War: Bruno Vs. Carrie Ann. Lachey was also tapped to host the HGTV's $250,000 Challenge the following year. In 2011, he hosted the competition America Sings on the GMC Channel.
Lachey has also done more theatrical work. He returned to Broadway in 2008 to appear in the comedic musical Spamalot. Two years later, Lachey joined a touring production of the musical Hairspray. He played TV personality Corny Collins in the show, a role played by James Marsden in the 2007 film version of this musical.
In 2012, Lachey returned to Dancing With the Stars for an all-star competition. This time around, he faced off against fellow boy bander Joey Fatone of N' Sync as well as Olympians Apolo Ohno and Shawn Johnson among others. That same year, Lachey reunited with his former 98 Degrees band mates for several concert dates. There has been talk of a new 98 Degrees album.
Personal Life
Lachey and his wife Lea have known each other since grade school. The couple has two children together, son Hudson and daughter Isabella.
Source: bio.