WHERE ARE THEY NOW?!: The Dell Dude Edition

Dead of Knight

Dead of Knight

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http://nymag.com/daily/food/2007/11/dell_dude_now_tequila_dude_at.html
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Next time you’re at Tortilla Flats and you find yourself wondering aloud to your dinner companion, “What ever happened to the guy who did the ‘Dude, you’re getting a Dell’ commercials?” don’t be surprised when Ben Curtis, the man himself, approaches your table and explains the tequila list. While guest-starring on Law & Order and acting in films like the upcoming Proud Iva, Curtis has been a waiter and bartender at the Tex-Mex spot for the past year and a half, and though he dressed up as the Dell Dude for the Halloween party, he’s not about to repeat the slogan for you. He might, however, give you a free shot. “All you have to do,” he says, “is come and have a good time.”

How often do people recognize you as the Dell Dude?
Every day. It’s really difficult, but it’s a humbling experience. There were times when I made boatloads of money as an actor, but here I can be myself.

What’s the most extreme reaction you’ve gotten?
There was a group of women in their early forties, one of whom was bawling. I walk over and they said, “Our friend just passed away. We thought you might be able to cheer [us] up, we know who you are and you’re an incredible human and you’ve been through a lot and you’re an incredible actor. We’re all DEA agents, and we think you should smoke as much pot as you want to. And we love you.”

Do people ask you to repeat the catchphrase?
I’ve had tables of young girls who think they recognize me, and when they ask me, I say “yes” and then they don’t believe me and they start arguing and ask me to do the catchphrase and I’ll laugh and say, “It’s been four years, but I’m glad you’re a fan.”

Do people quote it to you?
They get really drunk, and they’ll start yelling things at me. I either ignore them, or if it’s way out of hand, I go up and say, “I appreciate your support, but my name is Ben.” That usually doesn’t work so I smile and ignore them.

Have you met any girlfriends on the job?
I had one when I first started working there, but now I’m single for the first time in a while. I’ve met a couple people there I’ve gotten to be really good friends with or dated for a while.

You’re also in a band?
My band is Whale, made up of a bunch of former actors. We had residency at Fat Baby. It’s the first band I’ve ever fronted. We have the green light, but we’ve decided to take a little time off to record our EP and package ourselves properly.
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:rofl:
 
well with the writers strike in progress...don't be surprised if your favorite actors are waiting on tables in California.
 
I remember when he got busted for pot a few years ago. And there's no way I would recognize him as the Dell Dude guy.
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']talk about falling from grace.[/QUOTE]

falling from grace? the guy was in a few dell commercials. is it really that surprising that hes doing nothing now?
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']well with the writers strike in progress...don't be surprised if your favorite actors are waiting on tables in California.[/quote]

People sign contracts for a reason.

I thought this was kinda cool. The guy wasn't going to be doing too much after Dell commercials and when he got busted for pot it sealed that deal even more. So it's good to see that he's still doing his own thing.
 
[quote name='RAMSTORIA']falling from grace? the guy was in a few dell commercials. is it really that surprising that hes doing nothing now?[/QUOTE]


either it was a really slow news day OR this guy was so famous that they needed to follow up with him and see what became of him.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']You might be too young to remember him. ;)[/QUOTE]
Never heard that one before! :roll:

[quote name='Lobsterjohnson']I thought this was kinda cool. The guy wasn't going to be doing too much after Dell commercials and when he got busted for pot it sealed that deal even more. So it's good to see that he's still doing his own thing.[/QUOTE]Super agreed.
There's nothing funny about this. Except for his hair.


edit: Blitz is also correct.
 
[quote name='Dead of Knight']You might be too young to remember him. ;)[/QUOTE]


I think most remember him but they're just wondering what's so funny about the article.
 
So wait.
He got busted for pot a few years ago..and.. that's why they stopped the "DUDE! You're getting a DELL!" nonsense?
 
[quote name='lilboo']So wait.
He got busted for pot a few years ago..and.. that's why they stopped the "DUDE! You're getting a DELL!" nonsense?[/QUOTE]

Yep. Dell dropped him after the pot incident. I can't say I miss the commercials either.
 
Those commercials were terrible. I was so glad he got arrested so I didnt have to see those anymore.

Hell, the "Im Mac, Im PC" are better then those old Dell ads.
 
[quote name='crystalklear64']An actor working at a bar/restaurant... WHAT MADNESS IS THIS?[/quote]

Your sig is disgusting, get rid of that shit.
 
We had a broken TV in our dorm at college. We taped a cut out copy of the Dell Dude getting busted for pot news article on the broken TV. Anytime people would come by we would exclaim, "oh my god, look at what's on the news!"

yeah....that was dumb.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by crystalklear64
An actor working at a bar/restaurant... WHAT MADNESS IS THIS?


[quote name='the ender']Your sig is disgusting, get rid of that shit.[/quote]


:D
 
I like how he plays off his fall from fame..'I made a boatload of money' 'our band got the greenlight but were doing it our way and CHOOSING not to be signed' .
Basicly hes just got all the options in the world but he loves that resturant oh so much its like home.
;)
 
While this will probably be lost on most of you, does anyone know where the video of his 'cousin' pimping Xbox Live (on a 2002 kiosk demo disc, along with a demo for NFL Fever, I think, another game, and some trailers) could be found? It's a cut-rate MTVized 10-minute segment, complete with a "Screech" counterpart. To quote The Wizard "It's so bad."

Anyone remember this? I only bring it up because my first reaction to watching it was that they were trying to actually mimic the "Dell Dude" formula of suck-cess.
 
crystalklear64 said:
An actor working at a bar/restaurant... WHAT MADNESS IS THIS?
Click to expand...
When I worked at Best Buy a few years back there was a guy working at the nearby Hardee's who use to host some cable TV game show and do bit part and extras roles. He told me once that pay was rather terrible in acting unless you could land a lead or recurring role, and once he started losing his hair the acting opportunities dried up so he moved back to this area where he was originally from.

 
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