{alltv} Jordan Knight Recalls Struggling To Pass Class, On 'When I Was 17'

Friday, May 6, 2011

{alltv} Jordan Knight Recalls Struggling To Pass Class, On 'When I Was 17'

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It's hard enough to balance school work, extracurricular activities and a social life in high school, but it's even harder when you throw superstardom into the mix. Just ask Jordan Knight. On the latest episode of "When I Was 17," which airs Saturday at 11 a.m. ET on MTV, the pop star recalls balancing school grades with his teen fame as the lead singer of New Kids on the Block.

"When I was 17, me and rest of the New Kids, we would do shows on the weekends," he says on the episode. "We'd be up late at night and be like 'I don't want to go to school.' We'd come in late, so I was kind of getting bad grades."

As all moms do, Knight's mother, Marlene, offers a softer perspective on the singer's lackluster school efforts, saying, "Jordan was an average student. I don't think he had the time to excel."

Knight's not-so-good grades hit a new low when the pop star began failing science class, which would have cost him a diploma. Luckily, he struck a deal with his teacher to do a report in exchange for a passing grade.

Even with his second chance, Knight just couldn't find it in him to do the assignment, so he looked to a fellow classmate to get the job done. "There was a girl in my class, and I was like, 'Can you give me a report so I can forge it?' So, she's like, 'Yeah, yeah, I can do that,' " he tells MTV.

With a looming due date, Jordan explains that when he reached out to his classmate, he was met with some disappointing news.

"It was in the back of my head. I'm like 'Damn, I got to do this report,' because it was a Friday. The last day to hand it in was Monday," the 40-year-old recalls. "So I called her up, and she's like, 'Oh my God. I was going to give to it you. It's in my car, and it got towed.' "

"When I Was 17" — this week featuring Jordan Knight, Tristan Wilds and Shane West — premieres Saturday at 11 a.m. ET on MTV.