Watch 'N Sync's Reunion At The VMAs

"You asked for it."

Sure Justin, it's true that the Internet screamed like a One Direction concert the minute rumors of an 'N Sync concert first broke. But did you have to make it sound like such a threat at the VMAs last night? I wondered for a while if Justin would be too self-conscious about his super-smooth current image to allow a reunion with 'N Sync to happen on live TV, and the rumors I heard say the reunion wasn't a guarantee until the very last minute over the weekend. And the end result, as you can see in the video above, is totally fine! The guys danced and sang well enough-- though not remotely comparable to the days when they were actually working together-- and the strobe light effects hid any errors. Justin may have used "You asked for it" as a catchall excuse for what came next, but as it turned out, he didn't really need it.

That said, this is probably exactly the excuse Justin needs to never, ever allow another reunion again. At a show that included craziness like Miley Cyrus and her foam finger-- or even Robin Thicke and his Beetlejuice suit-- the coordinated moves and harmonies from 'N Sync felt ridiculously out of date. Compare 'N Sync to the Thicke/Cyrus craziness below:

Even JT knows it's not just enough to be a good-looking guy in a suit singing onstage anymore-- you've got to get naked ladies in your video, or team up with Jay-Z if at all possible. Even Lance Bass knows that Lance Bass cannot compete with Jay-Z. It works for a one-off stunt moment during the VMAs, which after all is the place that brought us "Imma let you finish" and Sacha Baron Cohen landing on Eminem's face. But for a reunion concert along the lines of what New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys are doing? That requires some level of giving up on a solo career, which is exactly what Timberlake has been fighting for 10 years not to do.

But hey-- they did the "Bye Bye Bye" dance, and nobody embarrassed themselves. It is pretty much the best we could have hoped for. Now JT is safe to take his weird black scarf, go home, and forget to call all of these guys on their birthdays.