Competitive Streak

Inspired by sibling rivalry, Lachey taps his inner performer to get into a creative arts high school. He says to PEOPLE: "The only reason [brother Drew and I] even went to the same school was because my whole family was bragging and talking about how proud they were of Drew for getting in. Blah, blah, blah. I got sick of hearing about it, so I went down and auditioned too. I had no intention of going. I just wanted to prove I could get in."

July

Boy Band Mania

98 Degrees bags a Top 20 hit with "Invisible Man" off their self-titled debut album. "It's all very surreal, just a wild thing for us," Lachey tells The Cincinnati Enquirer. "I mean, I never in a million years thought that girls would look at us like that. But it's all very flattering." By the end of 1998, boy band mania is in full swing! Their album 98 Degrees and Rising spawns the Top 10 hit "Because of You."

April

A Brief Time-Out

The golden couple breaks up. "Nick was patiently waiting for me to grow up a little," Simpson later tells PEOPLE. Lachey and Simpson reconcile after Sept. 11. "I knew that I never, ever wanted to be away from Nick for the rest of my life," Simpson says, adding later, he is "a man of character and a man of honor." On Feb. 10 2002, Lachey, 28, pops the question to Simpson, 21, with a pear-shaped diamond engagement ring, while vacationing on a yacht off the Hawaiian coast.

August 2003

TV Magic

During appearances on MTV's Crib Crashers and Punk'd, Simpson and Lachey's chemistry shines, and they land their own reality show on the network: Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica. Their "Odd Couple" dynamics resonate with audiences. "Our roles are reversed: [Jessica] never puts on a new roll of toilet paper, she never makes the bed, she never picks up her clothes off the floor or puts away her shoes," Lachey says to PEOPLE. "I'm the woman in our relationship." Adds executive producer Rod Aissa: "The twist to this show is that while Jessica and Nick are stars, they're also real people who have to experience the dynamics of a real relationship."

Winter

It's a Hit!

With classic moments such as Simpson asking Lachey if a can of Chicken of the Sea tuna is chicken or fish, Newlyweds becomes America's guilty pleasure. As for the appeal, Lachey says on Larry King Live, "I think people can identify with the things that we go through, you know, as a newlywed couple and the fights and struggles."