Confessions of a #YSProm door b*tch

MANILA, Philippines - When the Young Star team told us interns that we’d be helping out with registration at the #YSProm, I have to admit that I was pretty excited. People-watching has always been something that I liked doing, so sitting by a registration table was the perfect opportunity to do just that.

We were instructed to do three tasks that seemed simple at first: guard the door to make sure no one crashed the party, hand out the giveaways, and make sure that everyone got a sticker. The editors gave us a copy of the guest list beforehand, so all we’d have to do was check if peoples’ names were on the list as they arrived. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, right? Well, as we discovered that night — not so much.

It turns out that doing that came with a bunch of other mini duties. The aforementioned guest list was 75 pages long, so flipping through it was just like flipping through one of those thick karaoke song guides.

Being a door b*tch is a skill in itself. Aside from having to deal with people who tried to charm their way into getting their giveaways before midnight, there was also the issue of the never-ending stream of plus ones who didn’t RSVP beforehand. It was as if people invited their entire squads, who in turn invited their own plus ones. The only thing more intimidating than an hour-long final math exam is having someone who looks like a Very Important Person stare down at you as you speedily scan over 70 pages of names. We had a laptop at the ready to CTLR+F our way through the night, but since lots of people had pretty unique names, speed reading through the hard copy was much more efficient at times.

In spite of all the stress, I think that the best part was being able to see everyone arrive fresh to death in their glam PJs. From left shark onesies to diapers, it was clear that there were no holds barred when it came to following the strict “No PJs, no party” rule.

It was tiring but way worth it, to say the least.

Here’s what my fellow interns had to say about their experiences at the front of house:

“It was way more tiring than I expected. I was a door b*tch, which entailed making sure random riffraff didn’t find their way into the venue. I also handled some of the registration itself. Yeah, shouting over loud music trying to get someone’s name and speed-reading through the guestlist (while keeping quite a number of Very Important-looking people waiting) was its own kind of fun.” — Elle Shivers

“Fun part about being ‘door b*tch’ at YS Prom? I got to say hi to all my friends as they arrived at the party. Not so fun part? Dealing with people who brought, like, 10 plus ones without RSVP-ing beforehand. (Also important to note, they’re called “plus one,” not “plus 10”). Worst part was not having any more pillows to give when they ran out. Overall, it ain’t easy being a b*tch.” — Helene Enriquez

“I wonder if I can put ‘door b*tch’ on my résumé because that was some hard work. Fumbling through groups of pajama-ed people to check if they’re on the list, keeping an eye out for needed guests, wondering: ‘Is that a celebrity or just a good-looking person who might not have registered?’ and rejecting fancy people for more stickers and pillows — all of this while trying to look like the bomb? It was crazy being a door b*tch.”