15 Minutes of Fame

In 1968, Andy Warhol stated that “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes”. This is our listing of Minnesotans who have achieved this type of short-lived fame.

  • Rachel Frederickson (St. Paul, MN)
    A 2014 winner of NBC’s “Biggest Loser. Frederickson started the competition at 260 pounds and lost 155 pounds, weighing in at 105 pounds on the final night of the competition. She was a three-time high state swimming champion in high school in Stillwater, MN.
  • Rob and Sue Johnson Family (Eagan, MN)
    A segment that appeared on the NBC Today Show on December 21, 2011 highlighted this family’s costumes for their annual Christmas card. For over 20 years the Johnson’s have dressed in funny costumes for the card that goes out to friends, families and fans. Costumes have included Dad dressed as Santa with his wife and children as reindeer, a Shepherd with his wife and a family of sheep, lightbulb and Christmas package costumes, and many more. wee
  • Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz (St. Paul, MN)
    Peterson and Heinz surprised their wedding guests as the entire bridal party danced down the aisle to Chris Brown’s “Forever” during their wedding in June 2009. Footage of the dance was placed on YouTube and it went viral in July 2009, capturing more than 1.75 million views in less than five days. As a result, both were asked to make an appearance on NBC’s “Today Show”, capturing their 15 minutes of Fame.
  • Nate and Nick Smith (Fairbault, MN)
    Eleven-year-old Nate grabbed the national spotlight after shooting a hockey puck through a small hole, 89 feet away during a charity hockey game in Faribault, MN in Aug 2011 to win a $50,000 prize. It was later revealed that the original raffle ticket (for the chance to shoot) belonged to his twin brother Nick. As a result, contest officials decided not to hand out the $50,000 prize, but instead donated $20,000 to youth hockey in Minnesota in the boys’ names. Both appeared on NBC’s “Today Show” on Sept 1-2 (2011). On Sept 2nd they tried to recreate the shot from 41 feet, but were unable to do so.