MTV VMAs: 5 Craziest Moments From 2013's Show

Miley Cyrus twerked on Robin Thicke at the 2013 MTV VMAs.

It’s almost that time! On Sunday, Aug. 24, the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards will air live from the “Fabulous” Forum Arena in Southern California. With the eccentric, over-the-top show right around the corner, there’s no telling what this year’s “foam finger moment” will be.

PHOTOS: Biggest show moments from the 2013 VMAs

Nicki Minaj, Jessie J, and Ariana Grande are set to start things off on an explosive note, performing their latest single “Bang, Bang,” and Beyonce is sure to shut down the arena in her lengthy Video Vanguard Award acceptance performance.

Let’s not, however, forget the OMG-greatness of last year’s Brooklyn-based show, or the frenzy it created. Us Weekly looks back at the craziest moments from 2013’s VMAs:

5. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Perform “Same Love”

Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Jennifer Hudson and Mary Lambert perform onstage during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center on August 25, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Credit: Theo Wargo/WireImage

Great music and a progressive message — what could be better? How about throwing in the vocal stylings of a powerhouse like Jennifer Hudson to kick Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, and Mary Lambert’s hit “Same Love” up a notch. It was a performance that brought Lambert (and the rest of us) to tears.

PHOTOS: Best 2013 VMAs beauty looks

4. Lady Gaga’s Shell Bra and Thong, Square Headdress

Lady Gaga performs during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center on August 25, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Under the sea! The Mother Monster didn’t disappoint after years of exotic VMA performances. Starting off her song “Applause” in a choir robe and strange square headdress, Gaga went through a series of costume changes before landing on a tiny shell bikini top and thong, which she proceeded to wear for the rest of the show.

3. One Direction's Cold Reception

Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles of One Direction speak onstage during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center on August 25, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Credit: Theo Wargo/WireImage

Turns out not everyone’s obsessed with the boys from across the pond. When boy band One Direction hit the stage to accept their Moonman for Song of the Summer, they were hit with an overwhelming amount of “boo’s” from the audience. Lady Gaga later comforted the boys backstage, bashing the audience for their rude response. “Don’t you dare let those people boo you,” she told the group. “I want to leave right now. I don’t even want to stay anymore because I don’t want to be in a room where people would be like that.”

PHOTOS: Hilarious celebrity audience reactions

2. ’N Sync’s Reunion

'N Sync performs during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center on August 25, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Following weeks of rumors, ’N Sync made boy band fans’ dreams explode when the group — including JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Joey Fatone — reunited during Justin Timberlake’s Video Vanguard Award performance. After what felt like ages of JT’s solo singles, the group hit the stage for less than two minutes. They only sang brief clips from two of the group’s massive collection of hit songs, but the reunion was praised by fans just the same.

PHOTOS: 2013 VMAs red carpet

1. The Birth of the New Miley

Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus perform onstage during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center on August 25, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Credit: Andrew H. Walker/WireImage

Bye bye, Hannah Montana! From the moment a punk-pixie cut Miley Cyrus hit the stage twerking in her teddy bear leotard, fans of the former Disney star knew something was different. By the time she stripped down into a nude latex bra and bottoms and pulled out her infamous foam finger, her child star image had essentially been murdered. Her antics, which included grinding, twerking, and rubbing the then-married Robin Thicke, became the most buzzed-about event from the 2013 show — and arguably one of the biggest VMA moments ever — solidifying her status as pop music's new wild child.