I Was a Seat Filler for a Major Award Show. Here’s What You Don’t See on TV (Exclusive)

Luke ChinmanWed, March 11, 2026 at 8:00 PM UTC

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Credit: Arjun Manjunath -

Arjun Manjunath, a 22-year-old content creator, was a seat filler at the 2026 Grammy Awards

He tells PEOPLE how he nabbed the coveted gig — and what you might not realize about the experience from watching the broadcast at home

“It was honestly the best seat in the house,” says Manjunath

In early January, Arjun Manjunath was scrolling on TikTok — where you can often find the 22-year-old content creator — when he came across a post that piqued his interest.

The 2026 Grammy Awards were approaching, and the show was in search of people to fill the seats of Crypto.com Arena while the invited celebrities occasionally left their chairs for bathroom breaks during the live broadcast. He filled out the lengthy application from Seat Fillers and More — submitting a headshot, his driver’s license number, and more personal information — and “didn’t think much of it,” Manjunath tells PEOPLE in an interview.

Then, about a week and a half before the ceremony, he got an email: Manjunath was one of roughly 300 selected to fill seats during the live broadcast for Music’s Biggest Night.

The position, he quickly learned, is fairly light on perks: Seat fillers are unpaid and have to cover their own travel to and from the show, they’re barred from consuming food or drink (other than water) for the eight hours they’re on the clock, and they have to give up their phone during the experience.

But it was entirely worth it, Manjunath says, if only to get a coveted, front-row view of Bruno Mars performing his latest single "I Just Might" to the star-studded crowd.

Grammy Seat Filler LineCredit: Arjun Manjunath

It was a no-brainer for Manjunath, as a content creator, to buy a flight from Pittsburgh, where he’s based, to Los Angeles for the occasion. He booked a hotel and picked up a tuxedo — the male dress code for seat fillers at the Grammys, and his first tux since his prom night — and he was on his way.

Manjunath and the other seat fillers were expected at the Los Angeles Convention Center between 1 and 3 p.m. on the day of the ceremony, where they had to hand over the phone and were given a wristband. They waited with their fellow seat fillers until around 5 p.m., at which point they walked over to the arena across the street and carried out their duties for the live broadcast.

Once inside, it’s “very free for all vibes,” says Manjunath. For the show’s three-hour runtime, seat fillers are instructed to monitor the arena’s lower bowl — the part that is most likely to be shown on camera — for empty spots during commercial breaks to claim until the seat’s original occupant has returned.

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He estimates that he filled between 10 and 15 seats throughout the ceremony. But by far the most exciting, he tells PEOPLE, were the chairs he occupied on the floor of the arena — where the biggest stars are seated.

Credit: Arjun Manjunath

To get on the floor, seat fillers had to be told that there was an opening by a staffer at the event.

To his amazement, Manjunath was directed to a table with Noah Kahan, who was situated directly in front of the stage. While at the starry table, he had to follow strict rules: He couldn’t speak to a celebrity unless they spoke to him, and he couldn’t eat or drink anything on the table. But Manjunath says he did share a sweet moment with Kahan, when he encouraged the folk star to get to his feet to dance during Mars’s performance (after all, they had the best view in the house).

Arjun ManjunathCredit: Sophie Hosna

For as thrilling as it was to be in the room of stars, Manjunath noted that there was a fair bit of awkwardness. “There were people, like, ‘Oh, my husband's sitting there, please don't sit there,’ he recounts with a laugh. “We just had to explain to them that the show is made for TV and that [producers] don't want empty seats being seen.”

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And sure, Manjunath says, it felt a bit “dystopian” to be what one of his commenters likened to a “professional NPC.”

But ultimately, he calls it a “great program” and would repeat the experience in a heartbeat.

“It was honestly the best seat in the house,” says Manjunath. “I’d love to wear a tux again.”

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”