'Euphoria' sweeps MTV Movie & TV Awards, but Naples' Dominic Fike had tough competition

Charles Runnells
Naples Daily News

Dominic Fike and Hunter Schafer shared some steamy kisses on the TV show “Euphoria,” but they weren’t enough to beat the smooch between a Texas rat snake and a guy named Poopies.

“Jackass Forever” star Poopies — aka Sean McInerney — won the Best Kiss trophy Sunday at the annual MTV Movie & TV Awards. Then he topped it off by kissing a 17-foot python onstage for the live audience.

"It's kinda weird up here accepting this award alone," Poopies said before a team brought the giant snake onstage. "But now that I'm a big-time movie star, me and the snake broke up and I found a new love. So let's bring her out."

Fike had been nominated for two categories at the awards show, but the Naples native was shut out of both of them. His TV show “Euphoria,” however, swept the awards with four wins, including Best Show, Best Fight and Best Performance in a Show (for Fike’s “Euphoria” co-star, Zendaya).

“Thank you to all the fans who have shown so much love to 'Euphoria,' ” Zendaya said Sunday in a prerecorded video. "The show means so much to us, and we really are so honored that it means so much to you."

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Fike, 26, was also nominated for Best Song for "Euphoria's" “Little Star” (aka “Elliot’s Song”), written by “Euphoria” co-star Zendaya and show composer Labrinth. He lost the award to Jennifer Lopez.

Fike portrayed the laid-back, guitar-strumming Elliot in season two of “Euphoria.” He was part of a love triangle with “Euphoria” characters Rue and Jules, played by Zendaya and Schafer (who Fike recently confirmed he’s dating in real life).

He says it was “insane” working with Zendaya and Schafer.

“When I first met them, I had no idea how much I’d be seeing them on set,” he told The News-Press and The Naples Daily News in February. “So I took it as a big deal. And then I would see them EVERY DAY. And then I realized, ‘Oh, I’m gonna be seeing a lot of you!’”

Fike has confirmed that his character, Elliott, will be back next season on “Euphoria.”

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The MTV Movie & TV Awards aired live Sunday from the Barker Hangar in Los Angeles. Fike didn’t attend, according to a publicist.

Here’s how Fike and the rest of the “Euphoria” cast did during the awards show hosted by Vanessa Hudgens:

Best Show

  • "Euphoria" (WINNER)
  • "Inventing Anna"
  • "Loki"
  • "Squid Game"
  • "Ted Lasso"
  • "Yellowstone"

Best Performance in a Show

  • Amanda Seyfried, "The Dropout"
  • Kelly Reilly, "Yellowstone"
  • Lily James, "Pam & Tommy"
  • Sydney Sweeney, "Euphoria"
  • Zendaya, "Euphoria" (WINNER)
Dominic Fike as Elliot in a scene from "Euphoria's" second season.

Best Kiss

  • Hunter Schafer & Dominic Fike, "Euphoria"
  • Lily Collins & Lucien Laviscount, "Emily in Paris"
  • Poopies & the snake, "Jackass Forever" (WINNER)
  • Robert Pattinson & Zoë Kravitz, "The Batman"
  • Tom Holland & Zendaya, "Spider-Man: No Way Home"

Best Fight

  • Black Widow vs. Widows, "Black Widow"
  • Cassie vs. Maddy, "Euphoria" (WINNER)
  • Guy vs. Dude, "Free Guy"
  • Shang-Chi bus fight, "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings"
  • Spider-Men end battle, "Spider-Man: No Way Home"

Here for the Hookup

  • "Euphoria" (WINNER)
  • "Never Have I Ever"
  • "Pam & Tommy"
  • "Sex/Life"
  • "Sex Lives of College Girls"

Best Song

  • “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” (Jennifer Hudson, "Respect")
  • “Just Look Up” (Ariana Grande & Kid Cudi, "Don’t Look Up")
  • “Little Star” (Dominic Fike, "Euphoria")
  • “On My Way (Marry Me)” (Jennifer Lopez, "Marry Me") (WINNER)
  • “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” (Cast, "Encanto")

Fike was born and grew up in Naples, and his mother and brother still live there. The rapper/singer’s fame has steadily grown over the last four years, starting with the hit song “3 Nights,” which has racked up 722 million streams on Spotify. 

He was signed to Columbia Records in 2018 for a $4 million contract, moved to Los Angeles, released his debut album in 2020 and launched an acting career.

His fame has skyrocketed since his debut on “Euphoria.” His Instagram account now boasts 3.7 million followers — up from 500,000 in 2020.

—  USA Today contributed to this article.

Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. Email him at crunnells@gannett.com or connect on Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), Twitter (@charlesrunnells) and Instagram (@crunnells1).