Season four of Saved By The Bell: The New Class marked both a change of season as well as yet another period of transition for the ailing Saturday morning teen sitcom, for two longtime Bayside alums and a transfer student from Valley (Tommy "Tommy D" DeLuca, Lindsay Warner, and R.J. "Hollywood" Collins respectively) all departed for greener pastures (or, in R.J.'s case, ended up rotting in SBTB: The New Class purgatory alongside Scott Erickson, Barton "Weasel" Wyzell, Vicki Needleman, Megan Jones, Bobby Wilson, and Brian Keller) and three brand new students mysteriously arrived in their places: New York City native Nicky Farina, star swimmer (and aspiring journalist) Katie Peterson, and football jock (and aspiring singer) Cornelius "Eric" Little. Both Katie and Eric were classmates along with Ryan, Rachel, and Maria, and Nicky was Ryan's stepbrother.

Though I'm not a die-hard fan of SBTB: The New Class (for very good reason, obviously), I was thoroughly pleased with Ben Gould's performance as Nicky upon gruelingly rewatching the entire seven season, 143-episode run. Gould joined the cast of SBTB: The New Class at the start of season four in the autumn of '96 along with fellow newbies Lindsey McKeon (Katie Peterson) and Anthony Harrell (Cornelius "Eric" Little), and all three actors remained in the core cast for the remainder of SBTB: The New Class' grossly overlong and interminable run. For his efforts, Gould won two YoungStar awards in both 1998 and 2000 and also received a nomination for a Young Artist award (alongside his costars Samantha Esteban, Ashley Tesoro, Richard Lee Jackson, Anthony Harrell, and Lindsey McKeon) in 1997.

After checking out Gould's miniscule profile on IMdb (the Internet Movie Database), it sadly appears that he has no recent credits to date (following a guest appearance on ER in early 2005), so his role as Nicky Farina remains his most substantial and significant credit. As talented as he was, I'm baffled as to why Gould didn't become a familiar face on television and in film.

If anyone knows the current whereabouts of Ben Gould, drop me a line anytime...I'd love to hear from all of you.

Enjoy the remainder of your terrific Tuesday, and have a safe and happy holiday season!

Again, I'm going to first reference (https://web.archive.org/web/20190124161406/http://www.savedbythebellreviewed.com/2017/01/04/the-new-class-seasons-6-7-recap/) the old Saved by the Bell...Reviewed blog:
Ben Gould (https://www.google.com/search?q=Ben+Gould+Saved+by+the+Bell&sca_esv=c9657d3366c596f0&sca_upv=1&sxsrf=AM9HkKnadfrRgDJavAMJfke3XBjswGsEQw%3A1703406457123&ei=eeuHZYGUB-ORwbkPnYK5sAQ&ved=0ahUKEwjBtKPG06eDAxXjSDABHR1BDkYQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=Ben+Gould+Saved+by+the+Bell&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiG0JlbiBHb3VsZCBTYXZlZCBieSB0aGUgQmVsbDIKECMYgAQYigUYJzIFEC4YgAQyCxAAGIAEGIoFGIYDMhQQLhiABBiXBRjcBBjeBBjgBNgBAkiYHVDDAlisG3ABeAGQAQCYAZwEoAGhG6oBDDAuMTQuMi4xLjAuMbgBA8gBAPgBAcICBxAjGLADGCfCAgoQABhHGNYEGLADwgINEAAYgAQYigUYQxiwA8ICExAuGIAEGIoFGEMYyAMYsAPYAQHCAgUQABiABMICChAuGIAEGBQYhwLCAgYQABgWGB7CAhkQLhiABBgUGIcCGJcFGNwEGN4EGOAE2AEC4gMEGAAgQYgGAZAGFLoGBggBEAEYCLoGBggCEAEYFA&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#ip=1) had a few more miscellaneous small roles after The New Class, but pretty much left acting after 2005, playing bass for a rock band for a while. According to IMDB, he later moved to NEW YORK for real to work in the restaurant business, but I’ve been unable to confirm this for sure. He’s keeping pretty low key nowadays.

I also happened to come across this video on Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/42971515), and I naturally wondered if the Ben Gould (https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ben-goulds-best-tips-for-your-best-garden-now-218940) in this video was the same one who portrayed Nicky Farina on Saved by the Bell: The New Class.

Again, I'm going to first reference (https://web.archive.org/web/20190124161406/http://www.savedbythebellreviewed.com/2017/01/04/the-new-class-seasons-6-7-recap/) the old Saved by the Bell...Reviewed blog:


I also happened to come across this video on Vimeo (https://vimeo.com/42971515), and I naturally wondered if the Ben Gould (https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ben-goulds-best-tips-for-your-best-garden-now-218940) in this video was the same one who portrayed Nicky Farina on Saved by the Bell: The New Class.


I just finishing watching the video on Vimeo a few minutes ago, and it's definitely the same Ben Gould who portrayed Nicky Farina on Saved By The Bell: The New Class from '96 to '98 (seasons four through seven), without a doubt. Though he's a little bit older (complete with a stubbly beard), Gould's voice sounds virtually the same as it did on SBTB: The New Class. I'm delighted--not to mention relieved--to discover that Gould's doing great for the most part...I'm equally intrigued by the fact that he's found a passion for gardening while also sharing his knowledge with elementary schoolchildren. All in all, I wish Gould continued success in his current endeavors.

Now, if only you'd uncover the current whereabouts of Robert Sutherland Telfer (Scott Erickson from SBTB: The New Class' abysmal debut season), I'd be overjoyed as a shrimp dipped in tartar sauce. Of all the (then) teenaged cast members of SBTB: The New Class, it appears that Telfer's been a total bitch to locate (we're talking bats**t f**king insane, folks)...it seems like he literally disintegrated into dust following SBTB: The New Class' aforementioned dismal inaugural season; hell, even Telfer's entry on IMdb (The Internet Movie Database) has no additional credits after 1994.

Thanks for commenting, TMC! Enjoy the remainder of terrific Tuesday, as well as the rest of your holiday season, bro!