From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. David Robert "Dave" Holmes (born March 14, 1971) is a television personality who gained national attention as the runner-up on MTV's first Wanna Be a VJ contest in 1998. From the beginning, he distinguished himself from other candidates with an encyclopedic knowledge of music trivia. Despite his loss to Jesse Camp, MTV hired Holmes to conduct celebrity interviews. He went on to host several other MTV shows, including 120 Minutes, a Real World reunion spec ...