Here are some new photos of Ryan Lochte hosting an event at The Palazzo Resort Hotel & Casino Las Vegas on Saturday – at some point he even changed into a pink Speedo, apparently. He must have gone to Vegas straight from LA, where he spent most of last week, working on 90210 and doing lots of interviews and appearances – and some hustling! Because Lochte seriously (JEAH seriously) wants to be on The Bachelor. And Dancing With the Stars. And whatever reality show you want to give him, really. Lochte doesn’t want to be, like, a real actor or a genuine celebrity. He’s fine with C-list celebrity-dom, thank you very much. Speaking of, Page Six says that when Lochte was hosting the “WWE SummerSlam VIP Kick-Off Party” in Beverly Hills last week, he really, really wanted to meet Carmen Electra. Like, that’s the kind of girl he wants to hang out with. So… I say, just let him be The Bachelor. I would watch that. He’s going to end up picking the trashiest party girl available.

Meanwhile, you know how Ryan’s “thing” is saying “JEAH!” all the time? Not only does he say it constantly, but he also puts “Jeah!” on many of his branded items, like, with his endorsement deals and stuff. So Lochte is going to make “Jeah!” official now, and he’s seeking to trademark the stupid catchphrase. TMZ says Lochte has filed the trademark documentation, and plans on putting “Jeah!” branding on “sunglasses, workout DVDs, gift cards, mugs, drinking glasses, trading cards, calendars, posters, swimsuits, swim caps, sports hats, and water bottles.” Lochte has always maintained that “Jeah!” is a derivative of Young Jeezy’s “Chea!” and that he (Ryan) just wanted his own hip-hoppy kind of catchphrase. Unfortunately, “Jeah!” might not be his original idea. Hard to believe, I know:

U.S. Olympic hero Ryan Lochte might have an unexpected speed bump on his way to trademarking the phrase “Jeah!” in the form of 90s rap star MC Eiht, who claims the phrase was his long before it was Lochte’s.

Eiht tells TMZ he coined the phrase back in 1988 and is insulted to hear Lochte is trying to claim it as his own now. Eiht tells us, “Why try and trademark something his ass didn’t even create? I am mad that he isn’t giving me proper recognition for taking my saying. He is just disrespectful.”

The Compton’s Most Wanted rapper tells TMZ he’s not so much concerned about the money as he is the “respect and the truth.”

Eiht says he plans on sending a cease and desist letter urging Lochte to stop using his phrase.

Lochte’s manager tells us, “Ryan has been using JEAH for years,” adding, “This is the first I have heard of this claim by MC Eiht.”

[From TMZ]

Who to believe? I kind of think you can believe both of them. I think Eiht probably said “Jeah!” first, but that Lochte had no idea and thought he was being original. What bugs me is that two dudes are actually FIGHTING over who came up with “Jeah!” originally. Perhaps I should trademark Keah. Or Meah. Or Zeah! Yes, that will be my new catchphrase. ZEAH!! I said it first. TRADEMARK!! ZEAH!

Photos courtesy of WENN.