00:00 You've got no respect.
00:01 No respect?
00:02 Now get out.
00:03 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be looking at cast, crew, and audience speculations
00:07 and conspiracy theories about TV production schemes, which were later confirmed to be
00:11 accurate.
00:12 How old are you?
00:13 I am 25 years old, Mr. Cowell.
00:14 Alright, and why are you here, then?
00:15 To try out for American Idol.
00:21 Number 10.
00:22 Ending on bad terms.
00:23 Sex in the City.
00:24 Carrie Bradshaw and Samantha Jones were a breakthrough for female friendship on TV.
00:28 No, I'm fine.
00:30 Oh, come on.
00:31 You've got to do better than that.
00:33 Sadly, that dynamic was plagued by rumors of tensions between Sarah Jessica Parker and
00:38 Kim Cattrall, especially over salary.
00:40 I'm going to splash some water on my face and then I'm going home.
00:43 And I will not be judged by you or society.
00:46 These rumors were confirmed after the series finale.
00:49 Paid disputes even factored into the show's end.
00:52 Fans thus suspected that Samantha was written out of the revival series, and just like that,
00:56 out of spite.
00:57 Well, Parker later announced that Cattrall wasn't even invited to return.
01:01 It was simply understood that she wouldn't be interested after begrudgingly doing two
01:04 Sex in the City movies.
01:06 Luckily for fans, Cattrall made an appearance in the second season of And Just Like That.
01:11 Whether Samantha is here to stay may still depend on Cattrall and Parker.
01:14 And have a great night.
01:16 Ta.
01:17 Bye.
01:18 Number 9.
01:19 Izzy's tumor.
01:20 Grey's Anatomy.
01:22 Medical residents are known to work unhealthy hours.
01:24 Apparently, so are medical showcasts.
01:27 Playing Dr. Izzy Stevens on Grey's Anatomy, actress Katherine Heigl was termed "difficult
01:31 to work with" and regularly spoke out against onerous working conditions.
01:36 In 2008, she withdrew her name from Emmy consideration because she felt her role was
01:45 underwritten.
01:46 So the following season, Izzy was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
01:49 Co-star James Pickens Jr. soon confirmed popular suspicions that this arc was written to keep
01:54 Heigl in line.
01:59 Izzy just happened to make a remarkable recovery after Heigl's contract negotiations.
02:04 Her on-set antics still got her axed after season 6, but she's now more critical of
02:08 her own behavior than the show.
02:17 Number 8.
02:18 Fake Cash.
02:19 Cash Cab.
02:20 The fast-paced quiz show Cash Cab played to the fantasy that anyone could win big at any
02:24 moment.
02:25 Riders in the Cab won money from host Ben Bailey based on correct answers to a series
02:29 of questions.
02:34 Many viewers assumed that contestants' winnings didn't actually come in cash.
02:38 Sure enough, the dollar bills that winners flashed at the camera were props.
02:41 They later received their prize money by mail checks for tax purposes.
02:45 That is, if they didn't void their winnings by divulging production secrets.
02:52 Cash Cab was serious about its illusions.
02:55 Some contestants have even defied the NDA to reveal that they were recruited before
02:59 entering Bailey's taxi.
03:00 But the prop bills perfectly reflect how Cash Cab is deceptive down to the title.
03:10 Number 7.
03:12 Sometimes You Gotta Go.
03:13 Cheers.
03:14 Carla Tortelli's abrasive personality is more endearing to Cheers fans than the show's
03:18 characters.
03:19 The single mother's lonely days seemed over when she married Eddie LeBec, until he died
03:23 in a freak Zamboni accident.
03:29 This dark and bizarre twist was so removed from Cheers' tone that viewers suspected
03:33 vindictiveness behind it.
03:35 Eddie's actor Jay Thomas had jokingly lamented kissing Rhea Perlman on a radio show he hosted.
03:40 He himself theorized that this comment got him fired.
03:44 In 2006, a writer on the show revealed that Perlman did in fact have Eddie written off
03:50 to spite Thomas.
03:52 Eddie was even posthumously outed as a polygamist con man.
03:55 Though Thomas claimed he meant to insult Carla rather than her actress, he should have watched
03:59 his words.
04:06 Number 6.
04:07 Leno Steals the Show.
04:08 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
04:10 With NBC's Late Night with David Letterman considered a worthy lead-in from Johnny Carson,
04:15 Letterman was poised to succeed Carson upon his retirement in 1992.
04:19 Instead, comedian Jay Leno took over The Tonight Show.
04:22 This sparked enormous controversy among audiences and within the industry.
04:28 As Leno had become Carson's resident guest host, many suspected a backroom deal to oust
04:33 Letterman.
04:34 It wasn't until the 2021 docu-series, The Story of Late Night, when it was revealed
04:38 that Leno really did have a secret succession contract.
04:50 Letterman's conflicts with NBC executives actually cinched this deal.
04:54 Though Leno overcame his initial ratings slump to become as big as CBS's Letterman, the
04:59 two have been feuding ever since Leno's deal was just speculation.
05:10 Number 5.
05:11 Good Guy Gordon - Hell's Kitchen.
05:19 Gordon Ramsay is hailed as one of the most popular chefs in the world and one of the
05:22 biggest jerks on TV.
05:24 Especially in its American adaptation, Ramsay hosts the aptly named Hell's Kitchen with
05:29 deliciously diabolical intensity.
05:35 Many fans are skeptical that he's really bringing that much heat.
05:38 He is notably more reserved on such other shows as MasterChef.
05:41 True Ramsay has his share of feuds with other celebrity chefs, but his TV apprentices assert
05:45 that he's a great and patient mentor.
05:48 He also has a reputation of being devoted to family, philanthropy and fans.
05:52 The caricature of his perfectionism is just an entertaining alter ego.
05:56 As cranky as Ramsay does get when his restaurants lag in quality, he clearly takes his brand
06:00 seriously.
06:06 Number 4.
06:07 The Puppy Episode - Ellen.
06:09 As a 90's sitcom star, Ellen DeGeneres was a popular figure but also the subject of rampant
06:14 rumors about her sexuality.
06:16 There was intense speculation about whether she was gay and if her personal orientation
06:20 would have any effect on her sitcom's character.
06:29 The strict secrecy surrounding production of the cryptically named Puppy episode led
06:33 many to suspect something big.
06:35 Indeed, the episode followed Ellen Morgan's realization that she's gay.
06:42 Perhaps not so coincidentally, DeGeneres herself came out on the cover of Time magazine at
06:46 about the time the episode aired.
06:48 Sadly, the backlash and boycott resulted in Ellen's cancellation the next year.
06:52 ABC's important breakthrough was soured by their refusal to fight for it.
07:00 Number 3.
07:01 So Bad It's Good TV - American Idol.
07:04 It's no secret that American Idol hopefuls have mere seconds to wow scouts and producers
07:09 in a series of preliminary auditions.
07:11 The real mystery is how a lot of so-called singers get past that round.
07:19 The popular theory was that the producers included some of the worst auditions for comic
07:23 relief.
07:24 Indeed, American Idol's strange or downright terrible singers are such a phenomenon that
07:29 televised auditions were arranged around that trope.
07:33 However, out of concern that this tradition was exploitative, producer Trish Kinane ended
07:41 it with the show's 2018 revival.
07:43 American Idol is popular and entertaining enough without having to publicly humiliate
07:47 people.
07:54 Number 2.
07:55 Playing Matchmaker - The Bachelor.
07:57 Romance on The Bachelor tends to be polarizing.
08:00 It's also meticulously manufactured.
08:03 Producers plan dates, arrange interactions, and basically keep the cast trapped.
08:07 Cynics have long suspected that even The Bachelor's decisions are predetermined.
08:15 In 2018, former executive producer Scott Jeffries confirmed that contestants really are advanced
08:20 or eliminated partially based on audience response.
08:23 Contestant-turned-bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky claimed that this practice extends to the
08:27 spin-offs.
08:30 There are assurances that producers only completely control how rose ceremonies play out and that
08:35 their influence on stars declines as the competition progresses.
08:38 Of course, the unfair pressure placed on these courtships is well-documented.
08:42 Directly or indirectly, Bachelor Nation's controversial love stories give too much agency
08:47 to off-screen cupids.
09:09 Number 1.
09:10 The Quiz Show Scandal - 21.
09:12 Quiz shows were popular TV programs in the 1950s.
09:15 NBC's 21 was a big hit, especially for the rivalry between Charles Van Doren and Herbert
09:20 Stempel.
09:21 A defeated Stempel later upended public perception of the show by claiming that it was extensively
09:26 staged.
09:30 On top of confirming that 21 contestants were given answers and choreographed for drama,
09:34 congressional investigations discovered that most quiz shows were rigged.
09:38 The scandal was so immense that it basically killed the genre.
09:41 Jeopardy!
09:42 revived it in '64 with gameplay that made it hard to cheat.
09:45 Still, after being immortalized by Robert Redford's Quiz Show, the 1950s rigging trend
09:50 is considered one of the most scandalous TV conspiracies ever.
09:53 That is, among the ones we know of.
09:58 What are some other open secrets in your favorite TV shows?
10:01 Do you have some theories of your own?
10:03 Come forward in the comments!
10:12 [music]
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