- 8/4/2025
Some TV conspiracy theories sound crazy β until they actually come true. In this video, we reveal 20 shocking TV conspiracy theories that turned out to be real, from behind-the-scenes secrets to surprising twists that fans predicted years in advance.
Get ready to see television in a whole new way!
Get ready to see television in a whole new way!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're examining the most amazing conspiracy theories in the TV industry
00:08that actually had an element of truth.
00:18Number 20. The show was rigged. Legends of the Hidden Temple.
00:21Which one are we going to hear today? The legend of the lucky pig of Amelia Earhart.
00:2790s kids might remember Legends of the Hidden Temple, a game show which briefly ran on Nickelodeon based around stunts, mythology, and treasure hunting.
00:35However, the temple run, the show's final and most iconic segment, was often so complex and confusing
00:41that many contestants struggled to make it to the prize within the given time limit.
00:45This led to some speculation that the show was rigged, and, well, yeah, pretty much.
00:51The host, Kirk Fogg, basically admitted as much to the great big story, claiming...
00:56Producers were only allowed to give out eight championships a year, so there was a budget, and that's the truth of that.
01:03Ah, dang, budget's getting in the way of fun.
01:06Number 19. The contestants get teaching. Survivor.
01:09You'll climb over, crawl under, maneuver around those obstacles as you make your way to the finish.
01:15For the most part, Survivor is the real deal.
01:18But like all reality shows, there is a little bit of editing trickery.
01:22Before challenges, Jeff quickly goes through the course and explains to the contestants what they need to do.
01:27He then tells them to get into position, and the challenge begins.
01:30However, it always goes so smoothly that some started thinking,
01:33hang on, there's no way the contestants remembered all of that.
01:37They don't.
01:37According to Today, both Jeff and the game's constructor walk through the challenge with the players,
01:43explaining each section in detail and even allowing the tribes to strategize.
01:47Of course, they just don't film that part.
01:48All right, we'll rock, paper, scissor to see who goes first. We'll get started.
01:52Number 18. Suddenly Killed Off Susan. Seinfeld.
01:56She expired.
01:56May 16th, 1996 was kind of a weird day for Seinfeld fans.
02:06That's when George's fiancΓ©e, Susan, suddenly ups and dies after licking a number of toxic envelopes.
02:12Seriously, she just gets sick and keels over in a matter of seconds.
02:15The bizarre and abrupt ending to the story arc was controversial,
02:19and some speculated that it wasn't entirely a creative decision.
02:21This was confirmed when Jason Alexander appeared on The Howard Stern Show and claimed that actress Heidi
02:26Swedberg was difficult to work with. He revealed that many cast members had problems playing off
02:31her, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus made a comment about killing off Susan.
02:35Larry David loved the idea, and the rest is sitcom history.
02:38I can't do it! Help me, Jerry! Help me!
02:40Why don't you just break it off with her? Tell her it's over!
02:42Number 17. John Amos Randomly Disappears. Good Times.
02:46We regret to inform you that your husband, James Evans, was killed in an automobiles.
02:56Oh my god!
02:57It's a bold choice to kill off your main character via letter.
03:00That was what fans of Good Times got when they, and the Evans family,
03:04learned that James had been killed in a car accident.
03:06Talk about an anticlimactic goodbye!
03:08Naturally, this led some fans to speculate that something fishy was going on behind the scenes.
03:12The official word was that Amos left to pursue a film career, but viewers weren't buying it.
03:17It was Amos himself who revealed the truth, claiming that he had been fired owing to repeated
03:21arguments with the producers and for openly criticizing the show's direction.
03:25Amos hated the increasing emphasis on J.J.'s comedic shenanigans,
03:29which he felt undermined the realistic tone of the series.
03:31I'll put it this way. I wasn't very tactful in my complaints about the script or the script points.
03:38Number 16, The Ingram Incident, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
03:42I mean, I'm 80% of the time I'm wrong when I guess, so...
03:46No, I'll go Craig David.
03:47Oh, Craig David.
03:48Yeah.
03:49British Army Major Charles Ingram was the third contestant to win the top prize on the British
03:54version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
03:56During his appearance on the show, Ingram struggled with many of the questions,
04:00but then seemed to make a series of improbable correct guesses,
04:03leading the producers to suspect that something was amiss.
04:05They were so suspicious that they refused to hand over the money and launched an official
04:09investigation.
04:11While reviewing the footage, they found that someone would cough when the correct answer
04:14was said.
04:15Sometimes it came from a waiting contestant, Tequan Wittick, and other times, from Ingram's
04:19wife, who was watching in the audience.
04:21All three were officially charged, receiving fines and suspended prison sentences.
04:26He then went for a one.
04:29Then because...
04:30I actually rather lost the plot of his thinking then.
04:32Number 15, Much of the show is planned in advance.
04:35Pawn Stars.
04:36So this is it.
04:38The OJ Bronco!
04:40As viewers have long suspected, Pawn Stars engages in a lot of behind-the-scenes trickery.
04:44People don't just waltz into the uber-busy store, sell that King Arthur's sword they had
04:48laying around, and walk out rich.
04:50Pawn Stars isn't exactly scripted, and many of the items and sellers are indeed authentic,
04:54but they don't just walk in.
04:56They are vetted by the producers beforehand, and guests are kicked out of the store to film
05:00the pre-planned segments using background extras.
05:02This process often requires multiple takes, and the guests are often coached on how to
05:06behave on camera.
05:08Executive producer Brent Montgomery also told the cast members to buy items they otherwise
05:12wouldn't have in order to make good TV.
05:14250.
05:16You know what?
05:17I'm going to give you 250 just because of the story you told me.
05:19Thanks, man.
05:20Number 14, Patrick Dempsey's Departure, Grey's Anatomy.
05:24Patrick Dempsey, and more on his shocking departure from Grey's Anatomy.
05:28It stunned fans.
05:29It was this medical drama that made Patrick Dempsey a star, so it was kind of odd when he
05:33suddenly up and left in April 2015.
05:35He claimed that he wanted to spend more time with his family, but some fans thought there
05:39were ulterior motives.
05:40They were somewhat vindicated in 2021, when the book, How to Save a Life, was published.
05:44While it's true that Dempsey left over scheduling issues, that wasn't the whole story.
05:48The book's authors reveal that Dempsey turned into a nightmare, often terrorizing the set
05:53and bringing up HR issues.
05:55They also claim that some cast members had all sorts of PTSD with him.
05:59The details are murky, but his behavior led to a swift exit from the series.
06:08Number 13, There's No Shopping Involved, House Hunters.
06:11What I've got for us is a three-bedroom, two-bath, just a few blocks from the elementary
06:15school.
06:16Oh, that's good.
06:17This enduringly popular show sees a couple touring a number of houses, typically three,
06:22and then choosing one to buy.
06:23But as many have long suspected, there's not actually much haunting to be found on House
06:27Hunters.
06:28People involved with the show have come forward throughout the years, claiming that they had
06:31already purchased their house before appearing on the show.
06:34Producers typically have them tour their own recently purchased home, along with two other
06:38random houses they have no intention of buying.
06:40These houses are often volunteer homes, Airbnb rentals, and even places belonging to friends
06:45of the cast and crew.
06:46After touring all three houses, the couple then chooses their own in a stage debate filmed
06:50for the camera.
06:51Definitely like the character of the 50s-style home.
06:54And that dog park for Baxter, that would be so convenient.
06:56If he could just find a way to walk himself there, it'd be perfect.
06:59Number 12, Jeffrey DeMunn Was Loyal to Frank Darabont, The Walking Dead.
07:03Dale, have you seen Carl?
07:07Shane took him down to the quarry.
07:08There was a mighty bold talk about catching frogs.
07:11It's not rare for shows to diverge from their source material, but this one had many curious
07:15aspects that had fans raising their eyebrows.
07:18Jeffrey DeMunn's Dale Horvath was killed off in a rather abrupt manner, and long before
07:22his print counterpart died in the comics.
07:24This was a rather curious decision, but it also coincided with the controversial departure
07:28of showrunner Frank Darabont, who was fired over budgetary disagreements.
07:32As DeMunn is a regular in Darabont's films, viewers knew the timing wasn't just a crazy
07:36coincidence.
07:37Back in 2018, DeMunn confirmed the theory to Cleveland.com, stating that he quit the show
07:42after Darabont was fired.
07:43Sorry, brother.
07:49Number 11, The Bill Cosby Problem, The Cosby Show.
07:52This sitcom helped define the 1980s with its topical themes, cozy atmosphere, and lead
08:06performance of Bill Cosby, who grew to be known as America's dad.
08:10But there was an intense underlying darkness circulating the show, even if many people didn't
08:14want to believe it.
08:15Rumors swirled that Cosby had a history of sexual violence, a history that stretched back
08:1920 years to the mid-60s.
08:21Women like Joan Tarshish and Wendy Williams made reference to Cosby's sketchy history
08:25while the show was still airing, and the tabloid National Enquirer ran stories about the allegations.
08:31However, these claims were largely ignored.
08:34It wasn't until 2014 that Cosby's downfall truly began, and we can never return to The
08:38Cosby Show in the same way.
08:39So I dust the article off, and I talk about it in my Dish the Dirt segment, you know, with
08:46the wake-up club.
08:47I was part of a, you know, a club.
08:48Number 10, Ending on Bad Terms, Sex and the City.
08:52Carrie Bradshaw and Samantha Jones were a breakthrough for female friendship on TV.
08:56Sadly, that dynamic was plagued by rumors of tensions between Sarah Jessica Parker and
09:06Kim Cattrall, especially over salary.
09:08I'm gonna splash some water on my face and then I'm going home, and I will not be judged
09:12by you or society.
09:14These rumors were confirmed after the series finale.
09:17Paid disputes even factored into the show's end.
09:19Fans thus suspected that Samantha was written out of the revival series, and just like that,
09:24out of spite.
09:25Well, Parker later announced that Cattrall wasn't even invited to return.
09:28It was simply understood that she wouldn't be interested after begrudgingly doing two
09:32Sex and the City movies.
09:34Luckily for fans, Cattrall made an appearance in the second season of And Just Like That.
09:38Whether Samantha is here to stay may still depend on Cattrall and Parker.
09:46Number 9, Izzy's Tumor, Grey's Anatomy.
09:49Medical residents are known to work unhealthy hours.
09:52Apparently, so are medical show casts.
09:55Playing Dr. Izzy Stevens on Grey's Anatomy, actress Katherine Heigl was termed difficult
09:59to work with and regularly spoke out against onerous working conditions.
10:03Alex!
10:03Hey!
10:05You shouldn't be out here.
10:06Dr. Burke needs to go to me.
10:07Can you just back off?
10:08Please?
10:08In 2008, she withdrew her name from Emmy consideration because she felt her role was underwritten.
10:13So the following season, Izzy was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
10:16Co-star James Pickens Jr. soon confirmed popular suspicions that this arc was written to keep
10:22Heigl in line.
10:23My hair's starting to fall out.
10:25You still look good.
10:27Izzy just happened to make a remarkable recovery after Heigl's contract negotiations.
10:31Her on-set antics still got her axed after season 6, but she's now more critical of her
10:36own behavior than the show.
10:44Number 8.
10:45Fake Cash
10:46Cash Cab
10:47The fast-paced quiz show Cash Cab played to the fantasy that anyone could win big at any
10:52moment.
10:53Riders in the Cab won money from host Ben Bailey based on correct answers to a series of questions.
10:58Congratulations!
10:59Here's your 3,000 bucks!
11:01Many viewers assumed that contestants' winnings didn't actually come in cash.
11:05Sure enough, the dollar bills that winners flashed at the camera were props.
11:09They later received their prize money by mail checks for tax purposes.
11:12That is, if they didn't void their winnings by divulging production secrets.
11:16Congratulations, you guys.
11:17You were great.
11:18Oh my gosh!
11:19Thanks, Elizabeth.
11:20Cash Cab was serious about its illusions.
11:22Some contestants have even defied the NDA to reveal that they were recruited before
11:26entering Bailey's taxi.
11:28But the prop bills perfectly reflect how Cash Cab is deceptive down to the title.
11:32All right, congratulations, ladies.
11:34Here's your 1,200 bucks.
11:37Number 7.
11:39Sometimes you gotta go.
11:40Cheers.
11:41Carla Tortelli's abrasive personality is more endearing to Cheers fans than the show's
11:45characters.
11:46The single mother's lonely days seemed over when she married Eddie LeBeck, until he died
11:51in a freak Zamboni accident.
11:53Can't go to graduation, huh?
11:54No, he can't.
11:55What's the excuse?
11:56He's dead.
11:57This dark and bizarre twist was so removed from Cheers' tone that viewers suspected
12:01vindictiveness behind it.
12:02Eddie's actor, Jay Thomas, had jokingly lamented kissing Rhea Perlman on a radio show he hosted.
12:08He himself theorized that this comment got him fired.
12:11I say let's get on with the honeymoon, eh?
12:12In 2006, a writer on the show revealed that Perlman did in fact have Eddie written off
12:18to spite Thomas.
12:20Eddie was even posthumously outed as a polygamist comm man.
12:23Though Thomas claimed he meant to insult Carla rather than her actress, he should have watched
12:27his words.
12:27I'm Eddie's poor grieving widow.
12:30That's impossible.
12:31See this?
12:32Yeah?
12:33Well, see this?
12:34Number 6.
12:35Leno steals the show.
12:36The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
12:38With NBC's Late Night with David Letterman considered a worthy lead-in from Johnny Carson,
12:42Letterman was poised to succeed Carson upon his retirement in 1992.
12:46Instead, comedian Jay Leno took over The Tonight Show.
12:49This sparked enormous controversy among audiences and within the industry.
12:53Let's see how you all feel in 30 years.
12:56As Leno had become Carson's resident guest host, many suspected a backroom deal to oust
13:00Letterman.
13:01It wasn't until the 2021 docuseries, The Story of Late Night, when it was revealed that
13:06Leno really did have a secret succession contract.
13:08Jay Leno had just signed a new deal that guaranteed Jay The Tonight Show whenever Johnny stepped down.
13:18Letterman's conflicts with NBC executives actually cinched this deal.
13:22Though Leto overcame his initial rating slump to become as big as CBS's Letterman,
13:26the two have been feuding ever since Leno's deal was just speculation.
13:30And from that day on, Jay Leno and The Tonight Show are number one.
13:35The Late Night Crown is back at NBC.
13:38Number 5.
13:39Good Guy Gordon.
13:40Hell's Kitchen.
13:41Hey, hey, hey Red Team, this is painful.
13:44Who just gave me them?
13:45Who cooked them?
13:46Gordon Ramsay is hailed as one of the most popular chefs in the world and one of the
13:50biggest jerks on TV.
13:52Especially in its American adaptation, Ramsay hosts the aptly named Hell's Kitchen with
13:56deliciously diabolical intensity.
13:58Look at me.
13:59I've got one big message for you.
14:01Hey, you!
14:02Get out.
14:02Many fans are skeptical that he's really bringing that much heat.
14:05He is notably more reserved on such other shows as MasterChef.
14:08True, Ramsay has a share of views with other celebrity chefs, but his TV apprentices assert
14:13that he's a great and patient mentor.
14:15He also has a reputation of being devoted to family, philanthropy, and fans.
14:20The caricature of his perfectionism is just an entertaining alter ego.
14:23As cranky as Ramsay does get when his restaurants lag in quality, he clearly takes his brand seriously.
14:29Fire was your best service.
14:31Yes, eggs.
14:31I don't care about that.
14:33Number 4.
14:35The Puppy Episode
14:36Ellen
14:36As a 90s sitcom star, Ellen DeGeneres was a popular figure but also the subject of rampant
14:42rumors about her sexuality.
14:44There was intense speculation about whether she was gay and if her personal orientation
14:48would have any effect on her sitcom's character.
14:49What if I said something shocking to you?
14:51Like, my whole life has been a lie and I'm really left-handed.
14:57The strict secrecy surrounding production of the cryptically named Puppy Episode led many
15:01to suspect something big.
15:02Indeed, the episode followed Ellen Morgan's realization that she's gay.
15:06Susan, I'm gay.
15:09Perhaps not so coincidentally, DeGeneres herself came out on the cover of Time Magazine at about
15:14the time the episode aired.
15:15Sadly, the backlash and boycotts resulted in Ellen's cancellation the next year.
15:20ABC's important breakthrough was soured by the refusal to fight for it.
15:23For the first time in my life, I feel comfortable with myself.
15:28Number 3.
15:29So Bad It's Good TV
15:30American Idol
15:31It's no secret that American Idol hopefuls have mere seconds to wow scouts and producers
15:36in a series of preliminary auditions.
15:39The real mystery is how a lot of so-called singers get past that round.
15:42When if I should have a frown, I'll die then.
15:47The popular theory was that the producers included some of the worst auditions for comic relief.
15:52Indeed, American Idol's strange or downright terrible singers are such a phenomenon that televised
15:57auditions were arranged around that trope.
15:59She bangs!
16:00She bangs!
16:01Oh, baby!
16:02When she moves!
16:03She moves!
16:04However, out of concern that this tradition was exploitative, producer Trish Kinane ended
16:08it with the show's 2018 revival.
16:11American Idol is popular and entertaining enough without having to publicly humiliate people.
16:15Oh, I'll tell you goodnight, close the door.
16:21Number 2.
16:22Playing Matchmaker
16:23The Bachelor
16:24Romance on The Bachelor tends to be polarizing.
16:28It's also meticulously manufactured.
16:30Producers plan dates, arrange interactions, and basically keep the cast trapped.
16:34Cynics have long suspected that even The Bachelor's decisions are predetermined.
16:39Tanner, will you accept this, Rose?
16:40I will.
16:41Thanks.
16:42In 2018, former executive producer Scott Jeffries confirmed that contestants really are advanced
16:48or eliminated partially based on audience response.
16:51Contestant-turned-bachelorette Ali Fedotowski claimed that this practice extends to the spinoffs.
16:56Can you accept this, Rose?
16:57Absolutely.
16:58There are assurances that producers only completely control how Rose ceremonies play out, and that
17:02their influence on stars declines as the competition progresses.
17:06Of course, the unfair pressure placed on these courtships is well documented.
17:10Directly or indirectly, Bachelor Nation's controversial love stories give too much agency to off-screen
17:15cupids.
17:16Will you accept this, Rose?
17:17I am thrilled to accept this, Rose.
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17:36Number 1.
17:37The Quiz Show Scandal 21
17:39Quiz shows were popular TV programs in the 1950s.
17:43NBC's 21 was a big hit, especially for the rivalry between Charles Van Doren and Herbert
17:48Stemple.
17:49A defeated Stemple later upended public perception of the show by claiming that it was extensively
17:53staged.
17:54On top of confirming that 21 contestants were given answers and choreographed for drama,
18:02congressional investigations discovered that most quiz shows were rigged.
18:05The scandal was so immense that it basically killed the genre.
18:09Jeopardy revived it in 64 with gameplay that made it hard to cheat.
18:12Still, after being immortalized by Robert Redford's quiz show, the 1950s rigging trend is considered
18:18one of the most scandalous TV conspiracies ever.
18:20That is, among the ones we know of.
18:22Thank you for being a wonderful...
18:24Do you have any more theories about famous TV shows?
18:28Let us hear them in the comments below.
18:30You're a wonderful husband and a loving father, but darling, you do have a problem.
18:34Did you enjoy this video?
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18:51We'll see you again next time.
18:55We'll see you then.
18:57Peace.
18:57Peace.
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