If you wanted to watch reality TV then you typically went to MTV or some other network for a good laugh. The Jerry Springer show however was something you watched for a gut-busting good time and a laugh a minute since the scripted show as something that was hard to top during its peak. When a lot of us first started watching the show it was hard to believe what we were seeing and after a while that was settled since believing it was real was the whole issue. There might have been those that came on the show that were really and truly at odds with one another, but for the most part the Springer show was staged a good portion of the time. The fights might have ‘just happened’ and been hard if not impossible to fully control, but the show did benefit from having its own security guards that could break up pretty much anyone. Unfortunately the show is being cancelled after well over 20 years of running and will soon be no more.
Admit it, you’re going to miss it.
10. It had some unique guests.
So the above clip is kind of the norm really but to many people this would qualify as unique. Everyone from transvestites to transgenders to people that you simply had no ready explanation for found their way onto the Springer show. There were even moments when they entertained the KKK and other various groups that people absolutely loved to berate. Colorful doesn’t even begin to describe the parade of guests that made their way onto the show.
9. The show pandered to the audience.
There’s no doubt about it, this show was for the audience. The people on the stage were just the performers whether their grievances were real or not. Those in the stands and at home were those that the network wanted to impress and please. And given how successful the show was it seems like must have worked.
8. It gave people a reason to hate or love those on the stage.
A lot of laughter was given at the expense of the guests, but then a lot of them didn’t give any reason for the audience to do anything other than boo, laugh, and jeer at them as they clapped and goaded them into one confrontation or another. People weren’t brought onto the Springer show to be the darlings of America’s trashiest talk show, they were there to be a spectacle, and many of them knew it.
7. It was an unexpected success.
Looking at it now it might seem difficult to think that the Springer show was ever in danger of being shut down in the past. But it wasn’t expected to be quite this successful. Obviously though as the level of drama rose and the ridiculous happenings continued the show continued to pick up steam.
6. The show dealt with a lot of controversial topics.
On a lot of talk shows you expected controversial topics to arise. After all it was kind of the bread and butter of any show really, people didn’t often tune in to hear that all was well. But on the Springer show it was all about how messed up a topic could be, such as sleeping with a spouse’s grandma, marrying a spouse’s father after splitting up, and so on and so forth. Oh yes, it got messed up in a hurry.
5. The fights, of course.
This was the reason a lot of people actually tuned in. Some folks even made their own little games out of it. A favorite one, but also one that no one could possibly finish, was to take a shot every time a fight broke out. You’d be kissing the floor before the end of most episodes.
4. The reveals were just too much to be believed.
You would think that a man or a woman would know that their partner was transgender or a transvestite after being in a relationship for so long, and that’s why the reveals on this show were kind of hard to believe. But the shock that was seen on the faces of some people seemed kind of genuine at least.
3. The audience interaction was off the hook awesome.
The audience and their reactions to the guests were often so great that one had to wonder just what happened after the credits were done rolling. The audience was simply one of the best parts of the show simply because of the things they did and said.
2. The final thoughts were always interesting.
Jerry always had a final thought, and it was usually something fairly interesting as well as honest. He knew very well that his show was magic in a bottle and was more than willing to ride it for as long as it could go. How he’s feeling about the cancellation is hard to know just yet, but it’s fair to say that we will miss his presence on TV.
1. This, just this.
Say and think what you want about this clip but it had to be one of the most alluring and craziest on the show during the Spring Break era. People were doing just about anything they could to get on the Springer show and get a few extra dollars to help with their spring break. If you think this is nuts, just imagine the guy that was jump roping naked.
Yes, that was a pun before the joke, you’re welcome.
Follow Us
