"It's All A Ruse": People Are Revealing What Goes On Behind The Scenes On Popular TV Game Shows (2024)

If you've ever watched an episode of Jeopardy, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, or any TV game show or competition, chances are you've wondered what actually goes on behind the scenes. So, Redditor u/Meme_Lord4522 asked, "People who have been on game shows, what are some things that watchers don't know?" Here's what people said, along with some members of the BuzzFeed Community.

Note: These stories have not been verified. The people who submitted stories are supposedly speaking from their own experiences.

1. "I was on MasterChef, and it's completely staged. They even go so far as to have handlers with every cook doing most of the plating. It's all a ruse."

Fox / FOX Image Collection via Getty Images

—bbludau130

2. "I dated a guy who was on Chopped. He said it's not as rushed as they make it seem, and that they are allowed to have sips of alcohol if they're using it in the food."

—u/throwawaymyanalbeads

3. "Wife and I tried out for Supermarket Sweep in 2021. We did a Zoom call with the casting people but didn't get the job. I think we got too many answers. We weren't 'enthusiastic' enough. They went hard on us, like, jumping up and down and screaming, "Give us more, MORE! MORE!!" It was exhausting."

4. "I was on (and won) Chopped! In my episode, the clock was mostly real. They added five minutes in the first round but did it very early on, like ten minutes into the round. I'm not sure why. During the dessert round, I literally scrambled to get everything on the plate up until the last minute."

—u/WarriorChef

5. "No one hails the Cash Cab. It’s all a setup, though the contestants don’t necessarily know they’re about to be on the show. They also pull you out of the cab after the initial scheme, set everything up then send you on your way. You also get a check, not actual cash."

6. "I had a cousin win my country’s version of Survivor. He finished the final competition about 45 minutes before everyone else, but the producers cut it in a way that made it seem like he barely won, with just a few inches ahead of second place. But I guess that’s to be expected with reality TV."

—u/Tjobi

7. "I won the Showcase Showdown on The Price Is Right in 2012. The day is LONG. Start standing in line around 6 a.m.; then you're put through quick interviews. They ask your name, where you're from, and what you do for work. I have no idea why they picked me because my answers were pretty unenthusiastic, and I was just happy to be in the audience. I guessed that I was a young 23-year-old woman with okay legs. You truly do not know if you will be called to 'come on down' until now. Yes, the wheel is heavy."

8. "I worked with someone who organized his wedding and got married on Don't Tell The Bride. The whole thing was scripted right down to how they met and fell into a love story. The only real thing was they were really a couple."

—GussieRD

9. "My cousin went on American Idol, and she apparently went on a day where they just were NOT in the mood. She said people were literally going in and out like a revolving door. When her number got called, she went in, sang for maybe five seconds, and was shut down and escorted out. No banter, no funny talk, nothing they do for the cameras."

10. "Mystery Diners was completely staged. On the episode I was hired to film, I recognized the wait staff from the auditions. But because they were open for business, they did have 'normal' customers, but I’d say that day, 75% of the people that day were actors."

—emma1515

11. "Fun fact: You get $300 if you get called down to Contestant's Row on The Price Is Right and don’t make it to the stage."

12. "I was in the audience for Deal or No Deal once. A couple of running gags didn't make the TV cut. They also took the secrecy of the briefcase contents very seriously. One of the briefcases got dropped, and it opened. I don't think anyone saw the number inside, but that was enough for everyone to be taken back behind the stage and re-randomized."

—u/Monoplex

13. "As a phone-a-friend on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, there is no rule against Googling. Instead of studying, I practiced googling all kinds of esoteric subjects for a few weeks. I helped my friend win $50K."

14. "I was on The Price is Right. The stage is much smaller, and the colors (including Bob's makeup) are much brighter than those seen on TV. They took my SSN in case I was picked, for tax purposes. Everyone said to act enthusiastically to get picked, but I couldn't fake it — not my personality. Despite that, I got picked. I must have been wearing a good outfit for TV or something. I ended up winning a lot of money on Plinko."

—u/Jacsmom

15. "On Jeopardy, tiny lights surround the game board that aren't visible on camera. You can't ring in until the lights flash; if you try to do so before the lights flash, you get locked out for a few seconds. That's why you see people rapidly clicking the signaling device."

16. I've been on six game shows from 1983 until 1997, including Catch Phrase, Now You See It, and The Weakest Link. They mostly shot five episodes each day, so it's a long day. They start with reviewing rules, your wardrobe, signing contracts, etc. Eventually, you play practice games on the actual set. Food is provided all day long. Generally, episodes were shot three months before airing, and I didn't receive any money or prizes until one month after airing. Of course, you pay taxes on any prizes or cash, and you can refuse any as well. I declined a trip to Australia. Most travel prizes are for the off-season, and the window was only two months."

—u/mgoflashmgoflash

17. "Not a game show, but I know a couple on one of those HGTV House Hunters shows. Everything about it was fake. They already had a house and had no intention of buying one. Apparently, one of their friends who works on the show just asked them to do it because they wanted a gay couple."

18. "I was on Let's Make a Deal. They do a group interview before the show starts to help pick people and weed out the ones that won't make good TV. They have costumes you can pick from, but you're more likely to get picked if you bring your own. They tell everyone to stay smiling and excited the whole time because if they picked you from the interview process, they could change their mind at the last minute before Wayne calls you if they think the cameras will pan to you and you look like a sour puss. This makes everyone there stay energetic the whole time, which I thought was clever. Lastly, I know this makes me sound weird, but Wayne Brady smells amazing."

—u/fallingoffdragons

19. "I went to a taping of Wheel of Fortune. They taped three shows, and I was exhausted by the end. You never realize how much the audience has to clap during that show until you do it."

20. "I was an audience member with my class for America’s Funniest Home Videos. They literally had empty plates and cups at some tables and a light-up sign telling us when to laugh. Sometimes they would even move audience members, depending on how well they laughed."

—u/Horriblynice

21. "I've been on MasterChef. The judges have a ton of stylists following them around, so they look the same between takes. Also, all the timers were fake. They usually recorded all the countdowns and sentences announcing how much time was left at the taping's beginning or end, sometimes even while we were cooking. They recorded them when the lighting was OK. Also, nothing is a surprise. You can practice your dish for a week or more before the episode. There are no 'surprise ingredients.' They also train you in presentation. Sometimes your dish gets moved around the plate by the personnel for lighting reasons or whatever."

22. "The entire season of Family Feud (and I think many game shows) is shot in a few days, just one after another. Steve Harvey changes clothes between each episode to make it look like it's not the same day. I believe the families bring several sets of clothes so they can change if they are in more than one episode."

—u/survivor39

23. "I went to a taping for a reality singing competition. Each taping had a nightly 'winner' who moved on. They filmed the results SEVERAL times. I felt bad for the person who got second place and had to keep refilming their loss."

Have you been on a television game show or competition or are you close with someone who has? Tell us the behind-the-scenes secrets in the comments, or drop them into this anonymous form.