When we think of the Discovery Channel, we think of a great resource for learning new things about nature, cultures, and the world in general. However, like many things these days it seems it has become polluted. These days many of the shows are shrouded in scandal. From verging on plain dangerous to reality shows that are riddled with convicted criminals, the channel has taken a dark turn.
The channel is owned by Discover Communications which also owns Animal Planet and TLC, but it seems with Discovery Channel something has gone very wrong. Take a look at this list where we discover some of the worst scandals in of the TV network that will make you disgusted and discover how people have made millions off their disgusting habits.
Why Man vs. Wild’s Bear Grylls Was Fired
Remember Grylls, the guy that would do literally anything including drinking his own pee for survival. He was fired from the channel that made him a household name thanks to not putting in the work required outside Man vs Wild and made it very clear he wouldn’t work with the network for future endeavors.
Discover Communications did not allow him to tick with the show that shot him to fame citing that his conduct was unbecoming. Although Man Vs Wild ran for 6 seasons with high ratings it was canceled due to personal problems and contract issues.
The Alaskan Bush People Aren’t Even Alaskan
When you advertise yourself as a Reality Show there is a general expectation from the viewers that at least most of the content is based on truth, but when it came to The Alaskan Bush People no one could figure out what was real and what based on lies. Down to the very name of the show- turns out the supposed ‘Alaskan Bush’ people aren’t even Alaskan and lives 10 miles outside of the town!
Several cast members claimed they were born and raised in the wild, though it soon came to light that many were living in Texas and Colorado! Furthermore, family members Billy, Bear, Bam, Noah, Matthew, and Gabriel were given citations due to false claims they made on their hunting and fishing licenses regarding their residency.
Alaskan Bush People Pleaded Guilty To Fraud
But as everyone knows, lies eventually come back to haunt you and that is exactly what happened here. After lying about being raised in Alaska they dug themselves into a deep hole which got them in some legal trouble. In 2015, the Brown family finally confessed they did not live in Alaska but only said so to collect government checks. Billy and Joshua Brown pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree Unsworn Falsification which means they wrote an official statement which they knew was untrue.
And it turns out their lies were for financial gain. The state has an Alaskan Permanent Fund Division that offers full-time residents thousands of dollars to remain in the state. Billy Brown confessed that he collected $7,956 from the state and Joshua “Bam Bam” Brown said he collected $1,174. As you can imagine, it didn’t take long for them to be found guilty and each of them was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
No Luck No Glory
Another reality show brought forward by the station only to be proved majority fake is American Pickers. This series s follows Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz around as they explore the country hoping to find discarded treasures of value. The show focuses on the weird and wonderful ways they come across these treasures. While the items they found are undeniably valuable, they way they come across them is vastly different to how it is presented on screen.
How it actually works was revealed to be a whole lot less interesting. Producers are sent collector items which they access and decide what to send on to the show, only then to Fritz and Wolfe ‘examine’ them for the viewers proving that there is no such thing as a ‘lucky find’ when it comes to this show,
Pre-Selected
It would make sense that since Pawn Stars and American Pickers are on the same network their rules of conduct would be similar. While Rick Harrison seems to have the people and resources to examine everything, it was revealed that here too it is the producers that examine the artifacts!
While viewers are certainly unaware that an expert is brought in ahead of time to examine artifacts, they also have no idea that these ‘experts’ are the producers and by no means Harrison.
Find out how these shows fake what really happens:
Mistake Or Two By The Crew
Now we are on to American Restoration, a spinoff from Pawn Stars. This show focuses on bringing old items back to life with some serious work. Although the show focuses on making old items looks sparkling new, but viewers were quick to point out some obvious mistakes in the show.
One of many examples was during an episode “Secret Fan” a viewer noticed the wheels on a go-kart that was restored. The wheels were put on crookedly, causing the kart to wobble! There is no way anyone is going to go to this place with their antiques if that is the kind of final product they offer.
Pawn Stars Don’t Work There
Yet another reality show focussing on antiques and old artifacts is Pawn Stars which revolves around Corey, Chum Lee, The Old Man and Rick. In this show they have a shop which they work out of, but thanks to the camera and crew things had to change pretty fast.
Due to the number of cameramen and equipment, customer's visits were being seriously inconvenienced ad harming the shop's sales. Now the group only goes to the shop for filming of essential shots.
Is It Staged?
We have revealed the when it comes to the collection of American Pickers much is staged, but what else is not entirely real? Turns out even negotiations for sale are staged! Which means the two main elements of the show, finding collections and selling them, are far from the real deal.
This makes all those heated arguments between buyers versus Mike and Frank to be way less interested, after all its all an act!
Viewers Outraged When Eaten Alive Turned Anticlimactic
Another serious offense conducted by this Channel is the misleading advertising, the Federal Trade Commission even has guidelines to address this problem. And such is exactly what happened when Discovery aired Eaten Alive, Paul Rosolie attempted to be eaten alive by a 180-foot anaconda.
There was so much wrong with this. Firstly, the network basically promised fans for months that Paul would actually be eaten alive. Second that he spend hours and hours agonizing this poor wild animal and eventually had to be rescued by his team! This is thanks to the fact that the snake supposedly swallowed his head but after that, he was afraid it would break his arm and called for a rescue. All of this caused fans to be outraged with how Discovery handled the situation.
PETA Criticizes Discovery Channel For Eaten Alive
As you can imagine, PETA was one of the many vocally criticizing the network promoting this show. Firstly, he spent hours and hours antagonizing the poor snake, and secondly, he was given free rein to torment the snake for better ratings knowing if it actually ate him alive (as the Network promised) the snake would be killed!
In a statement by PETA - “Shame on this pseudo ‘wildlife expert’ for tormenting this animal and shame on the Discovery Channel for giving him the incentive to do so.”
Honey Boo Boo Taken Off After Mama Dated A Child Molester
TLC is another network owned by Discovery and their show, Honey Boo Boo was another reality show that went under serious criticism for its content. The entire show is not tasteful, but it reached new levels when Mama June started dating a convicted sex offender! As you can imagine, it was quickly canceled but the public damage had been done.
What exactly was the case? Well, Mama June’s ‘boy-toy’ boyfriend spent 10 years in jail for molesting her daughter Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell! In 2002 she accused him of repeated sexual abuse. Can you imagine your mother dating a guy who sexually abused you?! Not to mention all these claims stated Anna’s 3-year-old sister was in bed with her at the time. when McDaniel, the accused, popped back up in their lives the show was quickly axed. But the worst part? Mama June never publicly apologized until the couple split up.
Ann “Chickadee” Cardwell Sued Mama For Honey Boo Boo Money
With a family like this, the drama doesn’t stop even once the cameras have stopped rolling. As if Anna didn’t have to go through enough with her mother bringing her abuser back into her life, she also sued Mama June and the network for apparently withholding $201,000 in profits from the series.
Cardwell claimed that her 2-year-old daughter was owed $100,000 since the family was paid $22,00 an episode meant to be divided equally amongst the kids. Mama June spat back that the money was directly deposited, and she never laid eyes on a dime. As you can imagine, TLC had no comment and the money mystery was never solved.
The Legal Woes Of The Swamp People
You can imagine that a show revolving around a bunch of alligator hunters living in Louisiana makes for one crazy ride, but The Swamp People’s cast have an even crazier off-screen reality! RJ, Jay Paul, Nick Payne, Chase Landry, and Randy Rivers Jr have all had trouble with the law, but Trappe Joe Lafont’s offense was the heftiest.
His track includes a history of abuse dating back to 2012, his first offense being the assault of his girlfriend in a hotel lobby. Similar offenses were brought against him in 2013 and 2015…now does anyone feel comfortable being entertained by a man with a clear history of abuse?
Replace And Go
Part of the reality of reality shows is change, including cast members being kicked off and replace. But the way the Network went about with their version of ‘change; in the sixth season of Swamp People had everyone confused. The show saw a dozen cast members being replaced like they were absolutely nothing with nothing explained.
The History Channel seemed to be specifically quiet about their decision of such a hefty change and axing all the original cast members. Ans felt betrayed and totally in the dark. What’s even worse is the belief that the network does not like hearing from former cast members bemoaning their being fired from the show.
Are They Really Off The Grid?
The whole point of the Mountain Men is that it revolves around a group of people rejecting the modern-day comforts and embracing a ‘simpler’ life devoid of technology and other modern creature comforts. But viewers of this reality series don’t be fooled! These guys are far less ‘simple’ then they portray themselves to be.
Little do you know Jason Hawk has an online store and Tom and Nancy have cable! Talk about fooling their viewers.
Nothing Is Organic
Everyone kind of assumes that reality shows are not totally reality and that some part of them is staged. But some shows take it a little too far. It shouldn't be a shocker that the producers set up encounters as well. The History channel has shown they can be as “original” and remote from reality as Discovery!
The producers are actually the ones in charge of finding sellers and then it's arranged for the experts and sellers to meet in front of the cameras. So, it goes without saying that Rick has plenty of time to learn everything about the item, so he can speak with whatever expert comes along.
Fritz Doesn’t Care
America Pickers presents the image of two men who are completely devoted to their craft and have been searching for treasures for years and years before the show was even an idea. While this isn’t totally false, Fritz definitely managed to fool us here.
Wolfe is an authentic collector and has been at it for years. However, Fritz seemed to have smelt out the business potential of this endeavour and not the art of collecting. This is easy to see as Fritz does not get even half as excited as Wolfe upon a new finding.
Questionable Views
Danny Koker of Counting Cars is one man who is not afraid to express his political views outside his shot and it got him in a spot of trouble. Firstly, when interviewed by The Morning Show, he talked about hybrid and low-emission cars and said he believes they are practically futile.
He also downplayed environmentalism claiming its not a big deal and was vocal about his support of President Trump. While the program has no desire for him expressing his political views since they wish for their show to not be political, he certainly did not seem to care one bit.
The Misrepresentation Of Hunting
One of the most annoying things for viewers is to think they are watching something real only to realize that is far from the case. An example is etching a show about alligator hunting and thinking they are watching something authentic, but many viewers have criticized this show for being for not being real at all.
But while we assume only real gator hunters would be able to spot the inauthenticity of the show, apparently its so obvious that everyone can tell.
Poor Buying Selections
One of the most attractive parts about shows is watching the negotiations of pricing. that tense interaction between staff and customer is what people watch the show for, even if its been proven to be staged! After all, in most situations, the cast comes out with a better deal. But there are always those times that poor purchases are made
One example of a cast member making a poor decision is Corey. He was open about his bad purchase of the stolen Rolex watches or The Old Man bought cubic zirconias! The downside, some of these bad purchases have cost them up to $10,000 such as the fake Willie Mays uniform!
Chumlee Has His Troubles
Chumlee is probably the favorite in the cast of Pawn Stars thanks to his laid-back attitude and his great personality. However, despite being a fan favorite he landed in hot water in 2016!
It all happened when police raided his home and found a stash of drugs and illegal weapons, however, even this didn’t stop him for appearing on the show as he was sentenced to three-year probation.
Little Faith In Street Outlaws
Street Outlaws was not a show that was expected to do half as well as it did. Justin “Big Chief” Shearer told some people something he believed to be true about the show, that he did not think it would be successful. But after some small media companies filmed races it exploded.
You would think at least the producers of the show would have faith, but even they did not think success was in the race show’s future! Nor make it through the first season. To everyone's surprise, the network was really impressed and awarded them 10 complete seasons!
Threatened Off Camera
Its hard to believe that there could be a TV show that is based on illegal activity but that was exactly the idea behind the reality show Moonshiners which revolved around cast members making illegal moonshine. Now and then members are stopped by police while filming and questioned about their activities, but somehow, they always manage to talk their way out of these situations!
But there have been times, off camera, that they were even closer to landing themselves in hot water. Tim Smith said that on one occasion, at his home, law enforcement asked him about the show. He decided to stay calm and invited them in to have some food.
Close To Lost
One-way drivers can easily build their fan base these days is by appearing on Street Outlaws so obviously, there is a big pull to be on the show. But with the advantage, there is also a chance that you can lose your license. In 2015, the NHRA, or National Hot Rod Association, threatened to take drivers' licenses away from them if they appeared on the show.
Although many drivers expressed their annoyance at this decision, the NHRA company stood its ground claiming that their decision was based on stopping their licensed drivers from engaging in illegal activity and hazardous behavior. Their actions were meant to encourage drivers to do the right thing.
Virginia Called B.S. On The Moonshiners
Like we stated, it seems bizarre that any TV station would be allowed to air a program broadcasting illegal activity, well its hard to believe because it didn’t really happen! The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control threw mud at Discovery for airing a fake show. And if that wasn’t confusing enough, the State of Virginia itself issued a statement telling the public that the show was not really showing illegal moonshine
However, the cast members did not take this lying down and insisted that the state was just angry they couldn’t catch anyone in the act of making the moonshine…the truth remains a mystery!
Discovery Channel Got Flak For Fake Shark Documentary
And again, a story of the Discovery Channel getting some flak for their shows. In 2013 they were accused of airing a fake documentary which was aimed at promoting their upcoming Shark Week. The airing show was called “Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives”. It claimed to be about a 70-foot pre-historic shark which was found still alive….
Now, judging by the fact that this kind of shark, a Megalodon existed between one and two million years ago so the channel was obviously pulling a prank. however, the public did not react kindly and took to the internet to let their grievances be known. All said and done, a massive 4.5 million people tuned in to the show and this special was the highest rated show in Shark Week's 26-year history! We're willing to wager a bet that Discovery didn't mind!
Does The Discovery Channel Vet Their Reality Stars?
Discovery, without question, has so many reality stars that are tied up in scandals, so don't you wonder how they perform background checks, or vet, the people they want to work with? No doubt, reality stars come with their own personal baggage, but hiring a convicted rapist is crossing way over the line.
Adding insult to injury, just consider how much money these reality stars are actually making! According to Business Insider, their salaries vary a lot but some of the most popular stars can earn up to $10 million dollars a season!!
(Un)Real Mermaids
Animal Planet has always been considered a reliable channel but, unfortunately, being connected to the Discovery Channel, all bets are off. Animal Planet aired two documentaries claiming that neither one was fake. The viewers believed these documentaries were scientific evidence that mermaids exist! At some point, Animal Planet finally admitted that the documentaries were actually science fiction although the shows never revealed that little tidbit!
Even if viewers were becoming aware that the documentaries were science fiction, many people believed mermaids really do exist because, after all, it's Animal Planet! The downside, many of the viewers were children that are a highly vulnerable audience. That said, even though mermaids are fiction, approximately 3.6 million people watched the second mermaid documentary which became the all-time record breaker for the channel.
Offgrid
At the beginning of 2010, Alaska The Last Frontier was launched at a time that people were searching for “America”. The show focuses on the Kilcher family who lives on the outskirts of Homer, Alaska. They live without modern day technology or “off the grid”. Each week viewers tune in to watch the family struggle to survive.
All said and done, the Kilcher home is only a few minutes drive to a mega supermarket. This supermarket is one of those huge stores that has just about anything one would need to survive the winter months in Alaska. As with so many reality shows, the storylines and drama on the show are staged. As an example, the producers enticed a bear to show up from nowhere by luring him with Salmon!
The fake Russian Yeti
In early June of 2014, a documentary was aired called “Russian Yeti – The Killer Lives”. It's believed the filmmaker searched for video footage showing the deaths of nine Russian hikers in 1959 who were killed somewhere in the Russian mountains.
The documentary showed footage and sounds that were recorded in the 1950s and some expert interpretations. It would be somewhat believable if we knew how Russian students in the 50s were able to get their hands on high-tech, HD digital recording equipment!! Well, this document is now considered a work of fiction!
Not so deadly
One of Discovery's most popular reality shows is Deadliest Catch which launched in 2005. The show gives insight into the crab fishing world. Quite honestly, the topic is not on the top of my hit parade. Supposedly, Deadliest Catch comes from potentially fatal conditions that fishermen might run into.
Although crab fishing can be a dangerous job, the producers went out of their way to create most of the drama on this show. Deadliest Catch's Captain Elliot Neese said that everything was made up to create better entertainment on television. Also, the Discovery Channel's executives lowered the number of ships so everything would look like the fishermen were very successful. On another occasion, the producers provided a fake storm in order to get higher ratings.
Amish Mafia
Amish Mafia follows the life of an Amish man named Lebanon Levi. He is a member of the Amish community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. According to Discovery, he is the boss of the local mafia in the community. Viewers get the opportunity to see the internal policies and the various power struggles within the Amish Mafia and also watch Levi struggle to protect his people from the outside world.
Many people have probably never noticed the credits at the end of the show that has a disclaimer that states many of the scenes are recreations of actual events. Also, none of the Amish people in the show follow their faith. Levi constantly talks about the fact that he was never baptized which is sacrilege to the Amish. On top of that, Amish people are never allowed to be in front of a camera, to begin with! In a chuckle moment, Levi drives around in a rental car with stickers on it!
Any rush?
One of the longest running shows, Gold Rush, was first aired in 2010. The viewers follow a group of men who lost everything in the recession of 2008. They start searching and mining for gold, mind you, without any former experience, but, supposedly learned everything along the way.
Their problems began when former cast member Jimmy Dorsey, who left the show after the first season, said the producers would tell him what to do and what to say. He was also pressured into leaving the show so the network could get better ratings. The Alaskan government claims that the show intentionally broke laws so there would be higher drama.
American Guns Stirs Controversy After Cancellation
With America's obsession with firearms, Discovery decided to cash in with their popular show American Guns. The show focused on the Wyatt family who owned a gun shop called Gunsmoke Guns located in Wheat Ridge Colorado. Unfortunately, the show was surrounded by a lot of controversies.
American Guns aired the final episode in 2012 even though it had favorable ratings. It's believed that many tragedies such as the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting were the reasons. Even though Discovery claims the show was not canceled, they pulled the plug. They said they simply decided not to renew the show and had no plans of showing the reruns.
Gunsmoke Guns Burglarized After Show's Cancellation
Shortly after the show was canceled, the shop Gunsmoke Guns was burglarized through the ceiling.
In 2013, someone broke into the shop by cutting a hole in the roof. The police were not sure if this person worked alone or had accomplices but he got away with 12 handguns and 3 rifles.
That said, no one was ready for what was going to happen to the family next though most people were stunned! Hint: If you have a high-profile business, you might want to make sure your roof is reinforced!!.
Richard Wyatt Never Actually Had A Gun License
It seems that Richard Wyatt was not authorized to sell guns because he lost his license for violations of Federal laws and regulations. That said, it was never specified what laws and/or regulations were violated. He continued selling guns through a straw Federal Firearms license that belonged to someone else.
He was also accused of changing the address of his shop (Gunsmoke) to that of Triggers which he did not own. If someone purchased a firearm at Gunsmoke, they were sent to Triggers to fill out the paperwork. To Richard's way of thinking, this seemed like the perfect loophole until he got caught. Then, in 2016, he was indicted for conspiring with others to sell guns without a license.
Wyatt Failed To Report $1.1 Million Of Personal Income
Beginning in 2010, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives found out that Wyatt may have been unlawfully in possession of automatic weapons. IRS agents raided the store as part of an ongoing investigation regarding tax evasion. When the agents took a closer look at the shop's records, they discovered something just did not add up.
Burying himself in even more problems, Wyatt was charged with failing to report $1.1 million in personal income between 2009 and 2012 and also charged with filing a false tax return. He was found guilty on 10 felony counts including one count of conspiracy to sell fire3arms without a license and the other 9 for tax fraud and evasion charges.
American Guns Dealt With Pawn-Happy Criminals
The show seems to have contributed to the sale of a stolen firearm. In the last episode of the first season, someone named Wylie Newton attempted to sell an antique Colt Pistol worth $20,000.
The gun was stolen from a privately-owned New Mexico Museum and Newton might have gotten away with it if he hadn't tried to sell it on TV. Someone watching the show recognized the stolen gun and alerted the authorities. Needless to say, Newton was arrested and charged.
Sons Of Guns Canceled After Star Arrested For Rapes
Another gun-related show from Discover is called Sons of Guns. It focused on the Red Jacket Firearms, which is a company that sells and manufacturers custom guns. The show was canceled after the star, Will Hayden, was arrested for raping two young girls when they were 11 and 13.
Pathetically, one of the girls was his older daughter. Hayden was found guilty on of aggravated rape and forcible rape. At the time of his conviction, hew as still facing additional rape charges in Livingston Parish. He denied all allegations when he testified but was eventually sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Hayden Also Accused Of Molesting Young Girls
During an episode of Dr. Phil's tell-all show, reality TV star Stephanie Hayden Ford talked about her father Will Hayden, who had been sexually inappropriate with her when she was 12 years old. Later on, he was sentenced for life.
She also said that he sexually assaulted her cousin and one of her friends. What is even more disturbing, she said her father also sexually molested her 12-year-old sister. According to Ford, the initial allegations that led to her father's arrest and sentencing came after a personal assistant who caught him naked and kissing his youngest daughter!
Sons Of Guns’ Kim Ford And Stephanie Hayden Also Arrested
It seems the Hayden family has more than one criminal in their closet. Discovery managed to dodge a bullet by canceling the show Sons of Guns after the allegations hit the fan. After her father's arrest for his sexual crimes, Stephanie Hayden Ford and her husband, Kris Ford, were also arrested for one count of cruelty to a juvenile.
Supposedly, the couple struck their 9-year-old son so hard with a belt, he suffered major bruises on his lower back. Even though it was only Kris who struck the boy, Stephanie was taken into custody after her son said she was in the room at the time of the assault.
Cody Lundin Insisted Dual Survival Co-Host Tried To Kill Him
Another one of Discovery Channel's reality show, Duel Survival was surrounded in controversy when the host of the show, Cody Lundin filed a lawsuit against the network. The lawsuit claimed that the co-host, Joe Teti, had threatened to kill him while they were filming the show. Cody said that the producers of the show tried to make it look as if he was losing his mind during the filming. In actuality, Teti was waving an ice ax around threatening to bury Cody on a mountain in Norway.
This was not the first time Teti threatened Lundin. During filming in Hawaii, co-host Teti threatened he would impale Lundin with a spear! Lundin also alleged the Teti showed him pictures of people he killed while being a member of the CIA.
Naked And Afraid Crew Members Give Contestants Help
Discovery's very popular reality survival show, Naked And Afraid, ran into problems when contestants alleged the show was fake. In the show, a man and woman survivalists were placed in the wilderness for 21 days and had to learn how to survive. The show also clearly states that if the crew helps out any contestant, it would defeat the entire purpose of the show.
Well, according to the Daily Mail, allegedly the show fed a female contestant bread, rice, and baby food when she became quite ill after eating a turtle. She also received two separate IV drips in order to keep her from becoming dehydrated. It was very clear that the contestant needed help because her life was at risk. That said, the Daily Mail alleged it was completely dishonest by not admitting she was offered help because of the life-threatening circumstance she was under.
Naked And Afraid Contestant Lashed Out Over Scripted Segments
During the season 3 finale of Naked and Afraid, Honora Bowen competed alongside Matt Struzel in Brazil. Although Matt completed his challenge, Honora did not, due to suffering from heat exhaustion. She decided to go to her blog and blow the whistle. Her post totally shattered everyone's perception of the episode. She said she was pressed into starting an argument with Struzel during the filming in order to make the episode more dramatic.
Adding to that, she said the producers coached her in giving false statements about her background and her relationship with her father. She went on to say that she didn't finish the competition because of heat exhaustion instead she had developed a bladder issue but the producers would not let her out, even though she asked several times. She finally had to fake a medical condition in order to get off the show.
Visitors Were Not Impressed
In 2012, Counting Cars premiered which was a spin-off of Pawn Stars. The show is set around the crew buying, selling, and customizing unique cars at Count's Kustoms Auto Shop. Danny Koker, from Pawn Stars, was a car expert and due to his enormous knowledge of vehicles, finally landed his own show.
