Friends, one the most successful comedy shows ever, became a cultural phenomenon soon after it began in 1994. The program appeals to everyone—or so we thought.

When the series landed on Netflix, a whole new generation of viewers watched it for the first time. They were promised a fast-paced, feel-good comedy, but all they saw was homophobia, sexism, and fat shaming. To the Gen Z audience, it had as much allure as a lipstick mark on a cup of cold coffee.

Times and attitudes have changed. Although you can’t blame younger audiences for not finding the show as cute as their parents did, the truth is that Friends has always been full of contradictions. All six main characters possess fuzzy morals, huge egos, and so much spite and jealousy that you wouldn’t want any of them for a friend.

There are also gaping plot holes and lazy attention to detail that became obvious once we were able to binge-watch whole seasons. So, let’s take a look at the most confusing and troubling aspects of the show that would have been called out years ago if it wasn’t for Friends‘ unique charm.

Top 10 Friends Seasons

10 Rachel’s Lucky Breaks

Rachel arrives on the show as a spoiled rich girl trying to make it on her own in New York City with zero work experience. She gets her first-ever job as a waitress at Central Perk, and she is awful at it. But she stays there for about three seasons.

Rachel’s true calling is to work in fashion. After about a week spent in a terrible garment factory, she lands her dream job at Bloomingdale’s. Just like that, she is transported to assistant buyer at a top store. No unpaid internship or slogging away at entry-level jobs and no calling in of favors.

When her boss dies, Rachel is demoted to personal shopper (which seems more realistic). Then, in a flash, she is hired by Ralph Lauren and given a fancy office and her own assistant. Lucky Rachel appears to have climbed the career ladder at a speed matched only by members of Ralph Lauren’s immediate family.^[1]

9 What’s With The Weird Animals?

Animals are always a hit on comedy shows. Everyone loves an adorable dog or a fluffy kitten. So, in Season 3, the writers decided to give roommates Joey and Chandler a couple of pets.

Unbelievably, they plumped for a chick and a duck. These critters quickly grew from mildly cute pets into flapping, squawking farm animals running loose in an apartment with no proper facilities and no way of being toilet-trained.

During the series, we were also treated to a monkey and a bald cat. Again, they were housed in rent-controlled buildings that usually prohibit the keeping of domestic animals as pets. But they’re totally fine with livestock and monkeys that poop in your shoe.^[2]

8 The Trouble With Joey

They don’t make characters like Joey anymore, mainly because people don’t find predatory sex pests funny these days. That’s not the only trouble with Joey. He loves food so much that he can eat a whole Thanksgiving turkey by himself and once tried to save a sandwich from a bullet.

Yet he is also an actor who relies on his looks for a living. Despite gorging on pizza, he never struggles with his weight or goes to the gym. He is proud of his Italian roots, but he can’t utter a word of the language to his non-English-speaking grandmother.

Most perplexing of all, Joey is a trained actor with an agent. This means that he must be able to read and understand scripts, take direction in a stage play, and grapple with the complexities of language. Despite having all these skills, Joey is so stupid and uneducated that he thinks a “moo point” is a cow’s opinion and he cannot pronounce “supposedly.”^[3]

7 Stuck In A Rut

Picture this: You are young, good-looking, and single. You live in a cool apartment in New York City. The world is at your feet—unless you are a character in Friends. These hot young things spend all their time hanging out with the same small group of people (two of whom are related) at the same coffeehouse, except for an occasional party held at the same two apartments.

The friends never seem to travel or explore their city. They don’t even mix things up by visiting Starbucks. Instead, it’s just the six of them sitting on the same sofa. There’s no goofy friend who drops in and out of the group to liven things up. Instead, they just have Gunther. They really needed to get out more.^[4]

6 Chalk And Cheese

Phoebe is the one character who seems to have fallen from space and landed in the group. She has no connections and nothing much in common with the other friends. So, where did she come from, and how does she fit into the group?

We do know that Phoebe and Monica once shared an apartment, and Phoebe certainly fits the part of the weird roommate. Beyond this, how would Monica—with her love of straight lines and cleaning products—ever maintain a friendship with Phoebe?

Phoebe has a murky criminal past as a thief who lived behind a dumpster and on the streets of Prague. She even mugged a teenage Ross. Phoebe is exactly the type of person whom Monica would move seats on the subway to avoid, and yet they are the best of pals.^[5]

Phoebe’s living arrangements have always been confusing, too. She sometimes shares an apartment with her grandma and then the mysterious Denise, who is mentioned once and never heard of again. When her grandmother dies, Phoebe appears to inherit the older woman’s apartment. So, where was this generous, property-owning grandma when Phoebe was a homeless teenager?

10 Important Characters In Television We Never Got To Fully See

5 Family Ties

The other problem with Phoebe is her complicated family background. We know that she has a twin sister and that their mother, Lily, committed suicide when their father, Frank, left them. So far, so not funny.

Things took a surreal turn when she met Phoebe Abbott (played by Teri Garr). Phoebe Sr. explained that she became pregnant with twins after having a teenage menage a trois with Frank and Lily.

Phoebe Sr. handed over the babies to the couple. Then she disappeared to live at the beach and make erotic pottery. The head writer must have been on leave when they dreamed up that one.^[6]

Phoebe’s missing father, Frank, only appeared in one episode. But she did get to meet her half-brother, Frank Jr., just long enough to become a surrogate for him and his wife and have triplets.

If all this wasn’t confusing enough, the whole Buffay clan abruptly vanished from the later episodes. Not a single family member was seen at Phoebe’s wedding to Mike—which was probably a good thing.

4 What About Kathy?

Poor Janice is forever remembered as Chandler’s badly treated girlfriend. But she wasn’t his only victim. Chandler fell in love with Kathy, who was dating Joey. Not only did Chandler betray his best friend but Chandler also didn’t see why he should tell Joey.

When Chandler finally got to be with Kathy, he went on a jealous, controlling, gaslighting rant after watching her in a love scene onstage. Although it’s true that Janice was repeatedly and cruelly dumped by Chandler, Kathy was publicly shamed at the theater, had her acting skills trashed, and still got dumped by Chandler.

Joey and Chandler remained the best of friends, though, and never mentioned the incident again.^[7]

3 The Trouble With Monica

Monica and Richard were billed as the great love story. He was the suave, older man—old enough, in fact, to be best friends with her parents. Of course, this meant that he had known Monica since childhood. She even went to school with his daughter. This was creepy, even by 1990s standards.^[8]

Quite a few of Monica’s relationships left the viewers feeling queasy. She once had a passionate affair with Ethan, who was still in high school. Then she hooked up with Richard’s actual son. Thankfully, Monica moved on and married Chandler, her best friend with whom she had enjoyed a close brother-sister platonic relationship. That’s not much better at all.

2 Bad Timing

There are a lot of shifting timelines in Friends. Given the gaps between filming and the large teams of writers, it’s understandable. Still, no pregnancy should last longer than nine months unless you are an elephant—or Rachel Green.

Rachel took a pregnancy test on the morning of Chandler and Monica’s wedding. (You would have thought Rachel could wait one day.) We know the wedding was on May 15 as Monica told a rival bride the date. So, simple math tells us that the baby should be due around February.^[9]

Cut to a scene in Ross’s apartment where Rachel is nine months’ pregnant and enduring the sweltering heat of a New York City summer. Something doesn’t add up.

1 You’re Wrong About Ross

Of all the characters, Ross receives the harshest criticism. He is hated for his treatment of Rachel and for his jealous nature. But is he just misunderstood?

Ross is the most emotionally mature member of the group, the only one to have been married and to have had a child. His insecure behavior is a direct result of the painful end to his marriage and his lack of confidence.

Ross is capable of great kindness, like the time he bought Phoebe a pretty pink bike as she had never owned one. Then he spent hours teaching her how to ride it.

He bought Joey a ceramic dog just to make him feel better. Ross even agreed to help Rachel date another man by taking Emily to the opera. It’s time to give Ross a break—just don’t mention that break.^[10]

Top 10 Ways Hollywood Ruined Your Favorite TV Shows

About The Author: Annie is a true crime enthusiast and lover of words.

Award shows are all about glitz, glam, and stars congratulating one another on a job well done. With fewer people tuning in these days, what keeps the rest of the crowd watching? How do these shows still get attention?

Well, one thing has remained the same. Throughout the years, these shows have garnered quite the reputation as bizarre, outrageous, and even enraging moments marred them. The result? Nowadays, many people tune in only to see if anything crazy will happen.

10 Unexpected Things That Happened During Award Shows

10 Oscar Winner Needs Permission To Attend Ceremony

Born in 1893, Hattie McDaniel became a famous actress, comedian, and singer-songwriter. She auditioned for the role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind wearing an authentic maid’s uniform, which has been credited as a major factor in her winning the part. McDaniel’s portrayal of Mammy earned her a well-deserved Oscar in the Best Supporting Actress category.

Despite having won this prestigious award for her terrific performance, McDaniel was not allowed to attend the premiere of the film in Atlanta because it took place in a whites-only theater. At first, she was not even allowed to go to the Oscars ceremony as it was a whites-only show. But she was finally permitted to attend after the producer of the movie called in a favor. However, she was segregated at a side table.^[1]

Even after she died, her final wish—to be buried in Hollywood Cemetery—was denied as the cemetery only allowed burials for white people.

9 Soy Bomb, Soy Bomb, I’m A Soy Bomb

During the Grammy Awards show in 1998, Bob Dylan took to the stage to perform “Love Sick.” During the song, performance artist Michael Portnoy decided it was time to make an unscheduled appearance.

Portnoy jumped onstage. He was shirtless and had the words “Soy Bomb” painted on his chest. He came to a stop next to Dylan and started doing a weird version of the “robot.”^[2]

Portnoy enjoyed 35 seconds of fame before he was unceremoniously removed by security. When interviewed afterward, Portnoy said he painted “Soy Bomb” on his chest because “soy . . . represents dense nutritional life” and he wanted his art to represent “dense, transformational, explosive life.”

He was originally meant to be an extra in the background during Dylan’s performance. Instead, he decided to “assert [himself] on national TV.”

8 Tarantino Doesn’t Need Anyone

Quentin Tarantino has long been a controversial filmmaker. He’s been accused of being racist, insensitive to victims of gun violence, and indirectly causing Uma Thurman’s car accident on the set of Kill Bill. Admitting to knowing about several Harvey Weinstein accusations, Tarantino said, “What I did was marginalize the incidents. [ . . . ] I knew enough to do more than I did.”^[3]

All of this has made him very unpopular, and his speech at the 2020 Golden Globes ceremony didn’t help matters at all. During his speech, he mentioned screenwriter Robert Bolt and writer-director John Milius.

But then Tarantino went on to say that he didn’t really have to thank anyone because he wrote the script for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood all by himself. After narcissistically rambling on in the same vein, he eventually got around to acknowledging the stars of the film and his wife.

7 Rob Lowe Sings With Snow White

Rob Lowe is well known for playing Billy Hicks in St. Elmo’s Fire and, more recently, for acting in shows such as Brothers & Sisters as well as 9-1-1: Lone Star.

What some may not know, however, is that the star can also sing. He proved this during the truly bizarre opening number that formed part of the 1989 Oscars ceremony. Lowe performed a parody version of “Proud Mary” with Eileen Bowman, who was dressed up as Snow White.

The performance continued for a cringeworthy 11 minutes and must be viewed in its entirety to fully “appreciate” the insanity. Years later, Lowe was able to make fun of the performance. But at the time, he had to grin and bear the incredulous expressions he saw in the audience while singing.^[4]

6 Michael Jackson Accepts Made-Up Award

During the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, Michael Jackson got things a bit muddled up. He watched Britney Spears dancing to “Billie Jean,” saw a massive cake and a glittery golden trophy, and was understandably dazed. After all, it was his birthday. When he was called up to the stage and wished a “happy birthday” by Spears, he heard her call him the “artist of the millennium.”^[5]

He held on tight to the trophy handed to him and proceeded to thank a host of people (including David Blaine) for the honor of receiving the “Artist of the Millennium” award. The only problem? Such an award didn’t exist.

MJ had been called up to the stage so that the audience (and MTV) could wish him a happy birthday. And that was it. Nevertheless, he rocked his “acceptance speech” as only he could. At the end of it, the crowd went wild anyway.

Top 10 Biggest Travesties of the Oscars

5 Fame ‘Kills’ Lady Gaga

During the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Lady Gaga was years away from singing with Tony Bennett or showing off her vocal chops in movies. However, she was one year into being a massive pop star and fed up with how the media was treating stars in general.

It was also only one year after Britney Spears had suffered a severe mental breakdown and been placed on an involuntary 72-hour hold at Cedars-Sinai. Gaga was outraged at how the media was mocking Britney and others, including Lindsay Lohan, by showcasing their downfalls to the world as a form of entertainment.^[6]

Therefore, Gaga decided to make her VMA performance one to remember. She performed “Paparazzi” and shocked viewers worldwide by “faking her own death” onstage. She was strung up by her dancers and then hung “lifeless” from a rope while covered in “blood.” She also dramatically stated, “Amidst all of these flashing lights, I pray the fame won’t take my life.”

In the background, the sound of camera shutters filled the sudden silence. It was definitely a bizarre moment, but looking back, a much needed one. Some even termed it “a wake-up call” for pop culture.

4 Pedestal Stunt Gone Wrong

During the 2014 Emmy Awards, Sofia Vergara was asked to get on an actual pedestal. While the pedestal spun the star around slowly, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences chairman and CEO Bruce Rosenblum gave a speech that unleashed a storm of controversy.

While Vergara made the most of the moment and struck funny poses on the pedestal, Rosenblum implied that the success of TV was “based on always giving the viewer something compelling to watch.”^[7]

Viewers blasted the stunt as “incredibly sexist” and called Vergara’s objectification extremely crude considering that a Latina actress had only been awarded twice earlier at that point. Vergara tried to calm the situation by claiming that she didn’t find the scenario offensive at all and that the person who started the Twitter firestorm should lighten up a bit.

3 Ain’t That A Kick In The Head

The 1992 MTV Video Music Awards were highly anticipated because the members of Nirvana were slated to appear as both nominees and performers. The group won two awards, Best Alternative Video and Best New Artist in a Video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

Their musical performance wasn’t as successful, though. Beforehand, the band had arranged (compromised) with the MTV executives that Nirvana would perform “Lithium” instead of “Rape Me.” When they took the stage, Kurt Cobain started singing “Rape Me,” which sent the execs into a frenzy.

While they debated cutting to a commercial, Cobain segued into “Lithium.” Everything went well right up until the end of the song when bassist Krist Novoselic tossed his bass guitar into the air (he had done so several times before) and misjudged its landing. The guitar hit Novoselic in the head and knocked him to the stage.^[8]

Fortunately, he was only a little dazed and not seriously injured.

2 The Song No One Wanted To Hear

Sometimes, you have to wonder how celebrities come up with skit ideas for award shows. Some are truly awe-inspiring, but others are so cringeworthy that you end up with your head in your hands.

For some reason, Seth MacFarlane thought it would be a good idea to sing a song called “We Saw Your Boobs” while hosting the 2013 Oscars ceremony. He did this while pointing out actresses who had appeared topless on-screen. These actresses had filmed nude scenes in movies such as Monster’s Ball, The Accused, Monster, and Brokeback Mountain.^[9]

Afterward, it was revealed that the actresses who were pointed out—and who all wore mortified expressions—were “in on the joke.” This didn’t stop enraged viewers from fuming on Twitter and calling MacFarlane a “misogynistic pig.” They also pointed out that he had used four examples from rape scenes.

MacFarlane was invited to host again the following year but declined due to scheduling conflicts.

1 Musical Exorcism

Sometimes, the need to provide shock value completely overshadows an entire awards ceremony. This is what happened when Nicki Minaj took to the stage at the Grammy Awards in 2012.

She had a “priest” accompany her while “confessing” the lyrics of her new song “Roman Holiday.” Then the scene cut away to a prerecorded video of the “priest” arriving at a house to perform an exorcism on Minaj. She was shown putting on lipstick and crawling up a wall while hissing at the “priest” after he entered her room.^[10]

Finally, the Grammy performance continued live and included multiple fires, levitation, and speaking in tongues. Minaj underwent a fake exorcism onstage, and her backup dancers sang a dark version of “O Come, All Ye Faithful” at one point.

Twitter was not impressed by the spectacle. Some called it a “hot mess,” and others exclaimed that they were embarrassed for Minaj. Perhaps the least impressed of all was the Catholic League. They felt the performance was an attack on their faith.

8 Craziest Celebrity Award Show Conspiracy Theories

For most performers, the idea that an actor must always keep going, is so deeply ingrained that it becomes a reflex response. For many professionals, the thought of stopping mid-performance, for any reason, seems unthinkable.

See Also: 10 Heartbreaking Backstories Of Famous Sideshow Freaks

While this may, ordinarily, be an admirable sentiment, it can cause performers to keep going when they know they are unwell, or prevent others from calling for help, if they think that a colleague is in difficulty. And while death is usually something that usually interrupts the normal activities of those who witness it, and rightly so, many performers will carry on regardless even if death occurs in front of them, not out of callous disregard, but because of the unbreakable doctrine of ‘the show must go on’

Here are 10 performers for whom the show went on too long.

10Edith Webster

In 1986, Edith Webster was performing in The Drunkard in a community theater in Maryland. She had played the role for 8 years, and had just finished singing her big number, ‘Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone’, when she collapsed on the stage.

As her character was supposed to die during the musical comedy, the 200 strong audience roared with laughter and burst into applause. Even when other cast members called for someone to phone emergency services, they still believed that what they were watching was part of the play.

Webster had previously suffered a heart attack while performing and had on that occasion carried on with the show, and perhaps she thought she could make it through again. Unfortunately, she didn’t, and when the emergency services arrived and the curtain was brought down, the audience finally began to realize that she was dead.^[1]

9 Tommy Cooper

Tommy Cooper was a comedian and magician who specialized in messing up his magic tricks. In 1984, he was at the pinnacle of his career and he headlined a variety show, which, on that night, was also being broadcast on live TV. The theater was packed.

As any magician might, Cooper began pulling objects from beneath his cloak (although his objects were being, very obviously, passed to him by the other acts waiting in the wings), when he suddenly fell to the floor, gasping for air.

The audience laughed uproariously, believing the comedian to be faking a heart attack as part of his act. Those in the wings, however, realized that something was wrong, and tried to pull him back through the curtain. While the TV broadcast went to an unscheduled break, the audience in the theater were left wondering what was going on.

They were probably a little reassured when the variety programme continued, though without its headline act.

While the other acts joked around on the stage, emergency services were working behind the curtain to try to save him. Despite their efforts, however, he could not be revived, and, during a second commercial break, he was taken from the stage and was officially pronounced dead on his arrival at the hospital.^[2]

8Owen Hart

In May 1999 thousands of people were packed into a stadium in St Louis, and millions more were watching on live TV, to watch Raw is War, the World Wrestling Federation’s massive pay-per-view extravaganza.

As Owen Hart was preparing to make his entrance onto the stage from a catwalk near the roof of the stadium, 78 feet above the ring, the quick release catch on his harness accidentally opened and he fell, hitting the ropes, before landing in the ring. While many audience members thought that it was part of the show, the announcer was forced to tell the cheering audience, that an accident had occurred.

They cut to a video while Hart was stretchered from the stage, but the show went on, with wrestlers having to fight on the blood-stained mat on which their friend had just lost his life. Official reports estimated that Owen Hart had died within minutes of hitting the ring, which severed his aorta and caused his lungs to fill with blood.

The show proceeded as planned, and the live audience, reassured, continued to cheer and yell and enjoy themselves through successive matches. They were only informed at the end of the night, after the last match, that Hart had, in fact, died within minutes of the fall.^[3]

7 Redd Foxx

Redd Foxx was a comedian and actor, best known for his portrayal of the grumpy junkyard owner in Sandford and Son. He was rehearsing a new show, The Royal Family, at Paramount Studios, when, in 1991, he suddenly collapsed.

Although there was no audience present at the rehearsal, cast and crew initially thought that Foxx, who had been clowning around on the set, was faking, and it was some time before they realized he was in trouble, and called paramedics for assistance.

Although Redd Foxx was still alive when he arrived at the hospital, he died a few hours later.

He had already recorded 7 episodes of The Royal Family, and, after taking a short break, the producers tried to carry on, introducing a new character to replace him. However, the show was not the same without him and was soon cancelled.^[4]

6Renato Di Paolo

Renato Di Paolo was probably pleased when he was given the part of Judas Iscariot in a traditional Passion Play. After all, Judas was an interesting, complex, character, who betrays Jesus with a kiss for 30 pieces of silver, before hanging himself in remorse when he realizes what he has done.

The play was being performed outdoors, in a small village near Rome, and the natural features of the village were used as part of the set. The play had already been performed several times without incident, but on Easter Saturday, when Di Paolo put the noose around his neck and stepped over the rock placed beneath it, the noose unexpectedly began to tighten, and he was hanged.

Unfortunately, as this was entirely in accordance with the script, no one noticed. The play continued for another 30 minutes before another actor realized Di Paolo wasn’t breathing. The audience, which included Di Paolo’s parents, began to scream, but the cameraman kept on rolling, and the entire production was broadcast, as planned, across Italy on Easter Sunday.

Incredibly, Renato Di Paolo is not the only actor to die playing Judas Iscariot. In 2012, Tiago Klimeck, died while playing the disgraced apostle, in Brazil. He, too, was hanged, after the safety harness he was wearing malfunctioned. Despite being placed in a medically induced coma for several weeks, the extent of Klimeck’s brain injuries were so great that, after two weeks, his life support was turned off.^[5]

5 Dick Shawn

Dick Shawn was an actor and stand-up comedian who was known for his manic and unpredictable physical comedy. He often pranked his audience, and would hide beneath what looked like a pile of brick as the audience filed into the theater, only to leap out, yelling, and frighten the life out of them. And during the interval he would often do it again.

On April 17, 1987, he addressed his audience as if they were the only survivors of a nuclear war. “We could re-create civilization, right here in this room, and I will be your leader,” he said. Then Shawn dropped down on one knee, in a dramatic fashion, before falling silently to the floor.

A stage hand came out several times, looked at Shawn, did nothing, and went away again, and the giggling audience thought that it was part of the act. It was 5 full minutes before a doctor in the audience dared to check that he was actually breathing.

He wasn’t.

Even after he was found to have no pulse, and the audience were asked to leave, many believed that they were being pranked and hung around waiting for Shawn to leap up from the scrum of people now delivering CPR on the stage.

Unfortunately, they were disappointed. Instead, he had died of a massive heart attack right in front of them.^[6]

4Gareth Jones

In 1958, a series called Armchair Theater was broadcast on live British TV. It consisted of a number of individual plays. Most of the plays were fairly forgettable, but the broadcast of 30th November 1958, entitled Underground, is unlikely to be forgotten by those who were there.

Gareth Jones was a moderately successful British actor, who had already appeared in several Armchair Theater productions, when he agreed to appear in Underground, the story of a group of people trapped in a subway after an explosion. His character was that of man with a weak heart, which, appears to have been somewhat prophetic.

The actors had had several rehearsals before the live broadcast, and another actor reported that Jones did not look well as transmission time approached, but that he appeared to be concentrating on his lines.

Part way through the show, Jones mentioned to a make-up girl, during a quick change, that he was feeling sick. He then collapsed into her makeup station, and, while the other actors were continuing with the play, his body was carried across the set to a waiting doctor.

The other actors, not knowing what had happened, ad-libbed around the lines that Gareth Jones was meant to deliver. During the interval for an ad-break, the director was informed that Jones was dead. He chose not to mention this to the cast, who went on with the performance, under the impression that Jones had merely been taken ill.

The cast ad-libbed like mad, and the camera shots that had previously laid down were abandoned and redone on the fly, while the writers tried to re-assign the rest of Jones’ lines and somehow pass it on to the actors on the stage.

The performance had been watched by Jones’ fiance at home, and she was puzzled at his sudden disappearance from the screen. She, like the cast, was only informed of his death after the play had ended.^[7]

3 César Cuauhtémoc González Barrón

César Cuauhtémoc González Barrón was a lucha libre wrestler (a kind of free style wrestling) who fought under the name Silver King. He was also known for playing the bad guy in the film Nacho Libre. In May 2019, Silver King was scheduled to fight, and win, a match against Youth Warrior (aka Juventud Guerrera), in London.

When Youth Warrior managed to knock Silver King to the floor, the referee was left in a quandary. Knowing that Silver King was meant to win the match, instead of counting him out, he spent 30 seconds urging him to get up, which he eventually did.

Youth Warrior, unaware that his opponent was in trouble, kicked him again. Silver King fell face forwards onto the mat and Youth Warrior spent some time trying to turn him over before finally pinning him and holding his leg, while the referee reluctantly, and very slowly, counted him out.

César Barrón was, at this point, completely unconscious, but it was several more minutes before medical attention was sought. Eventually, other wrestlers came out and started to deliver CPR while Barrón was still wearing his Silver King mask.

It was only then that the ring announcer dimmed the lights, and some minutes later told the audience that the show was cancelled and asked them to leave.
There were still no medical professionals in the ring. By the time an ambulance was arrived, César Barrón was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death was a suspected heart attack.^[8]

2 Alexander Woollcott

Alexander Woollcott was not an actor, but a drama critic of some renown in the years between the two World Wars. Some of his reviews were so vicious that he was banned by some Broadway theaters.

Not only did his reviews appear in print, but Woollcott also became something of a radio star, for his broadcast reviews and participation in discussion programmes. In 1943, he appeared on a radio panel show, The People’s Platform. The topic for discussion was Hitler, and the question of the night was, ‘Is Germany Incurable?’

The format of the programme was as a dinner party, with the guests seated around a dining table, with a microphone, rather than a plate, in front of them. Each panelist made an opening statement, and then contributed to the ongoing discussion.

Woollcott managed to make his opening statement, “The German people are just as responsible for Hitler as the people of Chicago are for the Chicago Tribune,” and he sounded his usual self, although some panelists later stated that he had seemed to be in physical distress. Ten minutes later, he made another contribution, saying “It’s a fallacy to think that Hitler was the cause of the world’s present woes,” and adding that he wasn’t feeling too good.

It was his last contribution to that, or any, discussion. He is reported to have written the words ‘I am sick’ on a napkin and shown it to the producer, and the discussion continued without him.

However, it was some time before he could be taken from the room, and the radio audience were left wondering why the opinionated Mr Woollcott was suddenly so very quiet.

He died of a cerebral hemorrhage a few hours later.^[9]

1Sid James

Sid James was a very popular British actor and comedian. He had starred in the successful series of Carry On comedy films, and had worked with Tony Hancock on Hancock’s Half Hour, before Hancock him fired for being too funny.

James had already had a severe heart attack in 1967, after which he tried to clean up his lifestyle. He ate better, lost weight, gave up smoking and cut down on his drinking. He did not give up his womanizing, for which he was famous, despite his, shall we say, lived-in appearance.

In 1976, he was touring in The Mating Season and was on stage when his co-star, Olga Lowe, said her line, and James didn’t respond. His head had slumped to one side, and his eyes rolled up into his head, but, because he was known as a prankster, Lowe did not suspect anything was wrong. She carried on the performance, ad-libbing for several minutes, before finally realizing that something was wrong, and calling for the curtain to be brought down.

The show’s producer stepped out onto the stage and asked if there was a doctor in the house, whereupon the audience began to laugh. Even the doctor who raised his hand and was led backstage, thought it was a gag.

Unfortunately, it was not.

Sid James had lapsed into a coma, and he died on his way to hospital.^[10]

About The Author: Ward Hazell is a freelance writer, travel writer and a PhD student of English Literature.

Some people read something in everything. Whether it be a strange cloud formation or a weird sound coming through the pipes of an old house. They attach a sinister meaning to all of it. It is even worse when it comes to celebrities. When their dresses fold a certain way, it could be that they’re faking a pregnancy. When they have a creepy-looking symbol on their album cover, it might just mean that they are in cahoots with Satan.

10 Crazy Conspiracy Theories About Celebrity Deaths

Over the years many conspiracy theories have been formed around the idea that annual award shows are just Illuminati rituals in disguise. Weird celeb behavior and shocking deaths form part of these rituals. On this list are eight examples of such conspiracies. (Spoiler alert: the Illuminati is blamed for a lot of stuff.)

8 Heath Ledger

Even before Heath Ledger died on 22 January 2008 at the age of 28, strange rumors chased him. After he took the role of the Joker in The Dark Knight Rises, it was said that darkness entered his soul and he became insane. Sound melodramatic? That’s not even nearly the craziest thing that’s been theorized about this young actor lost in the prime of his life and career.

Conspiracy theorists latched on to the fact that Ledger died on Oscar nomination day in 2008 with the ceremony following a month later. They claimed that the Illuminati killed the actor to ensure higher viewer ratings for the awards show. They also came up with a bunch of other conspiracies, as they did not believe he died of an accidental drug overdose. They insisted that Ledger had to sacrifice his life to gain short-lived fame. They also said that since he died on the 22nd, his death was ritualistic as the number 22 is in sync with the Joker tarot card. They also pointed out that in his two last movies: The Dark Knight Rises and the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, there are two scenes in which Ledger’s character is hanged. One scene shows him hanging from his foot, which looks like the Hanged Man tarot card. The other scene shows him being hanged by the neck with the ‘all-seeing eye’ symbol drawn on his forehead. According to theorists, the neck hanging scene depicts the real-life hanging of Roberto Calvi whose death was also rumored to be symbolic and ritualistic.

Some even believe that the Illuminati recruited Mary Kate Olsen to kill Ledger in a way that would resemble a drug overdose.^[1]

7 Prince & Michael Jackson

Prince and Michael Jackson were both huge music stars. And they both died within days of the BET Awards in 2009 and 2016 respectively. After Prince was found dead in 2016, conspiracy theorists were quick to point this out. They compared it to the Grammy’s curse (think Whitney Houston’s death and Rihanna being assaulted by her then-boyfriend Chris Brown), saying that all awards shows were cursed and had to have a ritual death before airing. Hence, according to this bizarre theory, Prince and Michael Jackson were both murdered to fulfil this need.

And if that isn’t weird enough, there have also been rumors of Queen Elizabeth ordering the death of Prince to satisfy her blood lust on her 90th birthday (or out of anger for the singer stealing her thunder on her birthday). Even Aretha Franklin spoke of her suspicion that Prince may have died of the Zika virus fuelling even more conspiracy fires.^[2]

6 Cory Monteith

When Glee first hit the television, it was praised for being unique and celebrating people who don’t just follow the norm. And while the show’s latter seasons were said to be dull and uninspiring, most fans remember what is widely referred to as the ‘Glee curse.’ Not only did main actor, Cory Monteith, die of an overdose on 13 July 2013 (a month before the Teen Choice Awards), but supporting actor Mark Salling was found guilty of possession of child pornography and committed suicide on 30 January 2018.

As with the above-mentioned celebrity deaths, conspiracy theorists quickly jumped on the “celeb must die to hike viewer ratings” bandwagon, accusing the elusive Illuminati of murdering Monteith. At the Teen Choice Awards, Glee won the Choice TV Show for comedy award and Lea Michele the Choice TV Actress award. She made a tearful speech about Monteith, who had been her boyfriend at the time of his death. Some very heartless viewers commented that Michele was in on the Illuminati conspiracy and allowed them to murder Monteith in order to further her career somehow. They also said that the only reason she kept talking about Cory Monteith was to keep the media spotlight on herself, starting with her speech at the award show. Further “proof” was given that Michele was not really devastated about Monteith’s death, when she started dating Matthew Paetz “only a year” after Monteith died.^[3]

5Philip Seymour Hoffman

In 2012 Harvey Weinstein claimed that the movie, The Master, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman annoyed some scientologists at the time and that they tried to derail its filming. The Church of Scientology denied these claims after the film’s director confirmed that the movie was based loosely on L Ron Hubbard and tells the story of a cult leader and a World War II veteran drawn into his cult.

Conspiracy theorists however seem to think that the Church’s denial just means that they had something else up their sleeve. And when Philip Seymour Hoffman died, they triumphantly stated that the Church of Scientology murdered him as payback for the movie being released. The theory has it that since Hoffman had been clean of drugs for 23 years, it was very suspicious that he would die of a heroin overdose shortly after the film was completed. Some even compared the scene of Hoffman’s death to that of something a hitman would leave behind, seeing as how 49 bags of heroin were found at the scene as well.

Hoffman died on 2 February 2014 and the Academy Awards for that year took place exactly a month later on 2 March. Some believe this was planned on purpose to rub in the fact that Hoffman would never attend another awards show. Others suggested that the death of Hoffman was a ritualistic murder organized by both the Illuminati (who is said to be behind most celebrity deaths) as well as the Church of Scientology as a comeback for the ‘insult’ to their religion.^[4]

4 XXXtentacion & Billie Eilish

American rapper XXXtentacion was only 20 years old when he was murdered on 18 June 2018. Billie Eilish made strides in her music career in 2019 and had hardly recorded her hit album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go, when the conspiracies started flying. It was the song, Bury a Friend, that caught conspiracy theorists’ attention.

Not only was she almost immediately accused of having ‘joined the Illuminati’, some even accused her of having had XXXtentacion murdered in order to be the next big thing in the music industry. Theory has it that in order for Eilish to be initiated and accepted as a member of the Illuminati at the 2019 American Music Awards, she would have had to offer a blood sacrifice, which in this case was deemed to be XXXtentacion. Bury a Friend is believed to have been inspired by this sacrifice.

When Eilish performed at the 2019 AMA’s, conspiracy theorists claimed that her initiation had been completed. Some went even further and said they believed Eilish had been possessed by the devil himself after her initiation.^[5]

3Dolores O’Riordan

There are only a few songs that can ignite strong memories of an entire decade. Thriller is one of them and Zombie another. The Cranberries were much-loved in the 90s because of their unique sound and Zombie quickly became a fan favourite. Lead singer Dolores O’Riordan confirmed that the song was inspired by the tragic deaths of 3-year-old Johnathan Ball and 12-year-old Tim Parry when Cheshire was bombed in 1993.

O’Riordan was found dead in a bathtub in a hotel on 15 January 2018. She was dressed in pyjamas. The cause of death was only released in September of that year and officials stated that she had drowned after becoming intoxicated. However, conspiracy theorists were not about to leave things at that. Because Whitney Houston and her daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown both died in bathtubs and Whitney died on the day the Grammy awards were held in 2012, many believed that just as Whitney and Bobbi were ‘murdered by the elite’, O’Riordan too met her fate at the hands of the illuminati. Once again, if conspiracy was to be believed, another celebrity had been murdered just a few weeks before the annual Grammy awards event. It is claimed that she was a Masonic blood sacrifice for the Grammy’s. This theory follows on the back of a very long-standing claim that the Grammy’s is an Illuminati-organized Satanic ritual disguised as an award ceremony and that those who don’t stick to the rules are offed as a sacrifice to the organizers. What O’Riordan might have done to displease the Illuminati overlords remains a mystery.^[6]

2 Whitney Houston & Jennifer Hudson

Whitney Houston arguably has more conspiracy theories surrounding her life and death than any other music star. Not only was it rumored that she had been a fertility sacrifice so that Beyonce’s daughter, Blue Ivy, may live but it was also claimed that Rihanna had predicted the star’s death.

Further conspiracy theories have it that after Houston was found dead just before the Grammy Awards in 2012, the event was turned into a mega-ritual to initiate her replacement, Jennifer Hudson, into the Illuminati. (It was also claimed that Lady Gaga was aware that a death would take place as she was dressed in what resembled a funeral outfit.) Theorists even accused Clive Davis of knowing that Houston would die, as he told Piers Morgan the day before her death that Jennifer Hudson was the ‘new Whitney’. They went on to claim that since Hudson sang “I Will Always Love You” in tribute to Houston while illuminated by a single spotlight with a picture of the late singer above her, her initiation had begun. When Nicky Minaj ended the show with a performance that included levitation and a bright red robe, it was claimed that she was actually referencing the sacrifice that had taken place in the form of Whitney Houston’s death.^[7]

1 Kobe Bryant

From the moment that the news broke of Kobe Bryant’s death on 26 January 2020, controversy reigned. Many people chose to bring up the rape allegation that dogged the famous basketball player years ago, with an educator even saying that karma caught up with a rapist. This did not go down well and Liza Sejkora, principal of Camas High School, was forced to resign after heavy backlash following the comment.

Conspiracy theories exploded. Not only did rumors fly that white supremacists murdered Bryant (as alleged by Dr Uman Johnson), it was also widely debated whether the Illuminati murdered him for elite occult ritual purposes.

It is claimed that Bryant was a Grammy award show sacrifice because he died mere hours before the show started. The show was held at the Staples Center and the helicopter crash happened not far from there. When the news broke during the show, several celebrities paid tribute to Bryant in what some theorists called yet another mega-ritual to usher in his replacement: LeBron James. This theory was fuelled online by those who chose to circulate clips of Bryant’s Black Mamba Nike ad in 2011 which ended with a helicopter crashing onto a basketball court. Another clip making the rounds on social media shows part of an episode of Chamberlain Heights featuring Kobe Bryant dying in a helicopter crash. Furthermore, what was clearly just a mistake on the BBC’s part, when they used footage of LeBron James instead of Kobe Bryant when reporting on Bryant’s death, is now being used as further ‘proof’ of an evil, murderous conspiracy.^[8]

One of the more interesting impacts of the Chinese coronavirus, COVID-19, on the world, where pictures are concerned, isn’t so much what we see, as what we don’t see. While people have sequestered themselves inside their homes, the world has gone mostly silent and empty.

10 Images of Where Children Sleep Around the World

As the crisis continues across the world, pictures are emerging online of empty places that normally hold thousands on a daily basis. Bodies are piling up in cities unequipped to handle the influx, and the world watches from the Internet, where these ten images show COVID-19’s impact on the world.

10 The Great Mosque And Kaaba In Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Photo credit: ABDEL GHANI BASHIR/AFP via Getty Images

Odds are, even if you’re not a member of the Islamic religion, you know of the Great Mosque and Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It’s the site of the Hajj, a pilgrimage that every Muslim must do at least once in their lives if they are able to do so. The site often sees as many as five million people during the Dhu al-Hijjah on the Islamic calendar. In 2020, it falls between July 22nd and August 19th in 2020, and if the world returns to any semblance of normalcy by then, millions of people will be seen visiting the holy site.

This picture was taken on March 5th, and while that’s not a date of any particular significance on the Islamic calendar, the Great mosque typically sees thousands of visitors on any given day. The reason it was empty was due to the government’s order that it be completely cleaned and sanitized for fear of spreading COVID-19. It opened the next day, but still saw far fewer visitors than normal. One reason the numbers were low was because the Kingdom banned foreign visitors from entering the country on February 27th.^[1]

9 Beirut’s Corniche Promenade In Lebanon

Photo credit: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters

In the Lebanese city of Beirut, the Corniche Promenade stands as one of the top tourist destinations. There is a seaside promenade lined with palm trees and a beautiful view of the sea, where millions of visitors and locals can be seen enjoying the area throughout the year. Typically, the site is bustling with activity with everything from people going on walking tours to visiting the local restaurants but wasn’t spared from the outbreak, and throughout the month of March and into April, Corniche Promenade has been a ghost town.

This photograph taken by Mohamed Azakir shows the popular promenade completely devoid of human activity of any kind. Gone are the joggers, the walkers, the buskers, the famous pushcart vendors, and everyone else who would normally be seen on an otherwise beautiful day. The atypical shot of Corniche Promenade is the result of a government-mandated curfew, leaving many on lockdown within their homes. Sights like this are common all over the world as the COVID-19 crisis worsens, and this is just one of many similar images found all over the Internet.^[2]

8 Social Distancing In Colombo, Sri Lanka

Photo credit: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters

While the year 2020 may go down in history as being the one where a global pandemic swept across the globe, more people will likely think back on it with two words: social distancing. That’s a term few had ever heard or considered using outside of the occasional introvert, but with COVID-19 spreading exponentially throughout global populations, social distancing became the norm. Societies, where people typically greeted one another with a hearty handshake or a kiss on each cheek, find themselves standing as far from one another as possible.

This picture was taken in Sri Lanka by Dinuka Liyanawatte outside a grocery store in Colombo. The people in the picture can be seen wearing masks, and are standing approximately one meter apart. Most governments and the WHO are telling people to double that distance, but it’s not always possible, leaving many in unsafe, yet desperately in need of supplies. Sri Lanka placed a curfew on its citizens prior to this photograph but relaxed it for a short time following a lull in newly reported cases.^[3]

7 Mobile Morgues In Refrigerated Trucks Holding Bodies In New York City

Photo credit: John Minchillo/AP

One scene nobody wants to be reminded of when thinking back on this crisis years from now is any that shows the toll the virus has taken on the people. Some of the hardest-hit cities quickly learned that there wasn’t just going to be a lack of hospital beds for the sick; there was also going to be a burden on morgues, coroners, and morticians. Everyone was so focused on the need for ventilators and hospital beds, few thought of what to do when the bodies began piling up. Fortunately, there were some who planned ahead, and that brings us to the picture featured here.

This shot, taken by John Minchillo, shows bodies being loaded into refrigerated trucks outside a New York City hospital. NYC was one of the hardest-hit American cities in the early days of the crisis, and its hospitals quickly reached capacity on a number of services, which include the storage of the dead.^[] The Brooklyn hospital is one of many that have turned to such measures to store bodies, and the city has many. By April 8th, more than 4,000 people died in New York City alone.^[4]

6 Quarantined Italians Singing Together From Their Balconies

Photo credit: Mairo Cinquetti/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Soon after China began implementing massive quarantine measures in Wuhan and other areas, the numbers being reported from the country showed a decline in cases and deaths. As those numbers began falling, they skyrocketed in places like Italy, which was one of the hardest-hit nations outside of China throughout the month of March. As social distancing became the norm in Italy, its citizens found themselves isolated in their homes with little to do other than worry about what was happening in the hospitals and just outside their doors.

In an attempt to combat the isolation and sense of dread many were experiencing, people all over the nation went to their balconies and began making music with one another. These musical flash mobs came together all over Italy, and on March 13th, people all over the country went to their balconies to collectively sing the national anthem, “Inno di Mameli,” in a show of unity during the crisis. This picture taken by Mairo Cinquetti shows a woman singing from her balcony, and if you haven’t seen this one, there are thousands of photographs and videos of people singing to and with one another all over the Internet.^[5]

10 Hidden Images Discovered Beneath Famous Classic Paintings

5 Dr. Li Wenliang’s Selfie From His Hospital Bed Shortly Before Succumbing To COVID-19

Photo credit: Dr. Li Wenliang

COVID-19 has affected millions of people all over the world, but the most-threatened group isn’t the elderly and immunocompromised; it’s the hospital workers who fight against the virus every day. All over the world, doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers spend long days and even longer nights tending to the sick and dying with little to no personal protective equipment keeping them safe. One of the first doctors to fall to the disease, though not the first, and sadly, not the last, was Dr. Li Wenliang of Wuhan, China.

Dr. Li was the whistleblower, who sounded the initial alarm over a virus he had been observing that was similar to SARS. He was admonished by the Communist Party of China for “making false comments on the Internet.”^[] After contracting the virus he was fighting against, he took this photo from his hospital bed. He died on February 7th, and this photograph went viral. Shortly after his death, the Communist Party of China issued a “solemn apology” for its admonishment of Dr. Li, though, by that time, the virus had spread outside of the country’s borders.^[6]

4 Russian Cargo Plane Filled With Supplies Lands In The USA

As the United States government began to take the impending threat of COVID-19 seriously, it became apparent that personal protective equipment and ventilators were going to be in short supply. Stories of government stockpiles containing thousands of unusable ventilators due to maintenance contract expirations and warnings by officials to limit PPE to people who were showing symptoms began popping up all over the Internet. Governors were set to bid against one another for equipment from suppliers, and some hospital workers were forced to reuse masks for up to a week at a time.

Supplies were a problem, but some countries that weren’t initially hit as hard as the United States did what they could to help. Russia filled a plane with supplies and sent them to the United States, which resulted in this photograph that circulated online for weeks. The aircraft was sent to the States following a one-on-one phonecall between both nation’s leaders. President Putin made the gesture with the consideration that should the US see a drop in cases while Russia finds itself dealing with a rise, the States will “reciprocate if need be.”^[7]

3 Homeless In Las Vegas Sleeping In Social Distancing Grids

Photo credit: John Locher/AP

During a pandemic where governments are telling all of their citizens to self-isolate themselves in their homes, it quickly became apparent that there was a sizable population that couldn’t follow that guidance. The homeless are at greater risk of catching the disease, but that’s not solely the result of their having to sleep outside; it’s mostly due to their close proximity with one another. Whether they are on the streets or in shelters, homeless people often find themselves stacked closely with one another, and that makes them susceptible to COVID-19, and it also makes it more likely that they will infect others.

Exponential infection is one of the greatest concerns where COVID-19 is concerned, and in cities like Las Vegas, the way the city has had to deal with it made international news. Shelters were forced to close amidst the crisis, leaving as many as 500 on the streets. The city painted grids on the upper parking lot of the Cashman Center, with each box being meant as a place for one person each to sleep. Unfortunately, all good intentions being what they are, people online pointed out that the squares were too close together, negating the need for social distancing, which further spread the image to others as it became viral.^[8]

2 Healthcare Workers’ Faces After Working With COVID-19 Patients For Days

Photo credit: Rachel Adams McCreight/Nicola Sgarbi

A term few people outside of the healthcare industry heard before the crisis, “N95,” has become one almost everyone around the world now knows. N95 masks are robust disposable masks capable of stopping the spread of COVID-19 and many other airborne pathogens, which is one of the reasons they quickly became necessary for the world’s healthcare workers. Unfortunately, they became harder and harder to find as the virus spread, which is why so many doctors and nurses found themselves having to reuse them for much longer than they normally would have.

Supply issues aside, N95 masks work well because they sit snugly on the face, and aren’t the most comfortable things to wear for extended periods of time. Throughout the month of March, people began sharing photos of what they looked like after working for hours and days while wearing the masks. Faces bruised around the eyes and mouth became a common site as more and more healthcare workers joined in with their own shots. The photos don’t just show bruised and tired people, they show the men and women working on the front lines to combat the disease, many of whom worked for long 12, 18, and 24-hour shifts.^[9]

1 USNS Comfort And The Statue Of Liberty

Hospital beds, or more accurately, the lack of hospital beds became a problem shortly after COVID-19 reached the United States. It makes sense, as hospitals aren’t in the business of handling a global epidemic, they’re there to treat and care for patients under normal operating conditions. That works just fine when the world isn’t undergoing a pandemic, but in cities like New York City and Los Angeles, a shortage of hospital beds due to the influx of COVID-19 patients caused two distinct problems.

There weren’t enough beds for COVID-19 patients, and there were almost no beds available to people suffering from everything else. People needing surgery, chemo treatment, and every other issue folks go to the hospital for were running into a lack of capacity in treating them. To combat the problem, the USN sent two ships, the USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy, to New York City and Los Angeles, respectively. Both vessels were meant to ease the burden by providing 1,000 hospital beds for patients not suffering from COVID-19, though since they have arrived, the USNS Comfort has taken on patients suffering from the disease.

Shots like this one showing the Statue of Liberty in the foreground of the USNS Comfort spread all over the Internet as it approached the port. The arrival indicated a show of support and a sign of hope in the days to come.^[10]

+ Toilet Paper

For whatever reason, people around the world began panic-buying as the COVID-19 crisis worsened. Even in nations that had yet to experience a single case, people flocked to stores, but they weren’t there to buy rice, beans, or other longlasting sustainable foods; they were there to buy toilet paper — and lots of it. It’s rather inexplicable, but toilet paper became the hot commodity of March 2020, and people would line up to get a single package of rolls in much the same way folks had to line up their cars to buy gasoline during the OPEC Oil Embargo.

For weeks, you couldn’t find a single roll of toilet paper, and pictures like this one could be seen all over social media and news sites. Supplies of paper products were completely absent from store shelves all over the world. This picture was taken by me at my local Neighborhood Walmart Market. Images like this one are common all over the Internet, and while it can be problematic for some, the companies that produce and install bidets are enjoying an upsurge in sales as more and more people realize they won’t have anything to wipe with very soon…^[11]

10 Untold Stories Behind Iconic Images

Every Roman emperor has a few crazy stories under his belt, but none of them compare to the tales of Caligula. He’s the one Roman emperor historians are fairly sure was certifiably insane.

Six ancient Romans wrote about Caligula’s life, and every one of them agreed that he was completely off his rocker. They left stories about him that are so ridiculous that some people now insist that these events couldn’t possibly have happened. But that’s not because we have any evidence against them. Caligula’s life was just too crazy to be believed.

10 He Invited His Horse To Drink Wine At His Dinner Table

Caligula probably never made his horse a consul, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t treat the animal like a human being. According to multiple Roman sources, Caligula treated his favorite force, Incitatus, better than most people.

This horse had his own home. It wasn’t just an upgraded stable, either. Caligula gave his horse his own multiple-room house, complete with furniture and a crew of slaves who were ordered to follow the horse’s every command.

At dinnertime, Caligula would invite his horse to dine with him. The horse would be brought to the dinner table, where the emperor and his horse would be served wine in golden goblets and would share a toast to the horse’s good health.^[1]

He even sent his soldiers out to make sure that the animal got some peace and quiet. Reportedly, after Caligula noticed that the crowds cheering at the games were bothering his horse, he sent his soldiers to force everyone in attendance to stay quiet—on pain of death—until the horse got some rest.

9 He Tried To Replace The Head On The Statue Of Zeus With His Own

Caligula wasn’t satisfied to just be an emperor. He wanted to be a god—and he set up his own cult to make sure it happened.

The emperor of Rome had temples constructed where people could worship him. Inside, there were life-size statutes of him made of pure gold that the people of Rome were encouraged to bow before and worship. And he didn’t stop there. Caligula had plans to chop off the head of the statue of Zeus at Olympia—one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World—and replace it with a likeness of his own head.

He even hired his own team of priests with their own extravagant rituals. To show devotion to Caligula, a sacrificed bull wouldn’t be enough. His worshipers were expected to sacrifice flamingos and peacocks in his honor.

His obsession with declaring himself to be a god nearly caused a revolt. At one point, frustrated that the Jews weren’t worshiping him enough, Caligula ordered Petronius, the governor of Syria, to build a massive statue of him inside the Temple in Jerusalem.^[2]

The Jews were ready to riot, and it probably would have turned into a full-on rebellion if Petronius hadn’t talked Caligula out of it. In the end, though, Caligula had Petronius’s head chopped off as punishment for making Caligula change his mind.

8 He Ordered His Army To Attack The English Channel

Legend has it that Caligula once declared war on Neptune, the god of the sea, and ordered his men to stab the English Channel.

There’s some reason to think that the story’s a little exaggerated. But there’s no question that Caligula sent an army to the English Channel, and even the soberest versions of the tale don’t paint Caligula in the best light. He still sent his army into the ocean.

The version accepted by most historians is that Caligula was leading a failing campaign against the Britons and his men were on the verge of revolt because he’d cut their pay. So, to make it up to them, he led his entire army—including the artillery—to the English Channel and told them that they could fill their helmets with as many seashells as they wanted.

In lieu of pay, his men were to take “spoils from the ocean” as their reward for their hard work. Anything they could fit in a hat was theirs for the taking, he promised them.

“Go your way happy!” Caligula told his men as they scooped shells and rocks out of the ocean. “Go your way rich!”^[3]

7 He Ordered A Mass Execution Because He Thought People Were Praying Against Him

When Caligula took the throne, he invited some of the political enemies of Tiberius, the last emperor, to come back to Rome. Caligula even invited one to sit down with him personally and then asked how the man had spent his time in exile.

“I constantly prayed [to] the gods for what has come to pass,” the man told him, “that Tiberius might die and you become emperor.”^[4]

He was trying to flatter Caligula, but it didn’t work out that way. Instead, the man accidentally got a few thousand people killed.

What Caligula got from the conversation was that this man had prayed to the gods for Tiberius’s death, and apparently, his prayers had been answered. That meant there was a pretty good chance that the people exiled by Caligula were praying against him, too.

After talking to the man, Caligula released an order to kill every person he’d ever exiled for trying to turn the gods against him. And he made it a long-term policy. From then on, when Caligula made an enemy, he had the person’s dead body paraded in front of him before he slept easy.

6 He Built Massive Floating Orgy Palaces

Caligula may have been crazy, but he definitely knew how to party. After he came to power, Caligula blew every penny he had on building two massive, floating pleasure palaces so that he could throw orgies inside.

Placed on Lake Nemi, these gigantic barges had prows covered in jewels and floors paved with glass mosaics. The vessels were filled with massive statues and golden cups. Even the sails were made of purple silk, a material so rare at the time that it was exclusively used to make the emperor’s clothes.^[5]

Caligula hosted crazy orgies on the Lake Nemi ships, and his favorite guests were his own sisters. But he didn’t stop at incest.

Caligula ordered his noblemen to bring their wives when they visited. He made them line up in front of him, inspected their bodies, and picked his favorite to bring into his chamber. Then he came back out, sat down with her husband, and made the man sit through a detailed review of how his wife was in bed.

5 He Rode A Horse Across A Gulf Just To Prove a Fortune-Teller Wrong

Caligula’s greatest achievement was building a 5-kilometer-long (3 mi) floating bridge across the Gulf of Baiae. At the time, a bridge like that was completely unheard of—and he did entirely out of spite.

Before he’d become emperor, an astrologer named Thrasyllus had predicted that Caligula had “no more chance of becoming emperor than of riding a horse across the Gulf of Baiae.” Caligula built the bridge just to rub it in that the astrologer had been wrong.^[6]

Caligula got every ship he could find to line up across the gulf. Then he had slaves lay earth on top of the ships to make a huge bridge. Caligula hopped on his horse and rode back and forth across the bridge for two days straight so that everyone knew the fortune-teller had been wrong.

4 He Had An Audience Devoured Alive Because He Was Bored

During intermission at the games of ancient Rome, criminals would be executed for the amusement of the crowd. After they had been lined up, their throats were slit while the audience either rewarded their deaths with light applause or shuffled out to get refreshments.

That wasn’t Caligula’s idea, but he was a big fan. Caligula liked the games so much that he made it illegal to schedule a court case or a funeral while the games were in session, just to make sure nobody missed them.

Once, when there were no criminals to be executed during intermission, he took matters into his own hands. He ordered his guards to throw a random section of the audience into the ring. Then he unleashed the animals so that he could watch these people get devoured alive.^[7]

3 He Wouldn’t Let Anyone Mention Goats Around Him

As a young man, Caligula had an issue with body hair—and he was very sensitive about it. Hair grew everywhere on his body except for the top of his head, where he had a bald spot.

He made sure, though, that no one got away with making fun of him. It’s likely that he stopped artists from drawing his bald spot as it shows up in written descriptions of him but rarely in ancient art. To deal with the hairiness, he made it a crime for anyone to say the word “goat” in his presence.^[8]

As emperor, he had the power to do pretty well anything he wanted as he frequently reminded everyone around him. He didn’t stop at banning people from talking about goats. In fact, he used his powers in ways only dreamed of in socially anxious Internet memes.

When he got fed up with having to talk to people all the time, Caligula made it illegal to greet him twice. Anyone who wanted to shake his hand could do it one time, but that was all you got. After that, you had to leave him alone—or else.

2 He Forced A Man To Drink With Him After Murdering The Man’s Son

Caligula once executed a man for being handsome. He spotted a good-looking man with a nice haircut and a snappy sense of fashion, and he got so jealous that he had the man executed for it.

The man’s father did everything he could to save his son’s life. He begged Caligula to spare his son, but it had the opposite effect. In response, Caligula sped up the son’s execution. But in return, Caligula invited the father to dine and drink with the emperor himself immediately following the son’s death.^[9]

The man was forced to drink a toast to the emperor’s health, eat food at his table, and accept every gift Caligula gave him, all while staring at the person who’d just killed his son. According to the senator Seneca, the father had to sit there and smile throughout, knowing that his other sons would die if he showed the slightest hint of grief.

1 He Threatened To Beat Up A God

It’s easy to think that Caligula might have just had a wicked sense of humor or that he might have been putting on a show. But there’s a lot of reason to think that the emperor was truly mentally ill.

There are reports that Caligula had major delusions throughout his life. Reportedly, he rarely slept for more than three hours at a time because his hallucinations were at their worst at night. For example, he once stayed up all night complaining that the ocean had been talking to him.

There are also reports that he would openly talk to the god Jupiter—but not in a devout, religious way. He’d argue with an imaginary god, carrying on heated conversations with a being that no one else could see.

The philosopher Seneca claimed that he once saw Caligula threaten Jupiter. They’d been watching a ballet when thunder started to crash across the horizon. Furious at the gods for interrupting his show, Caligula stormed outside, started yelling at Jupiter, and threatened to beat the god to death.^[10]

Which just might be the sobering reality behind the madness of Caligula. Some Roman emperors were made to seem mad by their detractors, and some went mad with power. But Caligula may just have been mad inside and out.

In 1998, a movie called The Truman Show premiered, starring Jim Carrey. The plot of the film is about a man who has no idea that his entire life has been filmed by hidden cameras and broadcast as a reality TV series. Everyone in his life is a paid actor. Nothing is real, no one can be trusted, and the whole world is watching him.

Psychiatrist Joel Gold from New York began to notice the phenomenon of several patients believing that the people in their lives are reading from a script and that everything is being filmed. Many of them even brought up The Truman Show by name in order to get Dr. Gold to understand how they felt. Together with his brother, philosopher Ian Gold, they decided to coin this form of mental illness as the Truman Show delusion (also called Truman syndrome) in their book, Suspicious Minds: How Culture Shapes Madness. So, what exactly is this delusion? Why do people get it, and what is life like when you believe you’re the star of your own reality series?

10 Grandiose Delusions

The Truman Show delusion is not necessarily a new thing. In the past, having what is known as a grandiose delusion could lead someone to believe that they are a famous figure like Jesus Christ or Napoleon Bonaparte. It is most common in people with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance abuse, dementia, and psychosis. People who are predisposed to have delusions of grandeur have been known to do awful things when they take drugs, like jump off a building because they believe they can fly.^[1]

According to Dr. Joseph Weiner, two of his patients told him that they were Elizabeth Taylor in the same week. Even if they do not necessarily think they are a celebrity, a grandiose delusion will make someone feel far more important than they actually are. They think they are extremely talented, rich, or famous.

For the first time in history, normal people are finding themselves as the stars of reality TV series; if the stars of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo can live next to the railroad tracks and clip coupons, so can I. Since someone with grandiose delusions already believes that they are very special, it’s not too far of a stretch for them to think their own life is interesting enough to become a reality TV show.

9 The First Of Many

The first patient who inspired the term “Truman Show Delusion” that Dr. Joel Gold treated was a man who is known by the pseudonym “Albert.” He believed that he was trapped inside of a reality TV show. He believed that the 9/11 attacks did not actually happen and that the whole thing was just a ploy to scare him into not flying anywhere to escape the giant TV soundstage. So, he flew to New York City to see it in person. Albert believed that cameras were implanted in his eyes and that video recordings of his life were being used as footage.

While he was in the city, Albert became sick of being monitored 24/7. He knew that he needed help, so he sought asylum at the United Nations. When a security guard tried to stop him from entering the building, Albert believed that this man was working for the TV show and took a swing at him. He was arrested and brought to the Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital, where he met Dr. Gold.

Over time, four other patients at the hospital began describing similar delusions, and every single one of them used The Truman Show as a reference to help Dr. Gold understand their experience.^[2]

8 Pareidolia And Delusions Of Reference

Illusionist Derren Brown played mind games on several people in a TV special called Fear and Faith. He explains pareidolia, which is the brain’s predisposition to find patterns in the world around us in order to make sense of what is going on. Brown interviews a woman named Emma and tells her that she is going to be on his new TV show called Intervention. He claims that she will be followed by actors who are paid to help teach her valuable lessons about life. They have also convinced her closest family and friends to take part in the TV show as well. Brown told Emma that her life would be filmed by hidden cameras all around her for two weeks, and she was asked to record a video diary at the end of each day to explain her experiences and the lessons she learned from the actors.

In reality, no one was actually following her, and no one was an actor. But the mere suggestion that she was involved in a Truman Show–like world was enough for her to believe it was real, and she found meaning in small interactions with people. Since she believed that she was being watched the entire time, Emma began to analyze herself more and made positive changes in her life.^[3]

A delusion of reference is very similar to what happened in Emma’s case, except that sufferers were never told that people would be watching them. They just decided one day that they’re the center of the social world. They continue to seek evidence in the world around them that this is true, and even tiny events hold a bigger significance.

7 Persecutory Delusions

A person with the Truman Show delusion often has a form of persecutory delusion, which means that they believe they’re being punished for something that they have done. Just like the movie, people suffering from this delusion believe that they are being used for other people’s entertainment and that they are being told that they are crazy because it’s the only way to keep them in check.

One patient, called “Mr. E,” knew that he had ADHD and depression for years, but no one in his family knew that he believed that he was being filmed by the government as some sort of experiment and that absolutely everything was faked, including doctor’s visits, news broadcasts on TV, and interactions with his family and friends. He thought that the whole experiment would all stop by Christmas Day, when the film crew went on holiday break and wrapped up the season. Mr. E was diagnosed with schizophreniform disorder, which is when a person shows symptoms of schizophrenia, but it lasts for less than six months.^[4]

6 Outsiders

A man named Jonny Benjamin posts videos on his YouTube channel opening up about his mental illness and psychotic episodes. In one video, he claims that he suffered from the Truman Show delusion as a child as a result of feeling socially awkward and isolated.^[5]

As a kid growing up in London, Benjamin never fit in with his peers at an all-boy school. Instead of playing sports, he wanted to play house and make-believe. As he grew older, his classmates thought he was weird, and he had no friends. Teachers knew that he loved to play pretend, so they chose him to participate in a project for the school where he was filmed for a video. After the video was done, boys who never spoke to him before suddenly wanted to be his friend because he was “famous.” He described it as like a euphoric experience where he was floating across the room, and boys were coming at him left and right, saying, “How was it?” and, “Wow! You got to be on film! So Cool!”

This experience, combined with watching The Truman Show as a child, triggered the beginning of his delusions. Benjamin explains that the things he wanted the most were to be famous and well-liked, instead of an outcast. The idea that he was being filmed helped him to become more outgoing.

As he grew up, any time a coincidence happened, he attributed it to being on a reality show. For example, if he thought of a friend, and they texted him a few minutes later, it was because the “director” told them to. If he had a song stuck in his head, and it was on the radio that day, it was part of the background music in the “scene.”

When he was 20 years old, he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Even after being aware of his mental issues, he still looks for signs that he truly is the star of a reality TV show.

5 Suspicion vs. Reflective Systems

According to Dr. Gold, everyone’s brain has a Suspicion System, which evaluates a potential social threat, which is counterbalanced with the Reflective System, which gathers evidence in order to find a rational explanation to make everything okay. Basically, the brain makes us check ourselves before we wreck ourselves.

For example, maybe you see a car that seems to be following you while you’re driving to work. Your Suspicion System might wonder if they are a spy sent to track you, but your Reflection System will quickly remind you that this person probably just needs to go to work, too, and it’s purely a coincidence that they are driving the same route.

For some people, this mechanism is totally out of balance. If they suspect that something is happening to them, it becomes the truth, and they cannot think rationally about their suspicions. It only makes sense that if they watch a movie, a “what if” thought exercise spirals into an alternate reality.^[6]

4 A Sign Of The Times

Considering that the NSA is known for monitoring web activity, webcams are getting hacked, and CCTV cameras are posted in major cities around the world, it’s actually not too far of a stretch to believe that we are being watched. For someone who is already predisposed toward the Truman Show delusion, it doesn’t take much to slip that idea into their heads.

During an interview with The New Yorker, Dr. Joel Gold explains that in every single generation, there is a new version of this type of delusion, and it always follows what is happening in technology and popular culture. In the past, people believed that radio waves were controlling their mind. Now, they believe in hidden cameras and implanted computer chips. The fact that some people believe that they’re the star of their own reality show almost says more about society as a whole than it does the individual person.^[7]

3 Losing Control

Dr. Gold believes that one of the many factors contributing to certain delusions is the fear of losing control over one’s life. These types of delusions come in many forms. For example, a mentally ill person may believe they were abducted by aliens and implanted with a chip in their brain that is controlling their every move. They have no choice but to continue to be abducted by these extraterrestrial beings, who are far more powerful than humans can imagine, and they are experimented on throughout their life. Other times, the government is out to get them.

The Truman Show delusion is very much the same sort of waking nightmare where one loses control over their own destiny. Being in The Truman Show and being in The Matrix would be very similar delusions. Nothing is real, and it’s being controlled by some sort of producer or overlord. There is no potential to escape.^[8]

2 The Urban Jungle

One of the stereotypes of millennials is their need for constant approval and attention for their actions by posting about their lives on social media. People are beginning to be conditioned from a young age that digital views and “likes” are a measure of their real self-worth. Being well-liked both online and in person is very important for young people. If they are not getting that sense of satisfaction in day-to-day life, it can lead to a delusion in order for them to cope.

Dr. Gold notes in his book that it is far more common for this type of delusion to occur in people who live in urban areas, because living in a big city can make someone feel very small and insignificant. This becomes especially difficult for people who lived in a small towns where everyone knew their name, and they are not used to the loneliness when they move to a city. According to a British study, moving to an urban area can be a trigger for psychosis to come out in people, when they would have otherwise never had that issue if they had just stayed in their hometowns.^[9]

1 Skepticism

Critics of the Gold brothers have theorized that these delusions are not real and that patients who claim to have the Truman Show delusion are just attention-seekers. Dr. Joel Gold has received dozens of e-mails from people who try to tell him that these “sufferers” are making it up. However, he receives far more e-mails from people who also believe that they are living in a reality show, and they have never been to a mental hospital for diagnosis.

Gold began working with 20 new patients through these initial e-mails. He describes their stories as incredibly frightening. It is a very isolating experience to think that no one around you can be trusted because they’re actors. Gold believes that it’s not something that anyone would put on themselves, if they could help it. He also says that as he studies the Truman Show delusion, he finds a few answers but far more questions.^[10]

Shannon Quinn is a writer and entrepreneur from the Philadelphia area. You can find her on Twitter @ShannQ.

Dolphins are not only the sweet-natured, lovable mammals we have all been led to believe. They also have a darker side—with some disturbing tendencies that may just surprise you! When you hear the word “dolphin,” you might picture a cute, silvery mammal frolicking happily in the ocean with his dolphin friends. Or perhaps you imagine a well-behaved trained dolphin at Sea World who is ever so happy to perform tricks for nothing other than a bit of a fish reward.

Since the 1964 TV show Flipper, the dolphin has been seen as a smart, sweet, and playful creature. I mean, at one point in our lives, didn’t we all want to grow up and be marine biologists so that our job could be to “play with the dolphins?”

While it’s true they are extremely intelligent (so much in fact that the U.S. Navy uses them), and they can be kind and playful at times, these beloved creatures have a darker side you might not be aware of. Here are ten reasons you may be happy you decided on another career.

Related: 10 People Killed By Animals You Wouldn’t Expect

10 They Can (and Do) Bite Humans

With 80 to 100 teeth, bottlenose dolphins have ample force to bite and tear their prey. But sometimes, they use those teeth to bite humans.

In 2012, an eight-year-old girl was bitten on the hand by a captive dolphin at Sea World in Orlando, Florida. The young girl was tossing fish into the dolphin’s mouth when she ran out and raised the paper plate up in the air. This is when the dolphin leaped out of the water and grabbed the little girl’s hand in its mouth. It then pulled her toward the water before letting go.

Wild dolphins also bite. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, dozens of bites have been reported, with people even being pulled underwater by wild dolphins.

One report includes a woman who started out by feeding a pair of wild dolphins. She then decided to jump in the water to swim with them. This proved to be a bad decision as one of the dolphins bit her leg and clamped down. The dolphin was not letting go, making the woman use force to rip her leg out of its mouth. Her actions caused injuries that landed her in the hospital for a week-long stay.^[1]

9 They Attack (and the Attacks Can Be Fatal)

Dolphins are not afraid to attack humans, and when they do, the attacks can sometimes prove fatal. An example is an attack from San Paulo, Brazil, in 1994.

Two men were on the beach and noticed a dolphin in the water swimming close to the shore. The men decided to walk into the water and approach the wild dolphin. At first, things seemed fine; the dolphin was floating on the surface and letting the men pet it. But then the dolphin turned and rammed both men. One of the men sustained internal injuries so damaging he sadly passed away. The most likely reason the dolphin attacked was that it was under stress. ^[2]

8 They Are Coordinated Assassins

Dolphins coordinate their attacks with one another, with each dolphin having a purpose in the hunt. One of the most popular methods dolphins use to trap fish is to corral them into a “bait ball.” The dolphins will act together and swim around the fish, closing in more and more so that the bait ball forms. As the fish swim in the small, tight area, the dolphins will take turns bombarding through the swarm, grabbing up prey as they go along.

If the dolphins live in shallower waters, the dolphins will work as a team and push the fish toward the shore. Once the fish are in place, the dolphins will thrust themselves on the shore. The force of their bodies forces the water (and the fish) to get pushed up with them. The dolphins simply open their mouths, and the fish slide right in.^[3]

7 They Hunt in Packs

While dolphin groups, or “pods” as they are called, are typically comprised of 10–15 dolphins, there may be more to the group when they hunt…a lot more. Hunting packs have been recorded to have 1,000 or more members. These are called “super pods” and would put fear into any prey they decide to pursue! ^[4]

6 They Beat Up Their Food

Remember your mom telling you not to play with your food? Yeah, dolphins didn’t get that message. And when they play with their food, things get downright violent.

One of the ways dolphins “play” with their food is called fish-kicking or fish-whacking. The name really says it all. In this method, the dolphins use their tail flippers much like a baseball bat to smack the fish. This sends the fish flying high into the air, leaving them stunned when they fall back down into the water. A stunned fish makes an easy meal. The dolphin simply swims over and swallows him whole.

Another meal they enjoy “playing” with is the octopus. Because the tendrils of an octopus can still be active even after death, the dolphins must make sure all the tendrils are inactive before consuming. They do this in a few violent ways.

The first way is to hold the octopus in its mouth, rise to the surface, and then slam the octopus down onto the water. They do this with such force that it breaks the octopus’s body apart. If that doesn’t work, with the octopus in its mouth, the dolphin will thrash its head side-to-side on top of the water, which also rips the octopus’s body apart. They will also toss the octopus across the water, thus breaking them into pieces.^[5]

5 They Murder Other Animals for Fun

Dolphins, unlike most other animals, seem to murder for reasons unrelated to food. Most of their aggression is directed to porpoises, although there is no known reason as porpoises are not a food source or rival dolphins in any way.

Emerging evidence shows that dolphins are “wielding their beaks as clubs and slashing away with rows of sharp teeth. They have been found to bludgeon porpoises to death by the hundreds.” With no known reason for the deaths, it might seem the dolphins might just enjoy the process, and that is dark!^[6]

4 They Kill Each Other’s Babies

In 2013, scientists from Savannah State University made history by being the first to record a wild bottlenose dolphin giving birth. Sadly, immediately after the birth, they also recorded two male dolphins attacking the newborn calf. Luckily this calf survived the half-hour attack due to its mom fighting so hard to defend it.

But other calves have not been so lucky. There have been reported cases of bottlenose dolphin calves being found that died from blunt force trauma and bite marks that match those of adult bottlenose dolphins.^[7]

3 Males Physically Assault Females During Mating

When male dolphins want to mate, things get ugly. And since the males work together and gang up, the females don’t stand much of a chance of warding off these attacks.

It starts when two or three (or more) males work as a team to chase one female and isolate her from the rest of the pod. In the process, the males will show aggression toward her by hitting her with their tails, charging, biting, or even slamming their bodies into hers.

The male dolphin will then make a sound calling the female over to him. If she ignores the call, the males will again threaten or attack her. These sessions can last for hours or even days. This whole mating ritual shows dolphins are not the sweet-mannered mammals we thought they were!^[8]

2 Dolphins Share the Way They Kill

Dolphins are great hunters, whether they are hunting in coordinated attacks or solo. They have an arsenal of varied techniques to choose from for different prey. What makes them freaky is that they can constantly add new methods to their arsenal. How? By learning from one another.

One technique that has been passed on from one to another is referred to as “shelling.” This process consists of chasing a small fish into a shell. The dolphin will then insert their beak into the shell and bring the whole thing out of the water. They will shake the shell, and as the water drains out, the fish falls right into their mouth.

With being able to learn from one another, dolphins are always able to evolve and hone their hunting skills, making them better predators.^[9]

1 They Can Be Jerks Just for Fun

When you are in the ocean and see dolphins jumping in the waves, you may want to go over and get a closer look. Think again.

On April 27, 2018, in Western Australia, Andrew Hill was on a paddleboard when a pod of dolphins appeared behind him in the surf. Hill tells the news, “Eight or nine of them decided to catch that wave and surf straight at me, which has happened lots of times in the past to me, and generally they just take off to one side left or right.”

Hill was a little winded but was able to get back on his board and did not sustain any injuries. He added, “It’s good to see dolphins. Surfers like seeing dolphins, but obviously, I’d prefer them to stay a little bit further away than they did yesterday.”^[10]

+ It’s Not All Dark and Dangerous

And it’s not just humans they like to have fun with. Sometimes, a dolphin will do something that is harmful to itself—but all in the name of a bit of fun. Dolphins like to find pufferfish, making a game out of “playing catch” and getting a little high from the toxins as well.^[11]

Country estates, castles, and afternoon tea. In recent years there have been several British TV programs that have taken the world by storm and given viewers “insight” into British life.

A prime example is the popular Downton Abbey which first aired in 2010. Reaching a total of 120 million viewers worldwide, the show was sold to over 220 territories and broke numerous records. The period drama focuses on the lives of a wealthy aristocratic family in early 20th Century England. Many were swept away by the tradition and opulence of this family’s life.

As entertaining as they might be, these programs do not accurately portray British life. Here are ten TV programs that show what British life is actually like.

Related: 10 Awesome Fan Theories About Extremely Popular Series

10 The Inbetweeners

With an average of 459,000 viewers per series, The Inbetweeners has been one of the most popular British sitcoms in recent years. Spanning three series, the opening episode of its final series attracted 2.2 million viewers, the highest ever audience for an original commission for the British digital TV channel, E4. Known for graphic language and lewd behavior, the series is a million miles away from Downton Abbey.

The program centers on Jay, Will, Simon, and Neil, four teenage boys at a British state school. The series follows the awkward group as they try to navigate secondary school. In stark contrast to Downton Abbey, the series includes projectile vomiting, buying shoes off a homeless person to get into a nightclub, and much more. It may sound extreme, but its display of the mundanity, inanity, and routine humiliation of teenage life has been described as “painfully accurate.” The success of the series spawned two movies, the first of which drew in more than three million UK viewers.^[1]

9 Peep Show

Another all too realistic British sitcom is Peep Show, which aired from 2003 to 2015. Enormously popular, Peep Show became the longest-running comedy in Channel 4 history. The show also won numerous awards, including Baftas. Set in Croydon (London), the program follows the main characters, Mark and Jez. The program is unique in that each character speaks directly to the camera.

Like many Londoners, Mark and Jez are forced to live together to save money. However, Mark, a responsible and uptight man, and Jez, irresponsible and often unemployed, make an ill-suited pair. Both men are hopeless in their own way, and the series follows their misadventures and relatable, albeit exaggerated, gaffes. One of the most notorious episodes is when Mark, on the way to his own wedding, spots an attractive woman reading a book about Winston Churchill and decides that she is his perfect woman. The episode culminates in Jez wetting himself in church and Mark’s wife-to-be fleeing in tears.^[2]

8 Gogglebox

Watching other people watch TV? This is the bizarre concept behind Gogglebox. Released in 2013, Gogglebox has become a national obsession and has won numerous awards, including a Bafta. Although the concept seems odd, the program has been praised as “surprisingly great entertainment” and “proof that TV brings people together.” Its comparison to the highly acclaimed The Royle Family (see number 7) is a testament to its success.

In each episode, families and friends from all around Britain are recorded as they watch and critique the latest shows. Now on its eighteenth series, the cast has inevitably changed over the years. However, stand-out characters who continue to feature on the show include the Malone family (since 2014), best friends Jenny and Lee (also since 2014), as well as the Siddiqui family, who have appeared on the show since the beginning. Those looking for an accurate picture of British life need look no further than this show which offers an “intimate look inside Britain’s living rooms.”^[3]

7 The Royle Family

The Royle Family is an all-time favorite British series. Despite only running for three seasons, the show was hugely popular and placed 31st in the British Film Institute’s list of 100 greatest British television programs. Following its conclusion, the cast reunited for several Christmas specials, the most popular of which (“The Golden Eggcup”) attracted 11.74 million viewers.

The show centers on Jim Royle and his wife Barbara, their daughter Denise and her fiancé (and later, husband) Dave, as well as Jim and Barbara’s teenage son Antony. The Royle family is a working-class family whose only leisure activity consists of watching TV. Crammed on the sofa, the family joke and bicker as the TV blares in the background. Alongside the hilarious scenes are genuinely touching moments such as the death of beloved “Nana.” Despite its sometimes crude moments (such as Jim’s trademark phrase “My arse”), the show has been praised for its “sympathetic and warm portrayal of working-class family life.”^[4]

6 Coronation Street

First airing in 1960, Coronation Street has amassed 10,230 episodes, each of which draws in around 6 million viewers. The show has won numerous awards, including “best soap” at the Inside Soap Awards. Episodes include: leather-glove-wearing murderers, sons who push their mothers down the stairs, and fistfights. As such, Coronation Street might not sound like the most accurate portrayal of British life.

Yet, in addition to murders and adultery, this soap opera keeps its finger on the pulse of British society, with episodes regularly tackling emotive national debates. In 2014, Coronation Street dealt with the controversial issue of euthanasia when one of its most-loved characters took her own life rather than endure the final stages of cancer. At the time, the legalization of euthanasia was being debated in the UK, and the episode was praised for the “balance” of opinions it displayed.^[5]

5 Derek

One of the most heart-warming and sensitive British series in recent years is Ricky Gervais’s Derek. Set in a UK care home, the series follows the life of a vulnerable, middle-aged man who works in a care home for the elderly. Despite only lasting for two seasons, episodes managed to attract up to two million people. Ricky Gervais was even nominated for an Emmy in both 2014 and 2015 as an Outstanding Lead Actor in the series.

The series turns the spotlight on the plight of some of Britain’s most vulnerable members of society. Many years later, the care of the elderly in these homes remains a topic of national debate, with a recent survey finding that care homes have 30% less staff than needed. Derek, at many points, is touching and sensitively deals with the issues faced by UK care homes, such as budget cuts and inadequate resources. Derek, like much of Gervais’s work, is not without its controversy, with some arguing that the lead character mocks learning disabilities.^[6]

4 The Office

Described as “the smartest, warmest and funniest sitcom in British TV history,” it is difficult to find a more iconic British series than The Office. Despite only running for two seasons, the show became a huge success and spawned 10 international versions, including winning numerous accolades such as the Baftas and Golden Globes. A record-breaking 6.5 million people tuned in to watch The Office Christmas special in 2003.

The mockumentary centers around David Brent, an office manager at a paper factory in Slough, near London. Brent is the epitome of the socially awkward manager everyone can relate to, a man who, in a desperate attempt to be liked, makes inappropriate jokes, shares his latest catchphrases, and even inflicts the occasional shoulder massage. However, a closer look reveals the lengths the show went to replicate the painful monotony of the average British working day. From the churning photocopier and awkward office romance to the soulless strip lights, everything is designed to be as authentic as possible.^[7]

3 Shameless

Petty crime, social security fraud, alcohol, drugs, sex, and parties, the British TV series Shameless has it all. Set on the Chatsworth estate in Manchester, the show focuses on the perennially unemployed and drunk Frank Gallagher, his family, and the surrounding community. Despite criticisms that the show outstayed its welcome, the final episode drew in 1.3 million viewers. At its peak, episodes drew in 3.5 million viewers.

While some of the stories were outlandish, Shameless has been praised for “its refreshingly honest depictions of life on the British breadline.” Frank is a useless single parent and is always driven by his hunt for the next free drink or drug. At first sight, it might sound like Shameless is an attack on Britain’s working class. However, aside from the scandals, Shameless ultimately portrays a close-knit community looking out for each other in difficult circumstances. An exaggerated depiction of Britain’s working class, the show’s demise was blamed on hostility toward the alleged “benefits culture.”^[8]

2 Car Share

What could be more ordinary than watching two colleagues share a commute to work? Peter Kay’s Car Share is a British sitcom that follows supermarket assistant manager John and his colleague Kayleigh as they commute to work together via their company’s car-sharing scheme. Despite its simplicity, Car Share has been praised as “one of the highest achievements of 21st century TV comedy,” with the finale pulling in 6.4 million viewers.

Director, Peter Kay, is one of Britain’s most loved comedians, well known for his witty and astute societal observations. Car Share is the culmination of these observations and brings an “everyday situation to such rich life.” As expected, there are moments that make you laugh out loud (such as when Kayleigh spills urine on John), but it’s the subtle moments such as facial expressions, heart-warming conversations, and background spoof radio ads that really make this show.^[9]

1 Two Doors Down

Last but not least is the popular Scottish TV series Two Doors Down. Set in a Glasgow suburb, Two Doors Down follows the lives of the Baird family and their “crazy” neighbors. The show became one of the BBC’s top-performing comedies and won the Best Comedy award at the 2017 Royal Television Society Scotland Awards. The show performs particularly well in Scotland, attracting 400,000 viewers per episode.

Similar to The Royle Family, scenes are mainly filmed in the living room of Eric and Beth Baird. Their house appears to have a revolving door, with neighbors regularly dropping by unexpectedly. There are “the show-offs” (Colin and Cathy), “the complainer” (Christine), and Beth and Eric’s son, Gordon. The premise of the show is that we all know a “Cathy” or a “Christine.” This, and the fact that we are given an intimate look into the family’s living room, makes the show feel familial and familiar. The stories and scandals may be exaggerated, but the characters and setting feel authentic.^[10]

Efforts to slow the impact of the coronavirus have been compared to rations and restrictions WWII-style and people are getting more anxious every day. This is evident in the panic-buying incidents taking place world-wide and in the fear you see in people’s eyes when you pass too close to them in a shopping center. However, there is much to be said for the positive side of this pandemic (pardon the pun). People are uniting worldwide to fight ‘a common enemy’ and even political parties are setting aside their differences and putting the needs of the people first.

Heroes are popping up everywhere and heartwarming tales are beginning to saturate the internet as much as the tales of panic and mayhem have. On this list are just 10 examples of uplifting things that have the potential to keep people somewhat sane in these crazy times.

10 Clear canals in Venice

While Italy is engaged in a fierce battle with the coronavirus, natural order has returned to Venice in the form of swans and dolphins swimming freely in the now-clear water of the canals.

With the canals usually bustling with boats, the water is always cloudy. But soon after Venice implemented lockdown measures, the water started clearing as sediment remains at the bottom of the canals. And while the mayor’s spokesperson has said the clearer water doesn’t necessarily mean higher quality water, it remains a sight for sore and fearful eyes during this uncertain time.^[1]

9 Penguin field trip

Around the world institutions are closing in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. These include zoos, libraries, museums, aquariums etc. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago is also closed to the public, but the staff are determined to keep the animals entertained. This led to a spontaneous penguin ‘field trip’ through the museum.

The penguins met some of the other animals in the aquarium. Wellington the penguin couldn’t get enough of the fish while Monte headed to the dolphins. The aquarium is planning on keeping people updated on animal adventures via social media for as long as the building remains closed.^[2]

8 Singing from balconies

As Italy officially reached the highest death toll from coronavirus, those under lockdown refused to have their spirits broken. In scenes reminiscent of a war-time musical, Italians have come together to inspire and uplift one another by singing aloud and playing musical instruments from their balconies.

The idea spilled over to Spain where people have also taken to singing and clapping together while self-isolating or quarantined in their homes. There was also a call on social media platforms for everyone to stand on their balconies and at their open windows and give a standing ovation to overworked medical personnel. The call was heeded with gusto and the sound of cheering could be heard for miles.^[3]

7 SA supermarket chain accommodates pensioners

In South Africa the news that the Covid-19 pandemic had reached the country’s shores sent hundreds of people into a state of panic. Bulk buying and chaos ensued. Multiple statements and pleas from the SA government seems to have calmed the situation slightly, but the tension still can be felt in the air.

Pick n Pay, a South African supermarket chain, decided to intervene and try to calm the panic. They have introduced a system whereby they open 1 hour earlier each Wednesday for pensioners and people over 65 to do their shopping in peace and limit the time they spend in crowded spaces. As older people are more susceptible to complications of the coronavirus, this plan has been lauded as forward thinking in a time of extreme stress.^[4]

6 Mega stars offering free streaming concerts

People around the world are wondering how they are going to pass the time while in quarantine or self-isolation. Chris Martin live-streamed a mini concert from his home on 16 March which was extremely well received by fans and many other stars have since joined in the effort to keep people entertained while they get used to this strange new reality.

These stars include John Legend, Indigo Girls, Death Cab For Cutie, Pink, Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello and Katharine McPhee.^[5]

5 Pollution lifts as quarantines are implemented

In just one month the cloud of toxic pollution hanging over major Chinese cities has nearly dissipated in the wake of quarantines and self-isolation. NASA air quality researcher, Fei Liu, has said that this was the first time he had seen such a dramatic reduction of polluted air over such a large area due to one specific event.

CO2 emissions were down by at least 25% between 3 February and 1 March as China’s coal usage is plummeting. While it is likely that the pollution levels will increase again once the pandemic is contained, it is great to see blue skies again where the smog was potent enough to kill. ^[6]

4 Christmas in March

When social distancing was introduced in March 2020 as one of the efforts to contain the coronavirus, people started looking for ways to entertain themselves but also others and keep them from becoming despondent. Sports broadcaster, Lane Grindle, suggested on Twitter that people could put up their Christmas lights again in order to create a safe activity for families; the favorite pass time of driving around to look at the beautiful lights.

This idea quickly caught on and many people joined in, turning their Christmas lights back on, and spreading cheer around their neighborhoods. The Hallmark Channel also jumped on the festive bandwagon and announced they would air a holiday movie marathon titled We Need A Little Christmas between 20 and 22 March 2020.^[7]

3 Support signs

Becky Wass from Cornwall thought up a fantastic idea to help others who need assistance during their self-isolation period. She came up with a postcard template that could be shared on social media. The postcard simply says “Hello! If you are self-isolating, I can help”, with space below for people to fill out their contact numbers and requests.

Other people are putting huge banners outside their houses that say they support their neighbors and are willing to help with tasks they need assistance with.^[8]

2 Jennifer Haller takes one for the world

On 18 March Jennifer Haller, one of 45 volunteers, became the first person in the world to be injected with a potential vaccine against the coronavirus. She says of the experience that she felt happy and excited to be able to do something to help, considering how helpless people are feeling at the moment.

Volunteers are each given 2 injections 28 days apart to test the safety of the vaccine. The race is well and truly on to find a vaccine that works, and 35 institutions are involved in testing and trialing potential vaccines.^[9]

1 Christ the Redeemer statue lights up in solidarity

On Wednesday, 18 March, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil was lit up in solidarity with countries fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Affected countries’ flags flitted over the massive structure and messages of hope were displayed. Below the statue, the Holy Sacrifice Of The Mass was held to pray for everyone infected by the virus while #praytogether was projected on it in different languages.^[10]

+ Spanish Soldiers Helping An Old Lady

Spain pic.twitter.com/Ks9UsDuk59

— R?MIN N?SIBOV (@RaminNasibov) March 20, 2020

As we can see in this heartwarming video taken in the last twenty-four hours, Spanish soldiers are helping out the old and infirm where needed. As the virus progresses and nations find themselves calling upon the military to provide assistance, we are all more likely than usual to have dealings with the police, medical officers, soldiers, and the like. This is a good time to remind us all that these men and women have been putting their own lives on the line for our sake for many years, and they are stepping up right now against an invisible enemy to do the same in a more visible and direct manner. Give them a big thank you and a smile if you do have to interact with them. They are as worried about loved ones as we all are and a little kindness will go a long way to make their difficult task a little easier.

[From JFrater: For my part I would like to thank all of the readers here who are, or have been, involved in the military, health, religious, or emergency services. Your sacrifices do not go unnoticed. I think I can say, on behalf of everyone here: while we may not be able to be with you in person, we are all with you in spirit.]