Teachers have a tough job that only gets tougher upon meeting a weirdo parent.
Redditor caddingtontv provided today's burning question. They asked the online community: "Teachers of reddit, what is the craziest thing you've seen a parent do?"
Yikes. That's what we have to say to some of these stories.
"Her daughter's voice..."
A mother threatened to yank her daughter out of the school if she didn't get chosen as vocal soloist to sing "O, Holy Night" during the holiday concert.
Her daughter's voice was not suited to the part. Moreover, she had told both faculty and her peers that she didn't want to do it - that her mother was forcing the issue.
As I described here quite some time ago, the mother made a big, embarrassing scene in front of students and faculty - eventually transferring her daughter to another school "where she could get the recognition she so richly deserved."
"She was screaming and yelling at me..."
One day I was reading to my class when a mom, who we all knew was a little bit of a problem, came in enraged. She was screaming and yelling at me while I just continued to act calm and smile at the kids, trying to keep them from freaking out.
She was yelling because when her son came home the day before, he had an ant bite and he's allergic. She was yelling about how there shouldn't be any ants on the playground (in our state, that's impossible). She was also yelling that I didn't go inspect the playground prior to recess for ant piles. She was also yelling that I didn't inspect every kids for any ant bites they may have gotten and called any parents of effected kids. She mentioned, in them middle of her rage, almost in passing, that the ant bite was on his penis. It ended with her threatening me with physical harm.
Basically, since I just ignored her, continuing to interact with the kids, she eventually stormed out. Shortly after, my principal arrived, out of breath after running. Apparently a teacher down the hall heard her and called him before I got a chance to. I told him what happened, he said that he'll never let her be alone with me again. He's a BIG guy and a Marine, and I'm a small woman, so that was great.
About 30 minutes later an announcement was made that the playground was shut down for the day, possibly week.
Come to find out that she took it upon herself to "take care of the problem." She went home, loaded her truck with her strongest pesticide, and came back to the playground and sprayed it down. Unfortunately, the stuff she used was not appropriate, so we had to pay a lab to test the dirt to make sure it was safe. The playground opened up the next week.
"I started locking my classrooms..."
I had a new class filled with 3-4 year olds. This one younger girl was quite quiet throughout the lessons but generally not bad for her first lesson with a new teacher. Half way through the class her parent came into class a smacked her around the back of the head because she wasn't speaking enough.
I started locking my classrooms from that point onward.
"I once had a bright..."
I once had a bright, junior student who I recommended for AP English. He was proficient and well spoken--he would have done great, but he declined because he wanted to focus on trades and sports. I understood and told him the offer still stands if he wants to reconsider.
A few days later, I get the signed consent form with his signature on it in my mailbox about him joining AP English. Great, I thought. I went to talk to him about it and he looked nothing but confused. I showed him the page and he just went
"Oh, yeah, no. Ignore it. My mom keeps trying to sign me up for stuff. She has a stamp of my signature."
"She was so nasty..."
I had a parent come in and scream at the childcare assistant because her son came home with mosquito bites. She was so nasty that she made her cry. She wanted us to solve the problem by making sure her son didn't sleep near the windows.
"I teach..."
I teach inner city preschool. Many of my students have learned to fight through their parents and one student recently bit and hit me to the point of bleeding and bruising. I'm not technically allowed to restrain so I just hugged him, told him I care about him, he cried, and now he's my best bud.
"Honestly, our assistant principal..."
Countless verbal assaults at me, but those are not as interesting.
I saw a parent attack our assistant principal. I mean physically grabbing him and pushing him up against a fence(this was at a football game). Police arrived, parent taken away and permanently banned from our campus. Honestly, our assistant principal is a big and tall guy, but this was out of nowhere. I assume the parent was drunk/high.
"Wonder where they got it from?!"
A few weeks ago a mother was screaming "I'm going to slap you in the f---ing face", as someone dared to let her know her children were bullying others. Wonder where they got it from?! Luckily, she's banned from the building finally.
"The mother of my best student came."
Teacher in France here. Craziest thing a parent ever done to me was during a parent (& student most of the time)-teacher meeting. Idk how they're organized in other countries, but in France you have to meet like hundreds of parents on the same day, so you usually don't spend too much time with them, especially if their kid has really good grades.
The mother of my best student came. I had a huge smile when I saw her entering the classroom, because she was obviously very proud of her mom meeting me: she had a perfect GPA (20/20) in my subject. I honestly thought this was going to be a "well hello Miss X, I've got nothing to say, I'm just happy to have your daughter in my class, you can leave if you have somewhere else to be" conversation, but her mother obviously misinterpreted my smile and started flirting with me.
The first thing she said roughly was "ah, I understand why my daughter is so interested in your classes" and then she started talking about me, asking questions about me and my life, etc. Her daughter was mortified (and I was, too: it was my first year as a real teacher, meaning I had never dealt with parents before and didn't how to kindly ask her to leave). It lasted a long 20-25 minutes before her daughter convinced her to go and freed me from what was my cringiest moment with a parent.
I've been a real teacher for only two years (three if you count the first year where you're sort of an intern) so that's probably tame compared to other answers, but I can assure you that was an intense moment
"I had a parent demand..."
I had a parent demand I reprimand a teacher because she lied to the class. The lie? Their child wet herself and when the teacher sent for the janitor she told him that someone had spilled their juice. This was done so the other kids didn't find out about the soggy pupil.
So I asked: "You want me to discipline an educator for protecting your child's dignity?" "Yes," was the reply.
"The mom drunk texted..."
Teacher & I coached cheer for a few years. Parents pulled their daughter off the squad before we got uniforms, and the assistant principal told me not to give her the uniform because then she'd wear it and people would still think she was a cheerleader. The Mom drunk texted me all night sh!t talking me about what a loser I was and how I was a terrible cheer coach anyway. I quit at the end of that season.
"I don't know where that kid is now."
There is one kid that never passed his tests. Never worked for it. Didn't do homework, didn't do anything. Just sat back because his father was rich and he will get all the inheritance.
One time I was called into a meeting because I was responsible for this kid's homework that he told me that he did but he never did. I sat down one seat from the head of the table. It was a pretty big meeting.
The father and the son sat at the other end. The principal pulls up a slide on the SmartBoard, showing the poor performance that he has done. 50% were marked across and no homework was done. I was dumbfounded.
The father raised an eyebrow and nodded towards his son when asked to explain his poor performance.
I took a sip of water and he said "my homeroom teacher's butt is too big. I can't focus on the class."
I swear to God, and I'm going to hell for this, I spat out all my water and laughed. Nobody cared. Everyone was so surprised. I looked at the homeroom teacher and I felt the guilt wash over me.
After the meeting, the lady cried. She wanted to quit as a teacher, and I didn't blame her. She eventually began wearing longer jackets to cover up her butt. I told the teacher that I couldn't teach that kid anymore.
I don't know where that kid is now. Hopefully he got what he deserved.
"That parent..."
One of my coworkers had a parent cast a spell on her. That parent was later banned from visiting campus.
"Having a normal conversation..."
Having a normal conversation with student's guardian who is her grandmother, when the woman reaches down to the floor, picks up a leaf, and eats it like it's a potato chip.
"We had to have a long talk with her."
I had a parent in an IEP meeting ask us when her child's autism would be cured. She said he had been at school for 10 years now and it's taking too long. We had to have a long talk with her.
I had a parent at a conference suddenly slap his child HARD on the leg because she wasn't cooperating with him. She was 13 and definitely has one hell of an attitude, but she had issues with her dad and didn't want him there at all. Her resentment was palpable every time he opened his mouth.
When he slapped her she got really upset, jumping up and trying to get away from him screaming he had hit her for no reason. He's grabbing her arm to pull her back and she's fighting harder to get away. He appeals to me like I'm going to jump on board and I calm her down a little and get her to sit down. She's calming down and getting back a conversation but he is not even noticing that this is already deescalating, and he takes off his belt. He took off his belt, in front of me, to whip her. I told him that absolutely would not be happening in my classroom and I could not allow that, and he basically told me I should ignore him and pretend not to see anything. When I shot that down he tried to convince me to LEAVE my classroom DURING THE MIDDLE OF PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES so he could use it to hit her and I would "look the other way". I said that absolutely would not be happening and if he kept trying I would have to call security. He settled down and put his belt back on.
I went to the principal immediately, and we went to the guidance counselor. He is the one we go through to make reports because he has all the information about what can be reported and who to contact. He told us we couldn't report it because it was discipline and it's his right to discipline her that way if he wants to as long as she isn't injured and there are no marks. He said it was not even illegal for him to do it on the premises.
The same night, another teacher had a mother punch her son in the face suddenly.
F*cking nuts. Poor kids.
"I saw a dad's ballsack..."
I saw a dad's ballsack during a parent-teacher interview.
He was wearing coveralls with a giant rip in the crotch and nothing underneath, and he was sitting with his foot up on the opposite knee (providing a very obvious viewing angle).
Considering how his child was, I am 95% sure he did it on purpose.
"Had a parent..."
Had a parent who really liked me because her daughter liked me. During the first parent conference, she asked a few personal questions (my age and dating status) and was shocked to hear I was a teacher at the age of 24 and yet I wasn't married (This is in SEA and culturally people marry quite early.) I told her I was in a LTR+LDR of about 3 years and she was even more shocked he hadn't proposed yet. Told me my boyfriend was no good and I should drop him.
Over the next parent teacher conferences, (I taught her daughter the following year too), the mother would bring a different man (family friend or whoever) and what was supposed to be a discussion of the student turned into an interview for dating. She would claim she doesn't speak enough English and that the person was there to help her out. It was quite awkward and I didn't know what to do about it so I just tried to shift the conversation back to her daughter (who was excelling my class anyways.)
I was later told that the mother comes from an extremely wealthy family and she is so so so so bored at home (husband didn't want her to work) and enjoys matchmaking.
"He has also offered..."
My first year I had a parent text me trying to convince me to buy drugs from her. That was a fun time.
This year, I have the daughter of a moderately well-known rapper who, instead of sending his kid to school with treats for school parties sends "exclusive demos" of his new music. He has also offered to hook me up with drugs.
"She had the projects..."
A member of my teaching team had her kids do a pretty cool project. As with most projects, some kids put in a lot more effort than others.
She had the projects on display in her room. At the end of a class period, she noticed a very nice one had been vandalized and ruined.
She asked the class who did it. One student calmly raised his hand and admitted it. She talked to him, and he wouldn't really say what possessed him to do it.
She wrote him up and emailed the parents. They were livid and demanded a meeting.
The entire team and our principal went to the meeting. The mom said her son didn't break the project.
"But he admitted to it."
"He's black, and knew you'd accuse him anyway because of his race, so he just wanted to get it over with."
(His teacher and our principal are also African-American.)
DQ: What's your best parent-teacher conference story?
People Share The Funniest Thing They've Ever Seen That They Weren't Allowed To Laugh At
Hilarious moments are blind to timing. They seem to strike at the absolute worst times, when laughing would be completely inappropriate.
Thankfully, Crying Can Look Like Laughing
<p>"Great Uncle's funeral.</p><p>"The vicar was doing his thing, but when he said 'our soul,' in his posh-ish accent it sounds just like 'arsehole' and it got me. I managed to keep it together the first time, but after the second one I could barely hold it back...."</p><p>"It was something like, '<em>our soul is something we should cherish, it defines who we are...'</em>"</p><p>"I was stifling laughter to the point of tears, my mum said after she thought I was crying."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l0i8mb/whats_the_funniest_thing_youve_seen_someone_do/gjtmy9t?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">F***TheseNewPlastics</a></p>One Man Show
<p>"A guy was acting as his own attorney. He was questioning himself in court by standing up, asking a question, then sitting down to answer it."</p><p>"The judge finally looked at him and said, 'Sit down, Mr. X.' I almost lost it, but managed to hold my court demeanor."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l0i8mb/whats_the_funniest_thing_youve_seen_someone_do/gjttk7u?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Hellabore</a></p>A Dick Manifesto
<p>"At my friend's grandfather's funeral. The first sentence of the pastor's speech was 'We are all here because we love Dick so much.' His name was Richard."</p><p>"This holy man gave a 15 minute speech about his love of Dick and how Dick changed his life. My wife and I did not make eye contact through the entire thing for fear of busting out laughing in a quiet crowded church."</p><p>"It took me about a year to ask my friend his thoughts about it and apparently he was close to losing it too."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l0i8mb/whats_the_funniest_thing_youve_seen_someone_do/gjtzut0?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">TigerGuitarist</a></p>Til the Very End
<p>"A friend of mine who was always late to work died after an epileptic fit. The undertakers and vicar got delayed and he was late to his own funeral and it was the most fitting and hilarious moment and he'd have loved it."</p><p>"But obviously you can't burst out laughing when the staff at a funeral tell you that he's not there yet."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l0i8mb/whats_the_funniest_thing_youve_seen_someone_do/gjtpoko?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Miraclefish</a></p>Corpse Slapped
<p>"I was in a cadaver lab for an anatomy class, and that week we were learning hip and upper leg muscles. My group were at the table and one of the guys proceeded to roll the cadaver leg over, from looking at the hamstring to study the quads."</p><p>"We didn't realise that the leg belonged to a male until its manhood slapped him straight on the back of his hand."</p><p>"Entire group was breathing super hard trying not to laugh and appear disrespectful in the eyes of the tutors, but I honestly reckon the guy would've been laughing with us."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l0i8mb/whats_the_funniest_thing_youve_seen_someone_do/gjttrul?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">code1520</a></p>Taking It in Stride
<p>"Paramedic here, watched a drunk falling down a bunch of stairs."</p><p>"He then just screamed at his friend to get him a new beer because he dropped his. Nearly pissed myself."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l0i8mb/whats_the_funniest_thing_youve_seen_someone_do/gjtn6y8?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Sir_f***_off</a></p>She Knows Not What She Doesn't Know
<p>"Just two nights ago my picky daughter was telling us that she didn't like meat loaf, no way, no how."</p><p>"Then she described a Japanese hamburger steak that she wanted to make: hamburger, bread crumbs, egg, ketchup, soy sauce, etc."</p><p>"When she was done, I said that she described the exact thing sitting on her plate, and she got really mad. Laughing only made her madder. Couldn't stop laughing though."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l0i8mb/whats_the_funniest_thing_youve_seen_someone_do/gjtqbvz?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">GooberMcNutly</a></p>Nothing Else to Say
<p>"I was watching hunger games in theaters and the Rue death scene caused a reaction from the person behind me that left me laughing so hard I thought the people who didn't hear her would think I was a horrible person."</p><p>"Right when the spear hits her I heard this 'O DAMN' from behind me like the most stereotypical dumb reaction gif sound effect of a dude getting kicked in the nads."</p><p>"It clashed with the scene so much and was the only time the person ever spoke it just cracked me up"</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l0i8mb/whats_the_funniest_thing_youve_seen_someone_do/gjtsk7v?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">nightbrother42</a></p>Committed Revenge
<p>"Helping a Grade 2 class (~8 year olds) and one of the kids was just so loud. He was running around the class when one of the girls held out her arm and clotheslined him."</p><p>"I was able to keep a straight face for that but she kneeled down and yelled, 'Boom!' at him."</p><p>"He started crying, they both got a detention, and I almost bit through my tongue."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l0i8mb/whats_the_funniest_thing_youve_seen_someone_do/gjtq3xu?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">asolitarycandle</a></p>Growing Into It
<p>"My step Dad was an Italian from Manhattan. He had the classic Italian mobster accent. We all live in Minnesota, born and raised. So his accent was definitely different from what we're used to."</p><p>"My brother loved to playfully make fun of him by imitating him by saying classic Italian mobster exclamations along with the hand mannerisms. Stepdad was a laid back guy and found it funny and the banter between those two was very light hearted."</p><p>"So, one day, we were having a small get together at our house with my mom, stepdad, my brother and a few friends. We were all hanging out outside when my 4 year old daughter excited started saying 'Uncle Pauly, Uncle Pauly! Watch this!'"</p><p>"As everyone watched, she went over to a piece of dog poop, pointed at it by shaking her open palmed hands, and exclaimed in the most perfect Italian Mobster accent 'What the f*** is thiiiis?!' She even did the head bob perfectly."</p><p>"We all stifled laughter."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/l0i8mb/whats_the_funniest_thing_youve_seen_someone_do/gjtpug3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Spookyredd</a></p>Working with dogs is a field like few others. Though a job at a veterinary clinic, animal shelter, or training class may have its moments of tragedy and frustration, the unique hilarity that dogs bring is a real treat.
Quite the Bone
<p>"A client of mine has a Doberman girl that once got stuck in a doorway because she was carrying a long bone and couldn't figure out on her own how to proceed."</p><p>"Ever since that incident, this dog won't walk through any door no matter how wide as long as she's got anything in her muzzle, be it a bone or a tiny little cracker."</p><p>"She is sweet, but really dull."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kx9rll/people_who_work_with_dogs_professionally_who_was/gj9pntj?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Kleene_Dilljurke</a></p>Unobservant and Phobic
<p>"I work with dogs professionally but the dumbest one I ever met was one of mine. He was a very large Great Dane who somehow developed a fear of hardwood floors."</p><p>"The worst part is he would walk through a hallway or room without realizing it was hardwood, and then as soon as he realized it he would sit himself down and refuse to move anywhere."</p><p>"I miss the idiot"</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kx9rll/people_who_work_with_dogs_professionally_who_was/gj962la?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Galacticheartofgold</a></p>Give Them an Inch...
<p>"I volunteered for an organisation training guide dogs for blind people. One of the dogs graduated training and was assigned to a blind young lady. It costs €40,000 to get the dog trained to this point. Dog successfully guides her to work every day safely with no problems."</p><p>"Then it's pissing rain one day so her dad asks her to collect her and the dog and drop them to the office. The next day the dog just refuses to work and literally never worked a day again for her."</p><p>"I think it just didn't see the point when she could get in the car if she wanted!! "</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kx9rll/people_who_work_with_dogs_professionally_who_was/gj9qnn3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">whatever_the_f***_</a></p>Bruce the Golden Sniffer
<p>"Bruce. A big old bloodhound who, on multiple occasions, would stick his nose right under other dogs while they peed." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kx9rll/people_who_work_with_dogs_professionally_who_was/gj9p4wr?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">DavidWestSideStory<br></a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"My dog is so submissive that he let a bigger, meaner dog pee all over him while he grinned. If he could talk he would've said, 'Look mom! I made a friend!'" -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kx9rll/people_who_work_with_dogs_professionally_who_was/gjan5zi?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">NeedsMoreTuba</a></p>Trouble With the Back Half
<p>"My boyfriend walks a large Dalmatian who is the most uncoordinated dog I've ever seen. He just can't jump. Has no sense of what his back legs are doing."</p><p>"When my boyfriend comes to pick him up he tries to get into the van by jumping normally with his front legs but fails to follow through with the back, so just stands excitedly leaning on the floor of the van, doing frantic tippy-taps with his back feet on the ground outside."</p><p>"And he's a big dog, he could step right in without even jumping."</p><p>"No amount of showing him by actually moving his limbs has made it click for him, so he does his partial jump then one of us hoists his butt end in too."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kx9rll/people_who_work_with_dogs_professionally_who_was/gj9zw9h?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Semele5183</a></p>Howling at Herself
<p>"Used to volunteer at a Human Society and I remember this one dog who was terrified of shadows."</p><p>"The kicker? This was an akita/husky mix so every time she saw a shadow she would howl loudly till the shadow went away."</p><p>"Last I knew she got adopted by a farmer and was happily chasing cows."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kx9rll/people_who_work_with_dogs_professionally_who_was/gj9pf8c?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">WaYaADisi1</a></p>A Paradoxical Reaction
<p>"I used to work at a shelter, so I guess this counts. One of our dogs had excitement-induced narcolepsy (called cataplexy). So, he'd fall asleep whenever he was too happy. Playing with other dog? Fall asleep. It snowed? Fall asleep. Get people food? Fall asleep."</p><p>"We adopted him."</p><p>"In a home, we figured out he was afraid of doorways. This doof would turn around and walk backwards through doorways instead because that was less scary."</p><p>"He was also no fan of hardwood floors or ceiling fans. Solid 50lb of staffy, biggest coward ever."</p><p>"He was the best dog."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kx9rll/people_who_work_with_dogs_professionally_who_was/gj9vdtw?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">foolhardywaffle</a></p>Crossing Wires
<p>"Was walking a golden lab and this poor dog smelled something interesting. Decided to pee on it and lifted his leg."</p><p>"Mid pee decided to smell it again and ended up peeing on his own face. Dog was something else."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kx9rll/people_who_work_with_dogs_professionally_who_was/gj9qcew?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">ARKITIZE_ME_CAPTAIN</a></p>A Quick and Relentless Wagging
<p>"My mom's pit/lab mix is dumb. He has a crazy long tail and it wags at like 35 mph."</p><p>"The other day he was wagging his tail and it was smacking the edge of the fridge. It hurt, he whined. Instead of moving or holding his tail still he just stood there whacking it against the fridge and whining."</p><p>"I finally moved him away from the fridge and he sat and licked it for a while. He's a good boi, but he ain't bright."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kx9rll/people_who_work_with_dogs_professionally_who_was/gj9jf81?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">J_DayDay</a></p>Baby Steps
<p>"My sister's dog was dumb. One day I decided to teach it to sit on command, the way I had taught a couple of other dogs. So, every time I brought him in from the backyard I'd get a treat from on top of the refrigerator and go through training."</p><p>"It took much longer than I thought it would, but eventually the dog would sit on command."</p><p>"Then I discovered it only knew what 'sit' meant when he was facing the refrigerator. So, more training, Every time I brought him in, I'd have him face a new direction until he made the connection and would sit on command."</p><p>"Then I discovered he only knew how to do it in the kitchen."</p><p>"A dumb, dumb dog."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kx9rll/people_who_work_with_dogs_professionally_who_was/gjamg6g?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">suddenly_satire</a></p>People Break Down The Worst Examples Of A TV Show Dumping A Major Cast Member And Trying To Continue
We're all aware television shows are fake and, heck, even the ones pretending to be real have a certain level of fabrication permeating throughout. That's not why we watch, though, we watch because we want to be invested into believing in a show's characters and their journeys. So when a character is mysteriously removed from a show with zero explanation it can leave a bad taste in our mouths that never goes away.
Not Gone, Just Reborn
<p>Top Gear</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjmtbm7?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">SleazyP_317</a></p><p>Came here to say this. Top Geat BBC is nothing w/o Jezza, Crash and Mr. Slowly.</p><p>I watched a few episodes of the reboot and its a total joke.</p><p>On the other hand i bought amazon prime because of Grand Tour.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjn0amm?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">InfraredDiarrhea</a></p>No More Troy & Abed In The Morning
<p>Community</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjmpsib?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">DystopianTruth</a></p><p>It definitely lost some of its charm without Troy, but Hickey, Elroy, and Frankie were decent. It was still a good show without Troy, just not as good.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjmxss8?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">emueller5251</a></p>Fired For Good Cause
<p>Criminal Minds comes to mind for me. Thomas Gibson definitely deserved to be fired, but once he was gone the show felt completely different. They should have stopped there instead of trying another season.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjmmzxg?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">PaladiinDM<br></a></p><p>To be fair, they pulled it off once before, when Mandy Patinkin left. Hotch was very much the solid center of the group, after that though, and they never really found someone to fill that role. I love Prentiss, but she doesn't fill that void, and Rossi wouldn't really do either. They would need to find someone that had chemistry with the other characters but still had the darkness that Hotch brought.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjn2yso?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">Irishpanda1971</a></p>How Does Your Family Work?
<p>Dukes of Hazzard for one season tried to replace Bo and Luke with two other Duke cousins.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjmvpsh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">heelspider</a></p><p>The Coy and Vance situation made the whole Duke family tree even more suspicious. Bo, Luke, Daisy, Coy and Vance all called each other cousin, and called Jesse "uncle". None of them were siblings. Were these all just random children that Jesse "found" and raised? Did Jesse have 5 siblings who each had a child that they were unwilling/unable to care for? Did they all leave their kids with Jesse because a moonshine runner was considered the most respectable? There probably aren't too many social workers in Hazard County, but someone really needs to look into this.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjn0a18?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">thalanos42</a></p>Yeeeeeah!
<p>CSI after Grissom left was never the same</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjnzt40?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">gk101991</a></p><p>I thought Liev Schreiber's short guest-stint standing in for William Petersen was good, but Grissom was kind of integral.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjotz3j?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">Reciprocity2209</a></p>A Magical Missing Sister! Of Course!
<p>So what always hit me as funny was in the TV Show Charmed.</p><p>Basically the entire concept was about three sisters being the chosen triad that together could do amazing magic.</p><p>After a couple seasons all three of them were on the floor "Dying" and it cut off.</p><p>Next season apparently two of the sisters had been saved, the but the last one had died off screen and the entire thing was skipped over. "You saved me, X saved Y, but that left Z to die!"</p><p>But how can a show that's entirely about the power of three sisters being the chosen ones continue with one of them gone? Easy, they find a long lost sister and activate her magic!</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjnpe9b?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">ericbomb</a></p>Steve?
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTUwNjI5NS9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxNDQ4MzYzOH0.REXjY78pt4sWn-5qE7H59G_cUJUX9DrTJz0Zx1qzNV8/img.gif?width=980" id="46946" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="028c340e3ef77df21e78dbbd493921e8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="480" data-height="362" />confused homer simpson GIFGiphy<p>Blues Clues</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjn5dl1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">SonicFanBOI0655</a></p><p>As a child I remember being very confused and not realizing right away it was a different person.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjncf6a?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">CardWitch</a></p>I Want To Believe
<p>The X-Files after David Duchovny left.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjmutr1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">KungFu-omega-warrior</a></p><p>Something was missing when Mulder was gone. Scully and Mulder dealing with the monster of the week type episodes were the best.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjn2b0h?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">adumberscully</a></p>It's A Teaching Hospital...Get It?
<p>Scrubs final season was so bad that even Dr Cox couldn't save it.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjmuvku?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">TheGodDamnLobo</a></p><p>It was meant to be a spinof series but wasn't allowed to be branded as such.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjn5df9?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">Shirley_Schmidthoe</a></p>We ALL Hate Randy
<p>That '70s Show</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjmso47?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">dottmatrix</a></p><p>We all hate Randy</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjmvc4h?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">BelichickRockneGOATS</a></p><p>Randy embodies everything people hate about late series main cast replacements. He's a buff pretty boy, unlike Eric, but is still marketed as being a sensitive, nerdy guy, which is what made up a big part of Eric's appeal. He bonds with Red like Eric never could, he immediately takes Eric's place as Donna's love interest and is shunted into the main group without pretense and with little defined character. He's basically Poochie, from the Simpsons, but unironically.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjnus5r?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">AReluctantEssayist</a></p>Perhaps The Biggest Of All
<p>The Office comes to mind, though I enjoy the later seasons too.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjms8wv?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">FievelWentWest</a></p><p>This is the one for me. I'm fine with folks enjoying the last few seasons (and I guarantee there's post-Carrell episodes I enjoy as well) but by and large, it lost a lot of its magic without him. That said, I imagine some key writers departing were also responsible for the tonal shift (where some characters turned into the cartoon versions of themselves while others were seemingly reinvented on the fly).</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjncumm?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">rake2204</a></p>Yeesh...
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTUwNTY3NC9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTMwNjYzNX0.s1tW_kEDJV64A1lU1gf94wpoDz7SUUgCNrE9Szbo71g/img.gif?width=980" id="0c390" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="46c41116ca2fcc11d28d18d9bb333548" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="320" data-height="240" />nervous the simpsons GIFGiphy<p>John Ritter, from 8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter.</p><p>The main character died in the beginning of the second season*. It's a family sit-com, but I remember liking it. And it was starting to build a bit of a following when it happened.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjmvns7?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">ConneryFTW</a></p><p>John Ritter. Died from aortic dissection. So sad.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/kzbj5p/whats_the_most_egregious_example_of_a_tv_show/gjndilh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">werdzishard</a></p>Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay |
There's something quite wonderful about finding a loophole and taking advantage of it... especially when you're broke. (Trust me, it could mean the difference between surviving and well, not.)
When I was really poor, for example, I used to go to a Burger King to get cheap burgers with what little money I had. The food was filling and helped tide me over. I eventually found a glitch on the app that allowed me to add two extra burgers to my order. Trust me, it saved me on my worst days. (As you can imagine, I am really sick of fast food now that I'm much more financially stable.)
After Redditor Thym3Travr asked the online community, "What loophole did you exploit mercilessly?" people shared their stories.