Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [television]

A telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome (black-and-white) or colored, with or without accompanying sound.

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Can you only trace a phone call if they don't hang up?

In movies and television shows, you often see law enforcement (or hacker types) attempting to trace a phone call that they have received. The typical scene plays out with one party trying to keep the other party on the phone long enough for them to…
Luke
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Mythbusters tested a material that was so explosive they didn't release the episode and contacted DARPA

I have encountered a picture on 9gag, one of "weird facts" ones, that stated following: Mythbusters once investigated the explosive properties of an easily available material. It was so explosive that they decided to destroy the footage. They…
toriningen
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Are the 'Family Feud' surveys systematically fake?

Are the surveys in the gameshow 'Family Feud' (and its many international derivatives) systematically fake? When I used to watch the British version, 'Family Fortunes', I couldn't imagine that they'd bother with all the trouble, time and expense of…
EmmaV
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Have any versions of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" had to remove the Ask the Audience lifeline due to the audience purposely voting wrong?

The Russian version of "Who wants to be a Millionaire?" had to scrap the "ask audience lifeline as the audience would intentionally give the wrong answer. This image can be found (for example) on Reddit with 36k upvotes. Is this claim true for…
Deo
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Is "Man vs. Wild" staged?

I've read in a few places including in comments in a recent article that Man vs. Wild is staged and he has every necessity covered. Is Man vs. Wild staged or is Bear Grylls actually in dangerous situations when we see him hanging from rocks above…
going
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Was Firefly pre-targeted for cancellation by Fox executives?

If you search through the internets to find reasons why the television show Firefly was cancelled, you often find disparaging remarks about Fox and the Executives behind the cancellation. These can range from "Oh how stupid" to "Ulterior motives…
MrHen
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Do major events on tv have the potential to wreak havoc on utilities such as water and electricity?

A friend of mine came across an article about the Tokyo Waterworks Bureau, saying that during a football match that was a major qualifier between Australia and Japan, staff had to monitor the match. During breaks in play, they had to increase water…
Golden Cuy
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Have Chinese regulators ordered TV stations not to broadcast crime or time travel shows?

In April a bunch of news services claimed that the Chinese government had banned shows displaying time travel. In May came this announcement on BBC: China has ordered TV stations across the country not to air any detective shows, spy thrillers…
going
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Does "Top Gear" have 350 million viewers worldwide?

I have often seen figures claiming that Top Gear’s estimated worldwide audience is 350 million (e.g here). I don't doubt that it's a popular show, but that seems a little high to me. It reminds me of a common misconceptions: the Super Bowl is…
Nichle
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Is the delay on long distance interviews on TV real?

Often when anchors in the studio are talking to reporters or people from a long distance, there is a small delay in the response, maybe one or two seconds. This got me thinking, why is there such a delay? I've observed the delay seems mostly…
Thomas O
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Is the TV show "Storage Wars" staged?

I've read a few places online where people say that the TV show Storage Wars is staged and that the producers place items in the lockers. Does anyone know if that is true?
ngramsky
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Did two billion people watch the wedding of Catherine Middleton and Prince William?

The Sunday Times just now tweeted: Kate astonished everyone in royal circles with how she handled their wedding in April 2011, watched by an estimated global audience of two billion. New York Times back then Viewing estimates for the ceremony, at…
chx
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Did Bear Grylls see Rob Hall's body on Everest?

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Bear Grylls said: I was on Everest a couple of years after Rob died up there. I actually saw Rob up there, when we climbed it, pretty well perfectly preserved. Is Rob Hall's body still on Everest and did Bear…
user45933
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Is everything staged on Discovery channel?

Sometime ago a question featured on travel.se about Mythbusters' duct tape island. The footage of the island came from a database and when the guys were running on a so called "deserted island" they were actually meters away from a resort in Hawaii.…
Andra
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Does Gallagher have a twin brother?

It has been widely reported that Leo Anthony Gallagher (the comedian who likes to smash watermelons with a large mallet) has a twin brother named Ron who tours the country and impersonates his brother. His act has been known as "Gallagher Too" or…
Marcus Swope
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