''Totally Hidden Video'' is an American hidden-camera
television show
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...
and
game show
A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...
that aired from 1989 to 1992. It was one of the early shows in the history of the
Fox television network
The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations an ...
and held the highest viewing share for any Fox program at one point.
It was produced by Quantum Media and Fox.
The show premiered on Sunday, July 9, 1989. Steve Skrovan was the program's first host,
later replaced by Mark Pitta in 1991.
Shortly after its debut, a game segment called ''Totally Home Made Videos'' was added to the show. In this segment, contestants send in their funny videos to win a $10,000 prize, the winners of which were announced by Skrovan at the end of every episode - very similar to the format used by sister show
America's Funniest Home Videos
''America's Funniest Home Videos'', also called ''America's Funniest Videos'' (abbreviated as ''AFV''), is an American video clip television series on ABC, based on the Japanese variety show ''Fun TV with Kato-chan and Ken-chan''. The show featur ...
.
Controversy
The show was accused of using paid actors in a lawsuit filed against the Fox Broadcasting Co. by ''
Candid Cameras creator
Allen Funt,
who also accused the show of stealing his ideas.
While the producers admitted that the series pilot had staged some of the "setups", they swore all skits which made it to air were legitimate. However, in the wake of the controversy, series producer
Larry Hovis was fired for staging incidents.
In popular culture
On an episode of ''
Saved By the Bell
''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in primetime, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United States ...
'', Zack Morris references the show by claiming someone is on it in an effort to save face.
In the season 5 "Triple Play" episode of ''
The Golden Girls'', when Blanche calls off a scheme to meet wealthy men by claiming to be selling an expensive car, Sophia tries to help Blanche save face by telling the men that the whole thing was a setup for ''Totally Hidden Video'', and that she's actually
Kaye Ballard
Kaye Ballard (November 20, 1925 – January 21, 2019) was an American actress, comedian, and singer.
Early life
Ballard was born Catherine Gloria Balotta in Cleveland, Ohio, one of four children born to Italian immigrant parents, Lena (née Nac ...
in disguise.
See also
*''
Candid Camera''
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, 0096714
American hidden camera television series
Fox Broadcasting Company original programming
1989 American television series debuts
1992 American television series endings
1980s American reality television series
1990s American reality television series
English-language television shows