A&E (in the past, more commonly known as Arts & Entertainment Channel) is a cable channel now focused on reality shows, documentaries, and true crime programs. The channel was once thought of as a direct counterpart to PBS. In 2017, the network decided to phase out its scripted offerings, though it does run syndicated TV shows and airs original programming from other channels. One of A&E's last scripted shows was Bates Motel.
Because of the network’s focus on real-life drama and reality shows, the unpredictability of their reality stars drove fans and viewers to make A&E’s TV shows some of the more popular programs on television. It's human nature to be attracted to drama, especially if it’s as ridiculous as what’s broadcasted on TV.
A&E had (and has) reality shows with stars who were different off the screen than what was portrayed on the screen. There have been scandals and secrets revealed that completely change the perception of a show. Nothing proves that change more than when pictures are released or posted on social media that go against what you’ve known contained within the show. Nowadays, it’s nearly a given that what you see in a reality show isn’t as “real” as the channel makes it seem, whether that’s the personalities or actions of the cast.
Here’s 15 Behind-The-Scenes Photos That Completely Change A&E Shows.
Hoarders Camera Crew's Dangerous Job
A&E’s Hoarders gives viewers a peek into the lives of those who have an addiction amassing clutter and garbage. Experts - cleaning and psychology - come in to attempt to help the hoarder overcome this problem. Some cases involve collections that have gotten out of hand, but often, the house is filled with so much garbage it’s an actual health hazard.
What viewers don’t see is one of the hardest jobs on the show: the cameraman.
While it’s dangerous for the cleaners and family members, it appears more dangerous for the camera operators. Hoarders still has to reach maximum drama - it is a reality show after all - so many of the shots are from precarious positions. That might give you a new respect for what goes on behind the camera as much as what you can see
Bates Motel Is Inviting
Bates Hotel is a prequel TV show about Norman and Norma Bates prior to the events in the movie Psycho (and the book of the same name by Robert Bloch) but in modern times. Even so, the stigma of the Bates family, the house, and the motel is synonymous with evil, despair, and insanity. Yet, knowing this in the original story, you would have not stayed one night in the motel.
The modern version of the motel, especially in the daytime, is actually inviting.
The landscaping and surrounding area pop with color. It’s gorgeous enough to want to take a stroll with a loved one. It makes you wonder if there really have been ominous activities going on as portrayed by the show. The show entertains that thought, but one look at the above picture and you think "I’d love to stay there."
Mary Padian Doesn't Need Storage Wars
Mary Padian of Storage Wars obtained a photojournalism degree, then worked at D magazine and Architectural Digest as an editor before finding a passion for turning inexpensive objects into unique decorations for the home. This was the basis for her video series “Mary’s Finds.” Padian was initially seen in the first season of Storage Wars, then became a regular starting with the second season.
With various photos on her Instagram showing her travels and visiting tourist spots, Padian probably doesn’t need the show to maintain her business or lifestyle.
In July 2015, rumors circulated that Padian was receiving $450,000 per season of Storage Wars. Based on the photos and potential payouts, who else is getting paid to simply be on a show with staged storage units and manufactured drama? Each cast member has a business outside the show, and that would seem less stressful than doing Storage Wars.
Billy the Exterminator Does Job Himself
Billy the Exterminator is a reality show about Billy Bretherton and his life as a pest control specialist. He mostly goes around the Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana area exterminating pests in the most humane way possible. For most animals, he tends to relocate them.
As you watch the show, it’s easy to perceive the additional help Billy gets while on the job. Plus, you may already be a cynic of reality shows and wonder what is and isn’t real. One episode proved that Billy is not afraid to take care of the pests himself.
In the episode “Wasp Warfare,” Billy manages to eradicate the house’s terrible infestation of wasps. The homeowners stated they were getting stung at least once a day. Bertherton “did every bit of the work himself,” the homeowners said. Incidentally, Billy had an allergy to wasp stings that didn’t disappear until 3 years after this episode.
Wahlburgers Not That Busy
The Wahlburgers franchise focuses on burgers in a casual dining environment. The company is owned by chef Paul Wahlberg; his brothers Donnie and Mark are partners. The show has aired for 8 seasons with at least 8 episodes per season. Is the show as popular as it is simply because of Donnie and Mark?
The show mostly takes place in the Wahlburgers’s restaurants with the occasional scene in Paul, Donnie, or Mark’s home.
The restaurants, when seen in the show, appear busy, but various real-world pictures of different franchises show a far less busy establishment.
As a restaurant, the franchise is poorly-reviewed, and it has been reported at one time that one location was so behind on rent, the landlord at the time in Coney Island had to put locks on the door. Are the burgers as tasty as the show patrons make them seem?
Period Show Not So Period
The Frankenstein Chronicles is not an original A&E show, but the network has the rights to concurrently broadcast it in the United States. The series first aired in 2016 on ITV Encore. It’s a period piece about an Inspector who finds a corpse made of different children’s body parts and sets out to catch whoever is responsible.
This period piece isn’t so period when you see some of the behind the scenes photos.
The amount of CGI reconstruction seems like a lot, especially in any scene that needs the city as a backdrop. A lot of the realism diminishes when you see pictures of sets that are most green screens and the only real “period” items are the clothes and storyline. It takes a little away from the impact, but experienced actors know how to interact with the fake backgrounds.
Dog the Bounty Hunter Was In Jail
Dog the Bounty Hunter, or Duane Chapman, went after and apprehended fugitives before and on his show Dog the Bounty Hunter. Did you know that was arrested and went to prison himself twice?
The first time was in 1976 when Chapman was convicted of a first degree crime. He spent 18 months (of a 5-year sentence) in prison for killing an alleged dealer. The second time Chapman went to jail netted him his A&E reality show.
Chapman and his team captured Andrew Luster, a fugitive of the U.S. for assaulting several women in 1996, 1997, and 2000. Luster fled to Mexico where Chapman nabbed him. However, this was out of his jurisdiction and the Mexican police arrested the team and put them in jail. But then the team then jumped bail, trying to return to the U.S.
One Person Takes Longmire Seriously
Longmire was one of the script shows on A&E that unfortunately didn’t fit in with the network’s focus on more reality shows and docu-series. It quickly cemented itself as the highest-rated original drama on A&E before it was canceled, then found a home on Netflix for an additional 3 seasons.
Would the show have lasted longer on A&E if the above photo was an indication how serious the actors some of the work? One actor appears to take notes in the script while the others are on their phone or chatting. In some ways, the fans were the ones that brought Longmire back with weekly “Twitter stampede[s],” which Lou Diamond Phillips (who played Henry) joined in on once.
Shipping Wars Cast All Friends
One mainstay in reality shows, especially where competition of some sort is involved, is the drama between cast members. Producers sometimes “encourage” arguments, and on some shows, have even directed people to perform a certain way or say certain things. Shipping Wars was a reality program that was reportedly filmed the same way.
On the show, it appears that the truckers hated each other. Spiteful words and harsh criticism tells a tale of people who didn’t care to be around one another.
Outside the show, photos of the castmates at public events and hanging out in general reveal they are friendlier and closer than portrayed.
It goes to show that reality TV is heavily edited for drama: innocent words turn into venomous insults with clever removals of context.
Duck Dynasty Men Didn't Have Beards
The men of Duck Dynasty didn’t always have beards. The facial hair on the main men were iconic and made them instantly recognizable. Before fame took over their lives because of their reality show, the men of Duck Dynasty were usually clean-shaven!
Alan Roberts joked that A&E added a clause in casts’ contracts that obligated the men to keep the beards at a certain length and maintain them throughout the year. Does that make you wonder what else A&E made the Robertson men do because of contractual obligations?
The show was built around family drama - with a minor in their business - and it should make you scrutinize Duck Dynasty on what the Robertsons did on their own and what A&E wanted them to do.
Rob Holcomb From 60 Days In Smiles
To show viewers how bad jail really is in A&E’s reality show about prison life, 60 Days In, Robert Holcomb went undercover at the Clark County Jail. The show takes volunteers to go to prison for 60 days. Holcomb’s episode showed how the inmates were complete animals and that Holcomb himself was going to be attacked. Certain scenes even portrayed Holcomb as “crazy” around the other inmates.
Holbcomb claims this was all because of the heavily editing that took place to “trick viewers.” Holcomb reports that he pretended to act insane, but A&E used that to their advantage for ratings. “I was there to entertain,” Holcomb said. He said the inmates were “the nicest group of people I had been around my entire life.”
While this could make you question 60 Days In’s legitimacy, you probably question other A&E reality shows now.
Jarret Joyce Different From Shipping Wars Persona
From a previous entry, Shipping Wars reportedly edited scenes to portray people differently than they were in real life. One of the cast members provided comic relief and entertainment by getting "edited" as a “goof.” Jarrett Joyce was known as “The Rookie” on Shipping Wars, despite being the cast member on the show the most. Fans took to his laid-back nature and quirky phrases spoken on the show.
Joyce has stated “the network played a lot of it up for entertainment.” But in real-life, Joyce is quite a different man.
He has a deep understanding of politics, the economy, and more.
He also reads and writes a lot of poetry in his spare time. If A&E decided to make Joyce a simpleton, how did the network change the other cast members? If they did it for one person, it’s reasonable to think they did it for another.
Paranormal Investigators Not Concerned With Continuity
Numerous pieces of evidence exist that the A&E ghost-hunting show Paranormal State was fake. From claiming a dug-up dog was the product of devil worshippers to clear visual cues they didn’t hunt at night when they said they were, Paranormal State drummed up the drama and strange fakeness in droves.
Sometimes, not even serious paranormal investigators take things seriously while filming. You’d think they’d find a way to keep the fakery to a minimum, but when a ghost who was born before cell phones texts a client “666,” you know something’s up.
One client came forward in 2008 to provide testimony about how fake the show was. Crew members became "unknown figures" clients saw, producers and investigators of the show film at locations without the client’s knowledge, and time stamps didn't match up with filming. Continuity is important to stave off feelings of deception.
Dave Hester Sues Storage Wars
How fake is Storage Wars? If you ask one of the cast members, Dave Hester, it’s “far from realistic.” In 2012, Hester sued A&E and the producers of the show for wrongful termination. He claimed the show staged items in the lockers and even forced Hester to provide items himself at his expense. This procedure is called “salting” in the auction world. This is to help the stars who couldn’t compete with the richer buyers.
When Hester began his complaints, the producers stopped the practice, but resumed it in season 2 and 3 when the show prohibited the buyers from using their own locks. This meant staging could occur without the buyer’s permission. A&E and the production company have always stated Storage Wars is 100% genuine, but they never denied the staging allegations, even saying it’s a common practice.
Duck Dynasty Real Life Vs Reality Show
In Duck Dynasty, cast members showcased their strong, Christian values (especially the patriarch, Phil) to the world. They were vocal and firmly stuck by their ideals. Some of the stars’ past issues (and some during airing) were mostly kept off the show. Was this so A&E stayed away from the hypocrisy and kept the Duck Dynasty cash train on the tracks?
Phil Robertson has said men should marry women far too young. He also made homophobic comments during an interview, which caused A&E to suspend him. Al Robertson reportedly used substances and had an affair with a married woman. Al’s wife Lisa, in the 1990s, had an affair also.
Some of the cast talked about past problems before they starred on the show, but their actions while on the reflected the Robertson’s status as the perfect, lightly-dysfunctional family.
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What A&E shows are different for you now? Let us know in the comments!