The Doctors is a talk show on CBS that focuses on health and wellness. It’s formatted to allow people to come to a panel of doctors with their health questions and have them answered on national television. This public display of personal stories and situations may seem like it can get complicated, and it certainly can, but it also dives into topics that many people in the world are struggling with that they may be ashamed to bring up.
When health and medicine was mixed with media, there was excitement, but there was also drama about whether or not displaying this kind of information on television is appropriate. There is also the battle between whether medical shows, such as The Doctors, actually know what they are talking about when it comes to medical diagnoses or if they’re just created for entertainment.
Although they have hit some rough patches, The Doctors stands strong in supporting the saying “you are not alone,” covering a huge array of medical issues including topics ranging from substance abuse to the color of your snot.
Is The Doctors the kind of show you are looking for? Are they medical professionals you could rely on for advice? Well, let’s uncover some of the behind-the-scenes secrets you may not already know about The Doctors.
Here are 15 Behind-The-Scenes Secrets About The Doctors.
15. The Doctors Was Originally A Spin-off Of Dr. Phil
In 2007, CBS began working with Jay McGraw, son of Dr. Phil, to launch a new series called The Doctors. According to Variety, Jay had been working with his father on the Dr. Phil show, when he realized they were receiving a ton of medical questions from their viewers. The Doctors was created to answer these questions being directed towards Dr. Phil.
“We basically created a genre that’s allowed us to bring people useful information in an entertaining way,” executive producer Carla Pennington told Variety.
The plan was for the doctors of The Doctors to appear on Dr. Phil throughout the current season, similar to how they featured Dr. Phil on The Oprah Winfrey Show before the premiere of Dr. Phil, to familiarize people with the concept and get people excited about what was to come.
14. The Doctors Are From All Different Backgrounds
The Doctors cast is loaded with medical professionals from a variety of fields, expanding upon the advice they are able to give to their viewers.
The main host of the show, Travis Stork, is an ER physician, working alongside co-host Dr. Andrew Ordon, who is a plastic surgeon. Nita Landry is an OBGYN, and Sonia Batra, a dermatologist, both of whom are also recurring co-hosts on the show.
The varying abilities of each gives The Doctors more topics to cover and endless availability to help just about anyone who has questions about their health.
On The Doctors' website, viewers can access full bios of the doctors and read into their experience in each field, which would give them more information regarding whether they should participate or not.
13. Travis Stork was "The Bachelor"
Travis Stork made his TV debut on season 8 of The Bachelor in 2006. Stork told The Doctors that he was out for a casual night with his fellow ER doctors when someone approached him to come be The Bachelor. Someone coming up to you on the street and telling you they want to fly you right to Paris because of your good looks has to be quite the confidence boost.
Stork ended up gifting his final rose to teacher Sarah Stone, but every rose has its thorns and the relationship fell apart quickly.
As an ER doctor, likely had Stork already received his fair share of Grey’s Anatomy references to “McDreamy" or "McSteamy”, but having a bachelor background really just puts the icing on the cake for this attractive physician.
12. Nita Landry Is Afraid Of Dogs
“I’ve been embarrassed about this for a really long time, but I am so afraid of dogs,” Landry said on The Doctors. Landry thinks this was a learned behavior because of the people she was surrounded with also having a fear of the four-legged canines, even admitting that she has “never pet a dog.”
When it comes to dogs, Landry doesn’t have much of debate between fight or flight -- it’s solely flight in her head. She said that when she’s walking down the street, she keeps her eye out for objects she can jump on just in case a dog comes by. Living in Los Angeles, dogs can be hard to avoid, and Landry says her own fear annoys her.
11. Aaron Carter's troubled appearance
“Aaron’s Party” got a little more complicated when the ex-pop singer started guest appearing on The Doctors to discuss his substance abuse. Carter has been very open on the show, even finding out the results of a medical test on air, but when it was recommended he seek out help in rehab, Carter was not happy.
TMZ reported that, at the suggestion of rehab, Carter stormed off stage and hopped in his car, driving from California to Florida. A rep for Carter told TMZ that Carter had actually left professionally, but they did not deny nor confirm his cross-country meltdown.
The “I Want Candy” singer went from being a teen heartthrob to a complete danger to himself and others. Although his medical results came back negative, The Doctors cast warned Carter that he was in an extremely fragile state and that his body was “hanging on by a thread.”
10. Just About Anyone Can Apply To Be On The Doctors If You’re Down To Get Personal
If you want to be on The Doctors, you just need to sign up on their website, but be warned that your personal information will be on TV. Going to the doctor is private for most people, but asking The Doctors for advice will be a completely different story, especially if you sign up for the on-air segments that are available to take part in.
For example, “Do you have a strange addiction?” If it was really that strange, you have to be brave to announce it on national television.
It takes a special kind of person to go up there and lay out their dirty laundry for a lot of people to share their views on, but if you’re okay with that you can apply to be on The Doctors.
9. Controversial Topics Have Turned Potential Guests Away
Some people have turned down The Doctors request for them to be on the show due to fear of being ridiculed for their personal decisions. It is hard to open up about your problems in front of others to begin with, but adding the media into the mix makes it much more difficult.
One particular viewer received a letter offering the opportunity to go on the show and defend mothers who decide not to vaccinate their child, a very controversial topic, especially at the time. The mother said in a blog post, “media stories are filled with propaganda that is designed to stir the pot.”
People have very extreme views on this topic and she would be correct to think the media getting involved may not welcome the kindest of comments. Controversial topics need to be handled carefully and the skepticism to discuss one’s personal decisions on TV is understandable.
8. The Doctors' Run-In With The Law
Back in 2010, three years after the premiere of The Doctors, the show found itself in the middle of a lawsuit. The Huffington Post reported on the case about Tyler Bowling, a 21-year-old man from Minnesota’s procedure on-air that caused him embarrassment and discomfort.
Bowling says that, when he contacted cosmetic surgeon Dr. William Groff for laser treatment of pimples, Groff offered to remove the blemishes free of charge if Bowling would discuss his condition on The Doctors.
After agreeing to the deal, Bowling stated that he was never aware of the live studio audience. Bowling expressed his discomfort, and it seems was assured this would be no big deal. Bowling ended up filing a lawsuit against Dr. Groff, La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Center, CBS Television Distribution, Stave 29 Media Productions, and Lumenis for an invasion of privacy and negligent misrepresentation, as well as fraud, emotional distress, and misappropriation of his likeness.
7. More Than One Run-In...
Seems that The Doctors faced some internal drama when The Doctors 2015 cast member Dr. Jim Sears was accused of threatening to end his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend's life. TMZ says that Sears threatened Pete Scalisi, the ex-boyfriend, when he came to pick up Sears’ current girlfriend up after she reported feeling uneasy in his presence.
Rumors flew about Dr. Sears leaving the show after these allegations, but he didn’t jump ship too quickly, sticking around on the show regardless of the negative press headed his way.
This wasn’t the only time Dr. Sears found himself in a bit of trouble, having to publicly apologize in 2013 due to insensitive comments he made on CNN about a transgender girl suing her school to be able to use to correct bathroom.
6. The Entire Cast Is Family-Oriented
The Doctors consider themselves one big family, even sharing in moments like producer Del Bigtree’s son taking his first steps on set. He shared the video with The Doctors viewers in an online promo about life behind-the-scenes.
They celebrate with one another through many milestones and accomplishments including marriage, engagement, childbirth, and success in education.
A lot of people are required to make a show like The Doctors happen and their unity with one another reflects on and off screen. No matter whether they are hosting, holding the cameras, or piecing together the final product, The Doctors staff is proud of the show and the impact it is having on their viewers, as well as the effect they have on one another as team members.
5. The Doctors Staff Members Have Benefitted From Health Advice On The Show, Too
It seems that the viewers of The Doctors are not the only ones being able to better their lives from the medical advice given on the show. Staff members behind the camera say that what they have learned on the show has positively impacted them and changed their lives for the better.
In a promo video made by The Doctors, Associate Producer Arielle Shapiro announces that she has lost 120 pounds since she started working on the show, mentioning that she learns new things from The Doctors every day.
Post-production supervisor Jeff Kimes says he had smoked a pack of cigarettes daily for 30 years, but a simple PSA created by the show turned him away from the habit and he has now been cigarette-free for over a year.
4. Free Health Advice Is Guaranteed, Warnings About Said Advice Is Not
There has been a lot of questions surrounding the information The Doctors give out on air and whether or not they have the means to be giving people medical advice. Sure, they’re doctors, but they’re also TV personalities who are being paid to sell the show.
Telling people how to solve their problems is easy, but they have failed to mention the risks associated with what they are recommending.
Ranit Mishori, M.D., told Health News Review that TV shows like The Doctors are one of the reasons why the American Medical Association enacted the “Ethical Physician Conduct in the Media” guidelines, highlighting the risks when medical advice is not conveyed in a manner that has the best interest of the patient in mind.
3. Medical Advice On The Show Doesn't Always Have Enough Credible Evidence
The “Ethical Physician Conduct in the Media” also notes whether or not the advice being given medically reflects “the standard of care.” As proven in countless experiments in history, people are quick to trust others of authority. Throw a lab coat on someone and everyone thinks they must know it all.
Raint Mishori, MD, worked on a project with her students at Georgetown University to research Dr. Oz and The Doctors to find out what percentage of their advice is actually credible.
They taped episodes of both shows over a month period, counting 300 health recommendations and picking a group of them to analyze. They found that on The Doctors, there were 9.55 health recommendations made per show, with only 13.1% of them including potential harms/risks, and found that 80% of the advice given was not backed up by the appropriate evidence.
2. Criticism of the show isn't always credible either
It is easy to jump on the bandwagon above and boycott The Doctors' health advice, but it is important to note that the studies done surrounding this information aren’t 100% credible themselves.
In a study similar to the one Dr. Ranit Mishori, MD conducted with her students, Christina Korownyk, Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta, also took to analyzing the shows credibility.
She acknowledged that the results of her experiment are not completely clear.
They didn’t look into specific cases, nor whether people had a positive or negative effect on their health from following the show. Korownyk said to Time, “What we’d love to see is a process on these shows where the evidence is reviewed in a critical manner, and presented in a balanced, objective way so the audience can understand.”
1. A Cast Member Reconstructed A Boy’s Head After The 2010 Earthquake In Haiti
The Doctors covers health and medicine in the lightest way possible, but is able to hit the switch and get more serious when they need to. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, The Doctors' cast took a trip to the island and Dr. Andrew Ordon, a plastic surgeon, reconstructed a boy’s head and scalp who had been injured in the disaster.
Since this, Ordon joined the Surgical Friends Foundation and travels to countries like India and Jordan to help out by performing reconstructive surgery on residents in need. The Doctors episode in Haiti features the young boy named Emmanuel, who thanks Dr. Ordon for what he has done for him. American Health & Beauty shared that Dr. Ordon visited Emmanuel in 2011, a year after the earthquake.
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Did we miss any behind-the-scenes details about The Doctors? Let us know in the comments!