The Maury Show Canceled: A Look Back at the Wildest Moments

It’s been 31 years. Maury Povich‘s The Maury Show has held tight to a daytime slot for three decades, entertaining

Mar 21, 2022

It’s been 31 years. Maury Povich‘s The Maury Show has held tight to a daytime slot for three decades, entertaining viewers with dramatic tales of the human experience. From paternity questions (Who’s the Daddy?) to kids out of control and every other family drama in between, The Maury Show has long been a controversial staple for those needing some midday entertainment, but that’s all coming to an end. Here’s a look back at some of the craziest moments from 31 years of The Maury Show.

Chicken Chicken Chicken Chicken Chicken Tetrazzini

This episode of Maury may be one of the most iconic of all time. Alycia accused boyfriend Paul of sleeping with best friend Dominique. But what keeps Paul coming back to Dominique for sweet love – according to Alycia – may not be the bedroom. According to Alycia, it’s Dominique’s bewitching Chicken Tetrazzini recipe.

On air, Alycia laid it all out for Maury – including her theory about Paul’s hankering for Dominique’s family recipe. And the internet loved it. It even spawned a remix song although listen with caution, because it will be stuck in your head.

The good news is, Alycia and Dominique reconciled after they went mega-viral, and the better news: we know Domique’s addictive Chicken Tetrazzini recipe. Head on over to the Maury Wiki Fandom site to learn how to catch your very own Paul.

Twins With Different Daddies?!

As it turns out, a pair of twins can have different fathers. In a very rare event called heteropaternal superfecundation, two men’s sperm fertilize ovum in the same woman during the same ovulation cycle. This medical miracle was on full display – awkwardly, of course – on one Maury episode.

It was a heart-wrenching episode where Chad worried that his twins were not his – and brought his potential babies’ mom Vena on the show to find out the truth, because she admitted to sleeping with another man around the time she got pregnant. As it turns out, Chad was the father – of one of the twins. The audience wept along with Chad as he pled with fate to find out that both of the babies were his, and the jaw-dropping shock of finding out that he was only the father of one.

In the end, Vena sobbed and Chad spoke with Maury backstage, hyping him up and reminding him that he can love both children even if one isn’t biologically his.

Serial Paternity Testers

It’s not just one episode, but one of the most interesting recurring theme on Maury was people who just couldn’t figure out who their baby’s father was – even after more than a dozen tests. Considering the fact that – to be the father – the mother would have slept with them all within the same two weeks, it’s a reminder that some people’s lives are way more interesting than others.

Here are some of the most interesting and shocking repeat testers:

Sholonda: Sholonda returned over the course of 4 years and was able to find the father of 2 of her 3 children. Total number of potentials tested: 19.
Marisol: Marisol was on the show over the course of 12 years and found the fathers of 3 of her 6 children. Total tested: 17.
Kim: Kim came back to the show over the course of a year, but was not able to find any fathers for her 2 children. Total tested: 16.
Georgetta: Georgetta returned over 5 years and found 1 father out of her 3 children. Total tested: 14.
Tabitha: Over the course of four years, Tabitha was half successful, finding 1 father of her two children. Total tested: 13.

While it’s always interesting to watch the mothers return time after time and hope for that “you ARE the father” proclamation, it’s also somewhat heartbreaking. For the children, not knowing who your father is can be difficult. And for the women, putting your business on television for everyone to criticize – that’s not easy either.

But Maury’s “you are NOT the father” moments will go down in history as some of television’s greatest drama.

Most Unbelievable Phrases and Moments:

It’s hard to narrow down the most outrageous moments on Maury, because the show is itself an outrageous moment. But here are some of our favorites from throughout the years:

“I don’t cheat.” (Spoiler alert: she did).
“That can’t be my baby, she doesn’t look anything like me” (The baby looked just like him – it was his baby).
Kissing her feet live on TV: In order to make it up to Debbie for accusing her of cheating, Terry kissed her feet live on TV. Nervous sweats must not be a thing for Debbie’s feet – or Terry was really sorry.
“I was at the point where pinatas started to look real.” We’ve all been there, Maria.
Victory dances: Whether it’s a mom dancing because she’s happy about a paternity outcome or a potential father feels like he’s dodged a bullet – everyone brings their a-game victory dance on the Maury Show. There’s been breakdancing, twerking, and some other questionable moves that might actually be medical conditions.
Phobias: Maury wasn’t only known for sussing out who the daddy is, he also tackled other issues such as people with bizarre – and almost funny, if it weren’t so disruptive – phobias. Some highlights included a chicken phobia, a cottonball phobia, and pickles – among others. Maury seems to take the “sudden exposure” approach to dismantling phobias which means guests saw themselves chased by a cotton-ball-faced man, a man in a chicken suit and more questionable pseudo-psychiatry practices.

Out-of-control kids: Earlier in the show’s history, one of the most famous bits was when they’d bring teenagers or young kids on the show whose behavior was out of control. Maury brought a boot-camp behavioral expert on the show, and the kids were terrified straight. In light of today’s parenting atmosphere, it’s shocking – but maybe it worked. Only a few of the kids came back, after all.
People whose behavior embarrassed their loved ones: Whether it was the girlfriend who wore lingerie in public or a mom whose promiscuous dress humiliated her tween, Maury was happy to play mediator between family members who just wanted their loved ones to dial it down a notch.
Never flirt in the green room: One thing that so many of the show’s guests seem to have in common: they might not actually watch the show. If they did, they would know that it’s common for producers to place a sexy decoy in the green room to try to lure them into exposing bad behavior. And they just keep falling for it.

The truth is, everyone loves the Maury Mess. it’s a show that shocks, awes, breaks hearts and inspires hope – but mostly, it just brings the drama. While there has been proof over the years that some of the most outrageous guests were faking it for fame, more were genuine. That means that their lives were messy enough to make for entertaining TV – and for some, that’s a heartbreaking truth. For others – it’s probably a good reminder that keeping track of your intimate partners could be easier than going on national television for answers.

Maury says ‘Enough’

While long-time fans of the show are heartbroken over the fact that The Maury Show is ending, Povich is ready to retire. The 83-year-old former sportscaster is ready to enjoy the quieter side of life. People reports, “Shortly after PEOPLE confirmed that Maury will end production after this season, the 83-year-old host said in a statement that the decision to end the show was long-planned out and he is ready for retirement. ‘Six years ago when I was ready to retire, the NBCUniversal family asked me to continue the show,’ Maury said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. ‘Even though I told them I was ready for assisted living, out of loyalty to NBCUniversal and my more than 100 staff and crew members, [Executive Vice President of NBCUniversal Syndication Studios] Tracie Wilson and I agreed to one more deal.’

‘I’m so proud of my relationship with NBCUniversal and all those who worked on the Maury show,’ he added, ‘but as I occasionally tell my guests on Maury, ‘Enough, already!'”

That means that when you’re home sick, no longer can you turn on some Maury for a shot of drama therapy. But after 31 years of the wildest of humanity, Povich has more than earned his peace.