The Maury Show Has Illinois Ties, We All Want To Know If It’s Scripted

If you were to ask a room full of people what they know about The Maury Show you would likely hear "you are ... NOT the father!" or something close to it. Sadly, after 31 seasons, the show is ending.

To be honest, I had no idea the show was still on television. I also did not know there were other episodes other than paternity tests, it felt like that's all there were.

As of this article, there have been more than 2,500 episodes of The Maury Povich Show, Maury, and The Maury Show. Yes, the same show with three name variations.

ILLINOIS' CONNECTION TO MAURY

No, Illinois is NOT the father of the sho but someone from Rockford had ties to the show. This isn't about a guest of the show, though it wouldn't be shocking if someone from the city landed on an episode.

Before we get to the "real or fake" question, the connection between Rockford, IL, and The Maury Show lies within something viewers do not see on camera and might even know exists.

SPOILER ALERT!

According to a now-deleted RRstar article, a Guilford High School alumni may have worked at The Maury Show as a production assistant.

Get ready for show likes to potentially be ruined for you.

If you have never been sat in the audience for a show like this one, The Jerry Springer Show, or The Steve Wilkos Show, you're about to encounter what could be a major spoiler.

On the set, someone from the production team is standing out of the view of the camera letting the audience know when to cheer and when to boo. This is the supposed role of the Rockford grad but the original news report was wiped from RRStar's website. (You find a similar article here.)

IS THE WHOLE SHOW FAKE?

That is a question some have wondered about for years and, while some like to say with authority (or lack of) that it is, several articles argue against that theory.

In an interview with PEOPLE, Povich, the show's host and one of the executive producers, said it is absolutely real. He explained the effort that goes into booking guests for the show.

“My show is for real, and these people, we check them out. I operate like a news room. We have seven production teams and they look at these stories, they check them out back in their hometowns, they talk to their friends, they talk to their family members. This is real stuff.”

For your enjoyment, here are the best paternity shows on Maury in 2021.