Top 10 Craziest Live TV FAILS of 2020
#10: Drinking with a Mask On
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There’s nothing better than enjoying a cool drink after competing in a sport. But NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney ran into a little bit of a hurdle after completing a race earlier this year. While he was live on camera, he attempted to drink some water - through his mask. Instead of quenching his thirst, the liquid appeared to soak Blaney’s mask. Although he later claimed that he did this on purpose just to have fun, we still think the joke is on him for attempting this drinking method. Whether Blaney’s drink fail was an intentional move or not, we will still raise a glass to him for leaving us in stitches.
#9: Underdressed for the Weather
During a live news broadcast for WMAQ-TV in Chicago, the station decided to transition from a White House press conference into the weather report. But Meteorologist Paul Deanno wasn’t quite camera ready. Not only was he completely unaware that Chicago was watching him, but he also neglected to wear pants to work that day. Deanno’s bare legs shine on camera for just over ten seconds before he notices his mistake and cuts the camera feed. Although we sympathize with the act of not wearing pants while working from home, we'd recommend throwing on some slacks - or any other article of clothing longer than the shorts Deanno claims he was wearing - if you know you’re going to be on live tv. Otherwise, your weather forecast will have a hundred percent chance of embarrassment.
#8: Seacrest Falls for a Balloon
"Live with Kelly and Ryan" (1983-)
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Ryan Seacrest is a man of many talents. But catching balloons is apparently not one of them. During an episode of “Live with Kelly and Ryan”, Seacrest tries to catch a golden balloon falling from above. Unfortunately, he loses his balance, tumbles over his office chair and onto the show’s stage. His co-host Kelly and a crew member rush to his side to assess the damage. Luckily, Seacrest is all smiles. He even triumphantly holds up the balloon after the incident. We're glad he wasn't hurt during his failed catch attempt. If he was, we’d feel a lot more guilty about rewatching his fall on a constant loop every day.
#7: Justin Turner Celebrates After Getting COVID-19
When then-Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner found out he tested positive for the Coronavirus disease during the World Series, he agreed to leave the game and isolate himself. But when his team won the title later that day, he returned to the field. Live viewers watched him kiss his wife without a mask and take a photo with his teammates with an uncovered face. After news outlets called out his controversial decision, Turner explained and apologized for his actions. Although we understand why he wanted to celebrate this huge win with his teammates, he shouldn't have risked their health and safety by neglecting to wear a mask.
#6: NFL Players Get Booed
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Over the course of 2020, millions of people have protested racial injustice and promoted equality for all. The Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans aimed to continue that trend by promoting a message of unity. They planned for all the players to stand together and observe a moment of silence during their first live game. But once the athletes from both teams linked arms, the crowd started booing. The players continued to hold their composure as a chorus of negative reactions rang across the field. It was disheartening for viewers to see a peaceful display being treated so harshly. The crowd’s boos seemed to suggest that society hasn't achieved unity just yet.
#5: A Failure to Launch Zoom
“72nd Primetime Emmy Awards” (2020)
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You would think that making an award show into a completely virtual experience would make it pretty easy for all the nominees to attend. But that wasn't the case for the 72nd primetime Emmy Awards. There were multiple instances where the nominees didn't call into the show. Instead of live video feeds, we got static headshots of celebrities. We understand that famous people might have conflicts. But the virtual format made it more awkward and noticeable when someone failed to show up. The absent celebs should have done what Tracey Ullman did and hired Tracy Morgan to fill in for them.
#4: The Fire Fiasco
“72nd Primetime Emmy Awards” (2020)
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No-shows weren't the only Emmys fail in 2020. While presenting the award for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series, Jimmy Kimmel covered the awards envelope in disinfectant spray and lit it on fire in a trash can. Jennifer Aniston was supposed to immediately extinguish it. But the flames wouldn't go out so easily. After a few tries, and a voice yelling off camera to put it out, the garbage fire died down. But even if the gag had worked as intended, many people found that jokes about flames after 2020’s terrible U.S. wildfire season were in poor taste. Overall, this Emmys gag should have been left on the cutting floor.
#3: Elimination Mix-Up with Tyra Banks
“Dancing with the Stars” (2005-)
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Being marked safe from elimination on a competition show is a great feeling. But that relief was almost taken away live on air from one “Dancing with the Stars” couple. Host Tyra Banks originally told Monica Aldama and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy that they were safe. But when three couples were left standing onstage, a huge mistake was uncovered. Monica was actually supposed to be in the bottom two. She had to come back onstage with her partner to await her fate while two confused couples walked off camera. While Monica went on to survive her elimination, Banks proceeded to apologize multiple times for the incident. Hopefully, this big slip-up won't get the host eliminated from her hosting duties next season.
#2: Mike Milbury Makes an Inappropriate Comment On-Air
In 2020, the NHL chose to put its players in a “ bubble” where they would have limited access to see people who weren't directly involved with the games. Sports announcer and ex Boston Bruins player Mike Milbury decided to give his two cents about this decision during a live playoff game. He remarked that players inside the NHL bubble don’t have “any women to disrupt [their] concentration.” Milbury’s misogynistic comments received immediate backlash from the public and the NHL. He quickly apologized for what he said and decided not to work on the rest of the playoff games for the season. There was clearly no room in the NHL for Milbury’s distasteful attempt at a joke - nor for his disruptions.
#1: The Not-So Great Debaters
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The first 2020 presidential debate was nothing less than an absolute disaster. Both Joseph Biden and Donald Trump tried to talk over each other throughout the evening. They also traded insults like they were children on the schoolyard. Although moderator Chris Wallace tried to get the candidates to stay on track, Trump and Biden kept interrupting him and each other. The night was such a train wreck that mics were muted at certain points for the second debate. Although viewers may have disagreed on the issues or who they wanted to win, they could all agree on one thing: a presidential debate should never look like this.
