Top 10 Craziest Live TV FAILS of 2021
#9: Dog Steals Microphone
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We’ve probably seen too many instances of people deliberately interrupting news broadcasts, but what about man’s best friend? In April 2021, reporter Nadezhda Serezhkina was giving a live weather update in Moscow when a golden retriever suddenly entered the shot and relieved her of her microphone. Serezhkina then chased down the dog - said to be named “Martin” - and completed the broadcast with the slightly damaged mic. Martin too returned for the shot, as Serezhkina made sure to make the best of a funny situation. Looks like Martin just wanted to play fetch and found the quickest way to get someone’s attention.
#8: Back to You, Satan
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Don’t you just hate it when you’re doing a news broadcast and the devil literally gets in the details? Well, that happened in August 2021 - sorta - when the Australian Broadcasting Company accidentally inserted the wrong clip into their feed. During an otherwise serious story about police canines, the footage suddenly went from shots of masked individuals to a Satanic ritual. Now before you start thinking darker forces were at play, it should be mentioned the inserted footage seems to come from another segment done by “Seven News” earlier in the year, which covered the Satanic Temple lobbying for Satanism to be taught in schools. Whatever the case, kudos to ABC presenter Yvonne Yong for continuing as if nothing had happened.
#7: Sean Hannity Vaping
In recent years, vaping has become an increasingly more popular alternative to traditional cigarettes, and apparently one of its converts includes Fox News political commentator Sean Hannity. During Hannity’s eponymous program, the host was seemingly unaware the commercial break had ended, and could be seen puffing on the device. Hannity soon became wise to the situation, and quickly disposed of the item before uttering a meek, “Uh-oh.” Of course, Hannity then began the next segment, but that didn’t stop his colleague Laura Ingraham from poking fun at him as soon as he turned it back over to her. Hannity shrugged it off by saying, “Enjoy it, everybody, at my expense.” We are, Sean. We are.
#6: A Show Called “You”
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One of the most captivating thriller TV shows on right now has to be “You.” No, not you you, but the Netflix show called “You.” We’re sure this kind of confusion has sprouted up numerous times, but never so infamously than on Fox News in November 2021. During a segment, Raymond Arroyo attempts to make reference to the show before being cut off by a perplexed Laura Ingraham. The two go on for quite some time, but many were skeptical as to the authenticity of it. “You” star Penn Badgley was quick to call it out, and Arroyo himself later admitted the bit was planned. If you’re gonna do a “You’s on First” routine, you should probably be named either Abbott or Costello.
#5: Meteorologist Multiplication
We’ve gotten a plethora of green screen-related blunders during weather reports on news broadcasts, and if this is any indication, they’ll never not be funny. In May of 2021, meteorologist Jennifer McDermed attempted to do a weather segment for the Minnesota area when suddenly she and the graphics started to multiply. There being nothing she can do, McDermed rolls with it, making sure the viewers are at least entertained as the tech crew scrambles to correct the mistake. Even once the program gets back on track, McDermed and her colleagues simply can’t contain themselves, and you know what, neither can we.
#4: “I Gotta Pee”
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You know, we all gotta go to the bathroom every once in a while, but we usually don’t sing about it. When the Fox News show “The Five” came back from commercial break in March of 2021, apparently not all five of them were actually aware of this fact. Greg Gutfeld, oblivious, suddenly breaks out into song to let us know what’s at the forefront of his mind. His co-hosts futilely try to get his attention before carrying on without him. Of course, they made sure to rib Gutfeld afterward, who even took to Twitter later to assure us that his bathroom excursion was indeed successful.
#3: McCarthy Completes Trump
January 2021 was a controversial month for former US President Donald Trump, between the raid on the Capitol Building to handing the office over to Joe Biden to his second impeachment. But if there was any comedic relief to be had, it came from MSNBC. Brian Williams cues up a supposed clip of Trump meeting with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, but that’s not what we get. As most anyone will tell you, that’s not Donald Trump and Kevin McCarthy, but rather Tom Cruise and Renée Zellweger from the movie “Jerry Maguire.” The famous clip lines up so perfectly with what preceded it, and guests Baratunde Thurston and Bill Kristol can’t help but crack smiles.
#2: Kitler
Oof, where to begin with this one. You would think that a news segment about cute kitties couldn’t possibly be controversial, but never underestimate the twisted imaginations of pet owners. During her weekly Saturday segment called “Caturday” - in which a fan-submitted cat picture is shown - Kansas City meteorologist Alena Lee spotlighted a white cat with a moustache-looking patch of black named “Kitler.” Though Lee compares the cat to that of Charlie Chaplin, the unfortunate inspiration for the name is more than clear. Lee later apologized for the oversight in a later broadcast, but we’d like to hear from whoever got their joke aired at her expense.
#1: Tour de France Pileup
This was the live TV blunder heard round the world. Though the Tour de France has had its fair share of controversy over the years due to contestants, this time it was a spectator that caused a scene. On the very opening stage of the race, an unnamed woman leaned out onto the track to show off a handmade sign to TV cameras. However, her back was to the action, and German cyclist Tony Martin was the first to catch her off-guard. This naturally caused a huge pileup, one of the worst ever, forcing two riders to withdraw from the competition and eight others to be treated for injury. The woman, after turning herself in some days later, has since faced lawsuits.
