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Ricki Lake was a daytime tabloid talk show hosted by American actress Ricki Lake.^[1] The show specialized in sensationalist topics involving invited guests and incorporated questions and comments from a studio audience. It was taped at the Chelsea Studios in New York City.^[2]

The show debuted in syndication on September 13, 1993 and ended first-run episodes on May 25, 2004 (though the series continued in reruns through the summer until August 27, 2004). The show was renewed for the 2004-2005 TV season, but Lake decided not to continue with the show, opting to spend more time with her family. Sony did not issue any comments when the show was cancelled.

In October 2005 Broadcasting & Cable magazine reported that Lake might return to do a 'new' version of her show. A source said it would be a surprise if there wasn't a deal struck by October 2005. If it were to have happened, it would have likely debuted in September 2006. Ricki did not appear at the 2006 NATPE convention to pitch the proposed program to television stations in the United States in January, 2006, only furthering speculation that there wouldn't be a show. In a 2009 interview on CNN, she was asked about what was next for her. Lake noted that a follow-up documentary is coming out, and that she's in talks to do another talk show.^[3]

In 1994, the show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host, but Oprah won the award. Other awards the show has garnered includes the Gracie Allen Award, PRISM Certificates & Commendations, and many more.

Behind the scenes of Ricki Lake

Ricki Lake

The methodology for securing guests on the show, common to many shows similar to it, was as such:

• Producers would brainstorm and come up with a show title or theme, such as "Sexy Secrets Revealed."
• During an aired episode of the program spots would run for shows in pre-production. The goal was to recruit persons who may have a situation in their life that fits with the proposed topic and get them to appear on the show. An example "Do you have a sexy secret that you're keeping from someone in your life? Is there a friend, lover or family member who needs to know your sexy secret? Call 1-800-GO-RICKI (467-4254) and you could be on the show!"
• Messages left on the voicemail for the hotline would be screened and the most promising prospects would be contacted by a production assistant. The potential guest would be interviewed about their situation and urged to go into detail about how their situation relates to the proposed topic.
• Potential guests would be whittled down to a selected few. The show was then altered in theme, if it had to be, according to the guests who were chosen. The guests, and any other people associated with their story who were scheduled to appear on the program, were confirmed.
• Guests appearing on the show were booked airfare to New York City. They were provided with sedan and/or limousine service between the airport and their home, between the airport and their hotels (for which hotel bookings the company also paid) and between the hotel and the television studio. They were given fifty dollars per day for their time in New York. They were flown in early, on the day before taping was scheduled to take place, so they would have "a day in the city" (on their own).
• The guests were brought to the television studio on the morning of their second day in New York. They were then sent to specific "green rooms," inside which they were briefed in more detail on how the show would be taped. One of the producers then sat down with each guest to reiterate the story the guest would tell, including emphasis on various phrases or statements the guest might have made during pre-interviews which the producer felt would get a good response on television.
• Guests were given an appearance and confidentiality contract to sign. It specified, among other things, that the program being taped had a tentative title and theme, either of which could change at any minute; and that they agreed to this regardless of the outcome.
• The show was recorded in real-time and took approximately 80 minutes to complete. Lake came into the audience for taped segments, and during the paused portion (where commercial breaks were inserted) she left the audience to consult with producers. The final show was aired approximately one month later.

(Depending on the theme of the show and the type of taping needed to satisfy the outline of the topic, certain variables in this pattern could and sometimes did change.)

Phony guests

All guests were warned that if it was discovered that they were lying, they would be sued for the full amount of the production of any one episode of the show (each cost about $80,000 to produce). They were further warned that if they attempted to back out at any time, their plane ticket home would be revoked and they would have to get home on their own. Most of these incidents would result in the guest being escorted off stage, out of the studio, and their trip home cancelled by the production company.

One example of this incident happened in 2000, during the series' seventh season, when three guests were exposed on-air as phonies after the producers discovered that they fabricated their story and were escorted out by security. Director Bob McKinnon interrupted Ricki during the moment that she was questioning the guests, informing her that there was something she needed to know. So one of the show's producers, Andrew Scher, walked out and showed Ricki a note that the ticket agent had faxed to the show. The fax read, "When these people came to pick up their tickets, and I asked them what the show was going to be about, they said the story was about Aaron's boyfriend not having a job and being a bum, just so they can get a free trip to New York." Afterwards, Lake told them that they were busted and the show's security team, Sterling Protective Services, escorted them off the stage, as the audience hollered and chanted Ricki's name. That episode aired in syndication as Lake warned viewers what would happen if they (the guests) lied to the producers just to get 15 minutes of fame. Ironically, the show's topic that featured that aforementioned incident was about "Freeloaders."

Another example of guests being exposed as phonies happened in the 11th season during the show "Ricki's FPI: Disappearing Husbands", where a woman claimed she had substantial evidence that her "husband" was cheating and wanted the show's Foxy Private Investigators (FPI) to track him down and determine if this was true. It was during this segment that the show's producers found out they were making up the story for a free trip to New York, and got them to take lie detector tests, which they failed (though the staff already had a pretty good idea that the guests were trying to scam the show). They still insisted they weren't lying and were escorted off the stage by Ricki's security team, Knight Security. Footage of them leaving the studio and walking with suitcases to go and get the bus, instead of being taken to the airport for the flight, was shown during the closing credits.

Popularity around the world

The show was also popular in other countries, especially in the United Kingdom where it aired on Channel 4, and is now aired daily on ITV2, in Australia where she was seen on both the Seven and Ten Networks, and in the Netherlands where it aired on SBS6. Even though it has been out of production, the show is still seen in various places around the world such as Sweden (TV3), South Africa and the Middle East. It is still currently aired in Ireland on TV3, weekdays at 12.55pm.

Production/distribution

Garth Ancier and Gail Steinberg were the original executive producers. Michael Rourke moved into the executive producer role in 2002, during the 9th season, with Michelle Mazur, a former producer in the 90's of the show, moved into the role of co-executive producer at the start of the 10th season.

The theme was written by Jellybean Benítez.

The show was produced by The Garth Ancier Company in association with Columbia Pictures Television (later Columbia TriStar Television and currently Sony Pictures Television).

Topicality

Lake's talk show sometimes covered serious topics including: "Bad Men, Desperate Woman" (about domestic violence), "The Catacomb People" (about people who make their home in NYC's subway system) and "Teens on Death Row."

Satire

Lake's talk show has often been the butt of satire. It was repeatedly parodied during the 1990s on Saturday Night Live, with male cast member Jay Mohr impersonating Lake in drag. In addition, it was mentioned in the chorus of the hit 1998 song "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" by The Offspring: "So if you don't rate, just overcompensate, at least you'll know you can always go on Ricki Lake." It is also mentioned in the 2004 hit by Australian band Butterfingers, "I Love Work", as well as "Strong" by Robbie Williams, "Hole in the Head" by Sugababes and "Little White Lie" by Tanya Stephens. It was also mentioned in an episode of the TV show Family Guy entitled Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater, in which Brian, attempting to rehabilitate Peter in the ways of a gentleman, electrically shocks Peter every time he looks at a television showing an episode of Ricki Lake.

References

External links

• Ricki Lake at the Internet Movie Database