Top 10 Most Iconic Maury Moments
#10: Backstage Drama
“Maury” is typically full of tension, both for viewers and the guests. Quite frankly, it’s surprising that backstage fights don’t occur more frequently. However, when they erupt, they erupt with a fury unlike anything seen on reality TV. This segment started like many others, with Amanda wanting to know if Neri was the father of her child. After Neri was confirmed to be the father, a major fight broke out on stage and then continued backstage, containing a lot of unintelligible screaming that required constant bleeping. It was like the Jerry Springer scene from “Austin Powers” brought to life, only it wasn’t nearly as funny. Well, still funny we suppose, but in a different way.
#9: Scout Parties While Monique Cries on the Couch
We hate to make entertainment out of people’s misery, but this is why Maury is on the air. After finding out that he is not the father of Monique’s child, Scout parties like it’s 1999. He runs through the crowd, does literal flips of joy, and dances on stage, all while Monique runs backstage and cries on the couch. It’s a hilarious juxtaposition of happiness and sorrow, but it gets even better when Scout emerges backstage and runs past the camera, Maury, and Monique, while still in an obvious state of bliss. Luckily, the story has a bizarrely happy ending, as Scout and his sister hug Monique in a show of support, despite their obvious glee in his not being her baby’s daddy.
#8: White Parents, Mixed-Race Kids
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Did you really need to go on “Maury” to figure this one out? In this bizarre segment, white woman Amanda has her white fiancé James DNA tested to determine if he fathered her clearly mixed-race children. Amanda says that she didn’t cheat on James, which... come on. Did she really think he would believe that? Unsurprisingly, James doesn’t believe that they are his children, and even more unsurprisingly, he is not the father. This “revelation” leads Amanda to cry backstage and scream “there’s no way!” when there is... totally a way. Just admit that you cheated and let’s move on. What a waste of time for everyone involved.
#7: Chicken Tetrazzini
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It’s not all screaming and crying on “Maury.” Sometimes it’s just good old-fashioned fun, like enjoying a communal lunch of chicken tetrazzini. Well, OK, it still starts with drama, as Alycia believes that her boyfriend Paul is cheating on her with her best friend Dominique because Dominique made Paul chicken tetrazzini. The original episode became an internet phenomenon, and tons of memes, including a remix, were created. It became such a phenomenon that both Alycia and Dominique made the signature dish for a recap episode, and their chicken tetrazzini was served to the audience. Sometimes “Maury” borders on the surreal. And now we’re hungry.
#6: Chad Is the Father of 1 Twin
If you need more examples of “Maury’s” surreal nature, let us tell you the story of Chad and the twins. This story begins with Vena giving birth to fraternal twins. Well, let’s backtrack a little. First, Vena cheated on Chad and slept with an ex-boyfriend, then gave birth to twins. Now Chad wants to know if he is the biological father. In a plot twist you would call bogus if it was in a movie, it’s revealed that Chad is the father of ONE twin, a rare event called superfecundation. The reveal sends Maury into visible disbelief, and we don’t blame him. This is just extraordinary, and extraordinarily heartbreaking for poor Chad.
#5: Angelique
In this episode, Maury speaks to Nicole, who took in her younger sister Angelique 4 years ago. Angelique works as a sex worker, constantly gets into fights, bites Nicole, and even beats Nicole’s five-year-old son. Angelique shows no remorse for her actions and shows pride in her prostitution, even admitting that she sold her body for a double bacon cheeseburger. As for the abuse towards her nephew, she proudly states that she doesn’t care. We have no idea why Nicole didn’t kick her sister out of her house a long time ago.
#4: Simone Is 130% Sure
Now these are the ridiculous kinds of stories we tune into “Maury” for. In this episode, Simone returned for the SIXTH time to test a fourth man regarding the paternity of her child. She was 130% sure that Freddy was the biological father. In fact, she was so sure and excited that she began to dance while Maury read the results. To Simone’s surprise, Freddy was not the father, causing her to drop to the floor and knock over a pot in the process. And for those curious, Simone has returned numerous times to the show and has tested eleven men, none of whom were confirmed to be the father.
#3: “I TOLD YOU!”
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The best parts of “Maury” are the reactions of the supposed fathers. Some are respectful. Most hop up and down like they’ve won the lottery. And some jump around AND taunt the woman who brought them on the show. Brian is so confident that he is not the father that he asks Maury “wassup” when Maury addresses him, causing him to break his usually stoic character and laugh. Once the truth is revealed, Brian screams “I TOLD YOU!” and does an odd jig in front of the mother, causing her to push him into the producers and cameramen. Sure, it was a pretty rude of him, but that dance was freaking hilarious.
#2: Sholonda
If you thought Simone’s story was out there, you haven’t seen anything yet. A woman named Marisol tested seventeen men to see if they fathered her six children and only found fathers for three of them. (xref) However, the reigning champion for “Maury” appearances is Sholonda, who has appeared on the show fifteen times. She has had 19 DNA tests done on several men to find the father of her daughter Kayla. And guess what? Not a single one, not even her husband - who fathered her other two children - were confirmed to be the poor girl’s daddy. Each appearance makes for amazing (and amazingly awkward) TV. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Back for the Tenth Time Cotton Ball Man Isaac Taunts the Audience Scared Of Balloons A Gazillion Percent
#1: Andrew’s Dance
Is there a more iconic moment in “Maury” history than Andrew’s famous dance? In this classic “Maury” episode, a woman has Andrew on for a paternity test. It doesn’t go well for her, but Andrew clearly couldn’t be happier to hear the news. He ecstatically jumps up and down and proceeds to do a little jig on stage, much to the delight of the audience. This became one of the internet’s earliest memes back in 2005, as the dance was made into parodies, GIFs, and endless photoshopped images. It even helped popularize the phrase “You are not the father,” which is of course now synonymous with “Maury.” It’s a timeless piece of internet history.
