‘The Jerry Springer show ambushed my mother – then she was murdered’
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During it 27-year run, The Jerry Springer show had no shortage of shocking exchanges on air. The NBC talk show hit screens in 1991 and while it was initially considered unremarkable, a push by producers to ensure it wasn’t cancelled saw it embrace a shift to salacious stories, which then saw ratings skyrocket.
From cheating, incest and even bestiality, the show welcomed guests from across America willing to discuss their unusual, and sometimes illegal, relationships. However, it was a pressure cooker for many as secrets were brought to light, with people frequently coming to blows and attacking each other on stage after airing their dirty laundry.
As one critic recalled of the jaw-dropping scenes: ‘It was like the modern version of the Roman Colosseum.’. Another said it was the ‘worst TV show of all time’, however its presenter Springer didn’t seem to mind and went on to proudly use that tagline to introduce the programme at the start of each episode.
![[A Jerry Springer Show guest was murdered while watching a tape of herself on the programme. Nancy Campbell Panitz (pictured here on the show), 52, appeared on the show, accused of stalking her ex-husband and his new wife. The programme was taped in May and broadcst on Monday. It brought Mrs Campbel Panitz face-to-face with her love rival and revealed how the trio were in dispute over a house-where Mrs Campbell Panitz was later found killed. Sarasota police have issued arrest warrants for Mr Ralf Panitz and wife Eleanor. SPLASH Ref: KS 260700]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IP_1000207-fa60-e1735404635612.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Across the 3891 episodes, some of the wildest were titled ‘My Baby Daddy Has 12 Other Kids’, ‘Wild Sex with Your Sis’, ‘I Slept With 251 Men in 10 Hours!’ and ‘I Married A Horse!’. At one point, members of the Ku Klux Klan were even invited to appear.
![[Death on the Jerry Springer show 24 hrs after this show aired Nancy Campbell-Panitz (dark dress) was dead and her former husband Ralf Jurgen-Panitz and his new wife Elinor Marie sought in connection with her murder. SPLASH Ref: KS 260700 video grab]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IP_1001114-e1735404718888.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
However, in 2000 things took a deadly turn after a woman was murdered on the very day her episode went to air. Her story is detailed in the new Netflix documentary series, Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action, which ‘goes behind the scenes of America’s most controversial talk show to expose its biggest scandals, both on- and off-camera’.
