There's Lots of Evidence to Suggest That 'Cheaters' Is Totally Scripted

I hate to break it to you, but it turns out that not everything on "reality TV" is actually real, especially when it comes to some of the more shocking things that occur on them. Whether it's that cringe-inducing "fight" on Airplane Repo, or the claims that To Catch a Cheater hired actors for scripted storylines, there's plenty of examples of shows claiming to be "veritas" are actually faked. But is this the case with one of the OG infidelity programs of the early aughts, Cheaters?

Even if you've never seen an episode of Cheaters then you've probably heard of that infamous episode where the host of said show gets stabbed on a boat. The image of Joey Greco looking up to the heavens with his hands clutching his stomach as he bleeds out is one that not many people will ever forget.

It's so infamous that if you Google "what episode of cheaters ..." Google autocompletes "is the stabbing."

If you're not familiar with the show then the premise is simple: Folks who suspect their significant other of cheating on them enlist the help of Joey Greco and his production crew, who then do some snooping and try to capture said cheater in the act. It's shallow, guttural stuff, and a topic that humanity's been obsessed with since forever. We're talking Greek dramas since before Jesus dealt with this very same subject matter.

However, Ancient Greeks probably dealt with more real-world stabbings than the production crew of Cheaters, as the entire sequence of events on the show is believed to be completely staged with fake blood and everything.

According to The Cinemaholic, several people who were featured on the show were interviewed and they said that they were given $400 a day to appear on the program, the Houston Press reports.

One "cast member" who appeared on the program also said that a private detective they spoke with on the show stated that many of the scenarios on the program were actually the real deal — but that they had supplemented production with "ringer" episodes.

But many believe that's not true either, as it's much easier to schedule and shoot a production with a set storyline of scenarios. Plus, you know how the saying goes: Once a cheater, always a cheater.

Then there was the infamous "stabbing" episode that shows the man who attacked Joey Greco being carted away by police officers. Well, Inside Edition did some digging and couldn't find any arrest records for the assault. They also spoke with an actor who appeared in the episode who went on to say that the whole thing was basically a work.

What's even more is that there aren't any records indicating that a legitimate EMS ambulance was called to cart Joey away for his injuries either. Despite the fact that the producers of the show maintained the veracity of Cheaters, as does host Joey Greco, there really doesn't seem to be any evidence to solidify that the program was real.

Greco declined to appear in an interview about the truth of the program with investigative reporter Matt Meagher, stating that he legally could not.

So is Cheaters scripted? Well, while no one will admit it, I'd just apply the same logic to catching a cheater. If all of the evidence points to the fact that they're lying to you, then they probably are.