Dr. Phil (TV Series) - Notable Shows

Notable Shows

• In a show that aired on May 2, 2005, twin sisters Jocelyn and Crystal Potter appeared. Crystal claimed to want to "work" in the adult industry together with Jocelyn, who rejected the idea as repulsive. Brothel owner Dennis Hof was interviewed and stated that the two could make half a million dollars per year in his establishment. But the sisters's testimony proved to be less than truthful: beginning in 2002, they appeared as the "Potter Sisters" in numerous pornographic films together, and in 2003, they even appeared together with Hof in the porn film Goin' Down At The Bunny Ranch. This show received much criticism due to the perceptions of hypocrisy, as even though McGraw was an outspoken critic of pornography, his own son Jay McGraw was married to Erica Dahm, a Playboy Playmate, who was notable for performing with her two other, identical triplet sisters.

• The Dr. Phil House was set in an actual house within the Wilshire Park neighborhood in Los Angeles. It received numerous complaints from neighbors about the disruption caused by filming crews, the guests, cables and production trucks clogging the neighborhood and the constant traffic caused by filming. After the Los Angeles City Council revoked film permits, in September 2006, Dr. Phil stopped filming there. However, "Peteski" Productions, the show's production company, which drew its name from the nickname of one of McGraw's sons, retained ownership of the house. The Dr. Phil House later moved to a studio back lot, and the interior of the house shown in the program became that of a sound stage and ceased to be that of the actual house.

• In 2006, a confidence scam was discovered, involving a psychic shop that fraudulently represented Dr. Phil. The women running the scam had set up a phone line that they claimed was run by the director of Dr. Phil. By telling customers that they could have a phone conversation with McGraw for $750 an hour, they scammed Dr. Phil's viewers out of thousands of dollars. McGraw himself disowned any connection to the scammers.

• On December 12, 2006, the show featured a segment on Bumfights and attacks on the homeless across America. But McGraw discontinued an interview, before asking any questions, with the creator and distributor of the video series, who had styled himself in a manner similar to Dr. Phil. He was forced off the set by Paramount Studios security guards as the studio audience clapped and cheered.