There was a time when embarrassing mishaps on live TV had a relatively short shelf life.
But in today's terminally streaming world, these moments have achieved immortality, destined
to be shared until the end of time.
Sit back and embrace the awkwardness that has been bestowed on our TV screens over the
years.
War on weather
If you ask weatherwoman Teresa Mannion about Ireland's unpredictable weather, you'll be
primed and ready to stare right into the cruel eye of the apocalypse itself.
"Don't make unnecessary journeys!
Don't take risks on treacherous roads!
And don't swim in the sea!"
As Storm Desmond raged along Ireland's West coast in 2015, Mannion was in the trenches,
soaked to within an inch of her life, but ready for battle.
"Incredibly, people have been spotted in the water!
… Their actions are idiotic!"
She became a viral sensation almost instantly.
Obligatory dance remixes and countless other parodies were created mere hours after it
aired.
[Set to electronic music] "Don't make unnecessary journeys/don't take risks on treacherous roads"
"Don't make unnecessary journeys!
Don't take risks on treacherous roads!
And don't swim in the sea!"
Mannion was a good sport, admitting on Australia's The Morning Show that she loved the laughter
and creativity it inspired — and that ultimately, it was a message of safety being spread around
the world.
"Both today and yesterday…"
[Laughter]
The Mal Award
Former Australian Rugby League star Mal Meninga was not the most suitable contender for the
Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly elections in 2001, something pointed out by
...Mal Meninga.
During a televised interview with ABC Radio, Meninga, well, abandoned his political aspirations.
"I'm just a person out there, makin' sure that I was, um…
I'm b-------.
I'm sorry."
He instantly resigned, marking the shortest political career on record.
Satirical comedy group The Chaser started nominating politicians for the "Mal Award"
as part of its election coverage, intended to honor the greatest acts of political self-sabotage.
Nosedive
It's hard to know exactly what was supposed to happen during a Fox 5 News segment covering
the San Diego Yacht and Boat Show, but whatever it was, this was better.
"Here at the San Diego Yacht and Boat Show, good morning everybody.
I'm hanging out with my friend John.
Fox Five morning news starts- look over there."
"And it starts right now!"
What followed in the studio was just as good.
"...is your Fox 5 News."
[Laughter]
And then the re-emerged and undeterred "John" commandeered his mighty transport over the
pier like a wetsuited angel.
What a time to be alive.
Table trouble
You're never too old to act like a brat on live TV, as these two elderly Jordanian journalists
ably demonstrated on the talk show Seven Stars in 2014.
The two men got into a heated discussion about the civil war in Syria, and things got a little
out of hand.
[Yelling, arguing]
Stay classy!
Third one
According to the New York Times, Rick Perry's presidential bid was already on life support,
but when he took to the stage for this Republican presidential debate in 2011, he basically
took that bid and tossed it off a cliff.
"It's three agencies of government, when I get there, that are gone!
Commerce, education, and the um, what's the third one there, let's see."
What follows is the slow, excruciating disappearance of a man's presidential hopes and dreams by
his own hand.
"Uh, the, uh… commerce.
And let's see, I can't, the third one, I can't.
Sorry."
It's like that song title you just can't put your finger on, but with considerably higher
stakes involved.
"Oops."
Dropping the ball
Few performers have entertained a live audience quite as large as when Mariah Carey stumbled
and fumbled her way through disastrous renditions of "Emotions" and "We Belong Together" on
New Year's Eve 2016.
[Music] "Put these monitors on please."
It's hard to know what exactly went wrong on the night, or just how many people were
fired because of it, but Carey was having none of it.
"Whatever!
That was…"
As reported by the New York Times, her managers blamed the event organizers, the organizers
claimed everything was working fine on their end, and Carey herself just blamed everybody.
"We didn't have a soundtrack for this New Year's baby.
It's okay, you guys...and girls.
It just don't get any better."
Emotional support paper
BBC newsreader Simon McCoy is no stranger to live TV mishaps.
But he's probably best known for inexplicably holding a large ream of paper during a report
in 2013, and he can't seem to live that down.
"Problem drinking is on the increase, and action is needed to deal with it."
According to a BBC spokesperson at the time, McCoy had meant to pick up his tablet, but
accidentally grabbed the ream of paper instead ...and just decided to roll with it.
The incident was puzzling enough to tickle viewers around the world for years afterward,
prompting McCoy to tweet in 2017:
"IT WAS FOUR YEARS AGO, PEOPLE!
FOUR YEARS!!!!
MOVE ON.
I AM TRYING TO."
Here's to many more mishaps in the future.
"Sports news, over at the BBC…
I've just dropped something."
"What was that?"
"It's alright" "Oh, and again!"
"Well, that's good, sport!"
"It's not salvageable.
It was my career."
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