Well, it was almost the entire cast, as Diamond and Voorhies were notable absent. © 2020 E! I was not one of those kids. 30. Probably not, but that doesn't mean anything.". 21. Steve Urkel. "But Zack was a character that I was good at playing because I could manipulate my eyebrow to kind of give me a, for lack of a better word, a smirky douchey look. But Diamond wasn't the only one absent, as Haskins later admitted to Parade he was upset about not getting a call to join the reunion. In the early '90s, Saved By The Bell was a defining sit-com for teenagers who appreciated its often outrageous approach to real issues. Though Diamond would call his tell-all one of his biggest "disappointments," his greatest regret was his 2006 sex tape, titled Screeched – Saved by the Smell. When casting A.C. Slater, producers had a completely different vision in mind before finding Mario Lopez. Steve Urkel. Gosselaar also dated Berkley, a tidbit he revealed on Anna Faris' podcast, explaining, "You're in an environment—you know how it is," he said. In April 2019, Gosselaar, Thiessen, Lopez and Berkley got fans so excited when they went on a quadruple date with their respective significant others, sharing photos from their sweet reunion on social media. Disney Channel, however, took a chance and aired a 13-episode season from 1988-89 of a retooled Miss Bliss, recasting most of the roles and aging up the students to eighth grade. "In my stupidity, I thought, 'You know, I could totally fake this. "But Zack was a character that I was good at playing because I could manipulate my eyebrow to kind of give me a, for lack of a better word, a smirky douchey look. "People magazine did something with five cast members, but they didn't even talk about Mr. Belding, and Screech was kind of exiled because of his book," he said. 30. That's right, we're so excited and so scared to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Saved By the Bell's premiere, with viewers officially meeting the Bayside High gang on August 20, 1989. And another young actor who would go on to play a beloved '90s sitcom character was also featured: Jaleel White a.k.a. 5. ", As for A.C.'s infamous permed mullet, Lopez's mother actually did it for him. Great experience.". Oh, and A.C.'s real name? You know, I definitely got some money off of it but it wasn't worth what the fallout was. The location was changed from Indianapolis  to "the Palisades" in Los Angeles, and the characters were upgraded to high schoolers. At least three years younger than the rest of the main cast, Diamond wouldn't have been cast if producers had known his real age, Engel once revealed. While the rest of the cast had remained close over the years, Diamond lost touch and his tell-all was the final straw, with the troubled actor being left out of their reunion for the 20th anniversary set up by People magazine in 2009. Of course, with the constant carousel of changing relationships came the occasional on-set fights, with Gosselaar revealing to The Hollywood Reporter, "Sometimes we loved each other and sometimes we hated each other. "Italian kid, who was a street kid, who was an Army brat. 20. But the stars didn't actually return for the series finale. 11. "What fans don't know is that, when I originally wrote the episode with Tom Tenowich, Jessie was hooked on speed, not caffeine pills," Engel wrote in his memoir. 6. While Voorhies' publicist said her "intense work schedule" prohibited her from participating, Diamond's attorney told E! Just months before the reunion, Diamond had pleaded not guilty to stabbing a man in December 2014. Because of their demanding schedules and newfound fame, the cast missed out on a lot of normal high school experiences. The location was changed from Indianapolis  to "the Palisades" in Los Angeles, and the characters were upgraded to high schoolers. 12. ", 29. "We had already shot the graduation and that was supposed to be the end," Engel revealed. "When you're working on a set, and we were young, there's no one around, really. News at the time. After Miss Bliss' cancellation, NBC had a change of heart and felt that the show could actually work if the focus was placed on the kids rather than Miss Bliss, leading to what would become Saved By the Bell. On August 20, 2019, “Saved by the Bell” will turn 30 years old, which means most of the cast are now well into their 40s. 10. Here are 30 shocking secrets you might not know about Saved By the Bell... 1. (Bayside High forever!). "Sometimes the girls would gang up on the guys. Original Saved By The Bell cast reunite on show ... same time and that the cast would often smoke marijuana during filming. All of us dated at one point or another—it was incestuous!" Dustin is not one of those people," he told The Hollywood Reporter. With Lopez also revealing he dated one of his fellow cast members as well, leading to some on-set fighting and drama among the stars, leaving series creator Peter Engel to play producer and parent. "They kinda liked each other a bit," he spilled. Due to its low ratings, it was canceled after one season. Probably not, but that doesn't mean anything.". 18. But it seems the behind-the-scenes antics of the young cast—Mark Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani Thiessen, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley, Lark Voorhies and Dustin Diamond—were often far juicer than the somewhat tame storylines the show could get away with as a Saturday morning show. '", 16. "Poor deals, back then. "Everything that I've heard about his book is negative and I don't remember those things," Gosselaar told E! 27. Tiffani and Elizabeth would hate me, and then they'd hate Lark because Lark was talking to me, and Mario was supposed to side with someone. '", 16. It was my decision and I made a mistake. 26. (Thiessen would later join the show.). "When you're working on a set, and we were young, there's no one around, really. Voorhies told People she "wasn't able to go to my graduation or prom. But I can't say that I was capable at that age of following through on my noble intentions. 19. "We made really bad deals," Gosselaar admitted on Watch What Happens Live. Jessie's infamous caffeine pill addiction? It was very cute. Or Zack and Kelly? After filming what was originally intended to be the final season of Saved By the Bell, NBC decided to order more episodes. All rights reserved. Entertainment Television, LLC A Division of NBCUniversal. https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/26/entertainment/dustin-diamond-probation-hold Looking back now, in my 30s, I realize that was really dumb. In April 2019, Gosselaar, Thiessen, Lopez and Berkley got fans so excited when they went on a quadruple date with their respective significant others, sharing photos from their sweet reunion on social media. ", As for why he didn't bring the trio of girls to college, Engel explained, "I was trying to make it different than Bell and I think we made it too different. Haskins and Diamond were the only original cast members to join the spinoff, which also starred Bianca Lawson, Chuck's Sarah Lancaster, and One Tree Hill's Lindsey McKeon among its main cast. Who can forget when Haskins decided to surprise Thiessen during one of her Today show appearances, leading to a pretty awkward and uncomfortable few minutes of live television. Due to its low ratings, it was canceled after one season. A love story for the ages. Lopez captioned his pic of the group "Friends forever," with Gosselaar commenting, "Thanks for taking care of the bill!" (Thiessen would later join the show.). © 2020 E! In 2015, Haskins reprised his role as Mr. Belding on the Jimmy Kimmel show during the long-awaited, yet totally brief, cast reunion. We ate crepes, and my first sip of alcohol was with him. While Voorhies' publicist said her "intense work schedule" prohibited her from participating, Diamond's attorney told E! (Bayside High forever!). Oh man, there's going to be fallout from that.". Jessie's infamous caffeine pill addiction? Saved by the Bell is a beloved touchstone for '90s kids everywhere. 25. 26. On his own Instagram photo from the night, Gosselaar wrote, "This is what 30+ years of friendship looks like.." (We're not crying, you're crying!). You move on, you learn. "I have nothing but good thoughts and memories towards everybody. While A.C. and Jessie were OTP on the show, Lopez revealed he also dated Thiessen in his memoir, Just Between Us. 8. 11. Diamond would later call Behind the Bell "another disappointment of mine" in a 2013 OWN interview, during which he claimed his ghostwriter used throwaway comments he made during their conversations as "factual trash-talking about everybody" in the book. 9. 22. "That's still not the seven of us. When casting A.C. Slater, producers had a completely different vision in mind before finding Mario Lopez. He wrote that they "went to movies, went out to eat, hung out at parties, danced together," and eventually became an official couple. It is what it is. Plus, a dishy tell-all penned by Diamond caused a major rift between one of TV's most infamous nerds and the rest of the cast. ended, he told People, "Getting back to my natural color took a while!".