Tiffani Thiessen Lukewarm By Surprise Visit By Mr Belding on Today Show

The Today Show thought it would be neat to 'Surprise' Tiffani Thiessen with a visit by Mr. Belding from Saved By The Bell during her Today Show appearance. The best Tiffani could do was a handshake.

http%3A//www.tvguide.com/News/Tiffani-Thiessen-Mr-Belding-1060403.aspx



• Apparently the younger cast members don't really like the actor who played Mr. Belding. When they had a cast reunion photo a few years ago they requested that both Dustin Diamond and him stay away.

• You would think The Today Show staff would be better researchers. Kind of awkward. Now if they had Mario Lopez as the surprise guest, that might have been different.

• Dennis Haskins was apparently hurt when he wasn't allowed to participate in the cast reunion photo with Mark-Paul, Mario and the girls a few years ago. He said he should have been allowed to be there and resented it.

• Dennis Haskins is apparently a creeper; none of the cast members care for him. Hell, they'd rather see poor space cadet Lark Voorhies than Dennis.

• Was this show some kind of generational thing? It never came across my radar but maybe I was too old.

• Probably R5, it was huge when I was young and I loved it. It was on Saturday mornings as an alternative to Saturday morning cartoons, but I think it really exploded when it went into syndication. It was so big NBC even ordered a primetime pilot.

• Are there any specific details about why the cast doesn't like Belding?

• That show was such a mess. They should just never reunite.

• I don't blame her. The show was not that good and it hasn't been on the air for over 20 years. It must be annoying to keep having it brought up. And a SBTB reunion would be atrocious and never work.

• Maybe Tiffani just didn't recognize him as a blimp.

• Unlike THE BRADY BUNCH (which I think is analogous in terms of it being a stupid kids' sitcom that was always on, and thus became beloved for a generation), the cast did not all get along at the time, and many of them also went on to do bigger and better things. With THE BRADY BUNCH you know they'll always get together because what else do Florence Henderson and Susan Olsen have to do? (Besides, they liked each other back in the day.) But though Tiffani Thiessen is hardly turning away job offers, she does work steadily, as do Mark Paul Gosselaer and Mario Lopez. But since Lark Voorhees is a mess and everyone hates Dustin Diamond and the Mr. Belder actor, they shouldn't be asked to all reunite. The TODAY show people were assholes for not researching whether she liked the Mr. Belder actor before they sprung him on her. You shouldn't "surprise" interview guests who are working with you in good faith unless you are certain the surprise will make them happy.

• Why did the younger castmates take issue with Dustin Diamond's participation in the photo? Seems very petty. I saw him on some reality show several years ago and he seemed like a nice guy. Very funny, too.

• [quote]Why did the younger castmates take issue with Dustin Diamond's participation in the photo? Because he was an asshole on the set, then went on to do a really disgusting porno, complete with a Dirty Sanchez scene?

• Dustin Diamond released a scat-tinged sex tape. He's the sort of person who would release a scat-tinged sex tape. Toxic.

• [quote]Why did the younger castmates take issue with Dustin Diamond's participation in the photo? Seems very petty. I saw him on some reality show several years ago and he seemed like a nice guy. Very funny, too. He's not "a really nice guy' at all--he's hostile and abusive towards his former castmates, and irrationally blames them for his career failing after the show. (He's apparently very envious of the fact many of them have had adult acting careers while he has not.) He also was apparently hugely obnoxious back in the day when they were making the show and they didn't like him then. He seems to have some sort of mental illness.

• [quote]Why did the younger castmates take issue with Dustin Diamond's participation in the photo? Because he's an asshole and wrote a memoir allegedly talking about all the terrible things the others had done during their time on SBTB. Among other things, he claimed that Mario had raped one or two of the female guest stars.

  The Voice of the Night

• I'm embarrassed to admit I read Screech's tell-all book recently. There's really not much too it - lots of speculation about the rest of the cast and their relationships but since he admits he wasn't in their inner circle he doesn't offer anything but conjecture. Thiessen is portrayed very bitchy and shallow in the book but Dustin Diamond doesn't have kind words for anyone. But because he and Mr. Belding were the only two cast members to stay on and do SBTB: The New Class, they became close friends. Don't know if Haskins/Belding publicly supported Screech's book but if they're still close that may be why Thiessen wasn't thrilled to see him.

  http://www.11points.com/TV/11_Most_Scandalous_Saved_by_the_Bell_Revelations_in_Screech%27s_Autobiography

• Say what you want about how awful the show was, but Zack and AC were this pubescent junior high kid's first jerk off fodder.

• Supposed blind item about Saved By The Bell: A week or so ago I was talking to someone I have known forever. She is an actress you would all know if you saw her, but might not know her name. She has been acting for 20 years and is probably on her biggest hit right now. Scary show too. Anyway, she started off on a show that was a reincarnation/spin off of a very hit show that used some, but not many of the stars from the first show. She says that if you wanted to be on this new hit show you had to have sex. Constantly. With the producers. If you said no they would just find another woman or guy and slide them in and kick you out. The only people exempt from the requirement were the holdovers from the other show. However, those holdovers were all the biggest abusers of the new talent. The oldest actor was also the creepiest. He loved finding the legal and maybe not quite legal actors and actresses for himself. There were two people who quit rather than have sex with the guy although he supposedly could not stay hard enough to actually consummate the act. One other actor made his way through over 100 cast members and extras during the run of the show and the actor literally cried when the show was canceled because he knew he would never be able to coerce women like that again. If you go over to his house he will show you tapes of about half the women he had sex with. There was one B+ actor who is still that today who participated, but only when his girlfriend was not around. When you go through the list of the cast members who were on the show and how many episodes they were in, you can see which ones made the producers happy and which ones were sent packing after just a few episodes. As for my friend? She stuck it out as long as she could. She had one producer who really liked her and she had sex with him and he protected her from the others. He left though about halfway through the run of the show and she followed him out the door so she would not have to experience the other producers or cast.

• R19 that doesn't really sound like Saved By The Bell. A.) SBTB wasn't a spin-off/reincarnation of some other hit show. B.) It was never a huge hit. The huge number of cast members and extras mentioned make it sound more like a 90210 or Melrose Place type show.

• [quote] SBTB wasn't a spin-off/reincarnation of some other hit show. Actually it was. The original show was called Miss Bliss starring Hayley Mills.

• Ah yes, that enormous Hayley Mills hit show "Miss Bliss." How could I forget.

• Saved by the Bell spun off Saved by the Bell: The New Class, which actually ran seven seasons. The IMDB cast list has a huge list of actors you won't find anywhere else. That must be what r19 is referring to.

• [quote]I don't blame her. The show was not that good and it hasn't been on the air for over 20 years. Uh, that's not true. Saved By The Bell was a huge show that a whole generation remembers and it paved the way for many of them to have careers.

  35-year%20old

• But who from Saved By The Bell: The New Class is "an actress you would all know if you saw her, but might not know her name." I scanned that imdb page and barely recognized any names. There's a Megan Fox but it's not THAT Megan Fox.

• Maybe Lindsey McKeon, R25. She has fairly extensive credits including one-off appearances on some well known shows, as well as some recurring on the likes of "Supernatural" and "One Tree Hill."

  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0571636/

• The New Class ran for a long time, perhaps a couple of years longer than original, actually. But it didn't have the same impact on the popular culture, and the actors didn't go on to have the careers that Gosselaar, Lopez, Thiessen, Berkeley etc. do.

• Bianca Lawson from Pretty Little Liars (supossedly)

  R17

• R24...that doesn't mean it was a GOOD show. Huge, okay I guess so. Probably more popular in rerun than original run. Still doesn't make it good.

• I remember Tiffani more from her role on 90210 (she replaced Shannen, and gave new life to the show).

• Tiffani seems like a nice girl that never got the "gig" you know? 90210 could have been that gig but after Shannen left, the industry didn't care anymore. Saved by the Bell is and always was a joke. I think if Tiffani had had a hit series, she could have been an Emmy winner by now. She has the looks and the talent, but she ain't gonna win an Emmy playing third fiddle to Matt Bomer. Matt Bomer can't win an Emmy playing first fiddle.

• R31- Toffani was on 90210 much longer than Shannen was. She's had a few other co-starring roles, including White Collar (now in season 4).

• Yeah, that sounds like Bianca Lawson and SBTB The New Class, with Mr. Belding and Screech being the returning cast members.

• Tiffani could have been a bit more gracious. However, the entire scene was awkward and weird. Although I thought 'Mr. Belding' actually handled things as well as possible, which goes to his acting skills to carry it off with some humor and stage presence. Granted it's not Shakespeare, but he handled it well. 'Saved by the Bell' was a stupid show. It survived because it was on Saturday mornings with no competition. I'm sure Tiffani Amber Thiessen is sick of discussing it. She is a working actress who has worked steadily for many years now. That stupid skit on the Today Show was dumb and mindless for even the dumbest of television viewers

• [quote]Saved by the Bell is and always was a joke. Says who? Sounds like you are a jealous bitch from a rival show that didn't do as well. No one's saying it was an acclaimed drama series like I, Claudius or Upstairs, Downstairs but it was a good show with a strong cast, many of whom are still working regularly today. And it also dealt with several important social issues at the time, particularly the episode where Jessie became addicted to prescription drugs. It also had a multiracial cast at a time in which most shows did not. Mario Lopez & Lark Voorhies were amongst the only Latino & Black actors starring on teen shows in those days.

• What people never seem to understand is that acting on those shows is a job. Sure it's a job with perks and it's more collaborative than an office gig but it's a job. Mr. whateverhisnameis is a former co-worker. She may have hated him or just mildly disliked him but she's not obligated to jump for joy when he appears. I can think of any number of former co-workers I'd give the same polite reserved reaction.

• R36 makes a relevant point. I've heard actors say this sort of thing before. Fans and members of the public who become attached to certain shows and certain characters forget that the folks on them are just playing a role - sometimes they become friends in real-life and stay in contact for decades, sometimes they never see each other again. It depends on the situation.

• He was always nice to me. He even once bought me this pretty cocktail dress. Do you like it? It's by Versayse.

  Elizabeth%20Berkely

• R36. You make somewhat of a valid point. However, you and your former coworkers are not on TV. I'm not condemning Thiessen, but she's an actress, and sometimes when a live show is underway, you have to rise to the occasion and put on a little more than a half-hearted, lackluster grin. Thiessen didn't have to go overboard, but she could have been a little bit more welcoming while millions of people are watching. No matter what your profession--but especially show business, you should have more manners and class than Thiessen demonstrated. Thiessen may be a working actress and perhaps life has been good to her. But maybe "Mr. Belding" didn't deserve quite the cold shoulder he received. Just a tiny bit more effort and more of a smile on Thiessen's part and no one would have even noticed her mild, but uncalled for, disdain.

• Perhaps Mr. Belding molested Kelly Kapowski?

• Fat face Tiffani Thiessen can go fuck her fat face in her fat face. Dirty fat facer.

• Well weren't there two women who filed suits against Lopez alleging rape? Maybe that small nut, micro teenie eenie weenie face had a point?

• Tiffani may have been on more episodes than Shannen but the Shannen episodes are far more popular.

• There was at least one lawsuit, yes, R42. There are articles about it online that I've seen in the past.

• How has life been good to Tiffani? Have you seen her ginormous face? Have you seen that big fucking face full of so much air she looks like a Macy's Day Parade float? She has a fat face and oh yeah, she has A FUCKING FAT FACE

• I believe that blind item is referring to The Amanda Show, and Dan Schneider in particular.

• R33 but according to imdb Bianca Lawson was only on for one season. That's hardly half the show's 7 year run. Sounds like it could be Sarah Lancaster from Chuck (biggest hit of her career) who left about half way through the series' run. But I can't imagine many people would recognize Bianca Lawson or Sarah Lancaster.

• [quote]Tiffani may have been on more episodes than Shannen but the Shannen episodes are far more popular. Replace Tiffani with Rose.

  Same result.

• r43, yet Tiffani is still working steadily and Shannen can't even get viewers to watch a reality show on WE.

• A surprise visit by an unmedicated Lark Voorhies would've been more entertaining.

  Miss Bliss

• Does anyone think TV Guide is making much ado about nothing? So she didn't jump up and down and hug and kiss him. She seems like she'd be a more restrained type. But whatever, guess they gotta make news where it doesn't exist.

• It looked so sad and random. Like a previous poster wrote they where revealing one of her ex-colleagues from ancient times as a surprise to her and it's like 'this is your life!' with random people you don't consider important to your life back then and right now even less. I like that she didn't turn fake 'oh, what a nice suprised *jumping up and down* How are you doing my dearest friend from the past???'.

• Did anyone stop to question whether her "odd" reaction had something to do with the fact that he looked like a bloated mess? I was shocked when I saw him.

• Who cares if Tiffani is working more than Shannen now, 90210 fans would still rather see Brenda episodes. oh and Tiffani has a fat face.

• I just watched the clip. WTF is everyone talking about? I didn't see any sign of grimace, disdain, etc. Someone made a story that doesn't really exist.

• why is tiffani's face so fat? it's fat.

• [quote]]And it also dealt with several important social issues at the time, particularly the episode where Jessie became addicted to prescription drugs Prescription drugs?! LOL, no. It was caffeine pills. Still I loved the show when I was a young kid. Check out Nomi hooked on caffeine pills--

  http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DbflYjF90t7c

• R55 the next time you meet a former co-worker after 20 years, and all they can do is offer a limp handshake and not utter one word. Come back here and tell us how that felt.

• Belding was the one that first extended his hand for a shake.

• Did anyone else see Dustin Diamond on the VH1 reality show Celebrity Fit Club a few years back? He was a total train wreck and massive prick to everyone. He obviously got off on aggressively antagonizing people and then trying to play it off like he was the one being victimized. There was clearly something very mentally wrong with him in a way that went beyond being funny (well, not really to me as a viewer, but if I had been stuck there with him I would have lost my mind). I'll never forget Kimberly Locke from American Idol crying to someone on the phone and saying "HE'S TALKING ABOUT BUYING ME A DILDO OF HIS DICK AND I. DON'T. LIKE. IT!" Anyway, I could totally see that unhinged asshole being the guy from R19's BI who literally cried over no longer being able to manipulate women into fucking him. It would go along perfectly with everything else I've seen of the guy.

• R41/42/43/45 et. al., you sound like you might be upset about your own fat face. Have you considered that it would probably go away if only you weren't constantly drunk?

• The fact that the Tiffani Thiessen Fat Face Troll is now posting in other threads (for instance, in the thread about Caroline Kennedy being a possible ambassador to Canada, "I nominate Tiffani Thiessen as official fat face ambassador") - am I crazy to think there's at least a 5% chance that it's actually Dustin Diamond posting? I just don't know who else would care enough.

• Maybe the fat face troll is Dennis Haskins (Mr. Belding) angry at being snubbed.

  I%27m%20not%20gonna%20be%20ignored%2C%20Dan

• Tiffani lost all of her baby weight, and more. She has a full face, but it's attractive, and will be a real plus for her in a few years.

• [quote] Anyway, she started off on a show that was a reincarnation/spin off of a very hit show that used some, but not many of the stars from the first show. Couldn't this be the short lived Saved By The Bell: The College Years?

• Oh man, R62, I really hope so. I think I'm just going to believe it's true for my own amusement at this point since it does keep posting in other threads.

• [62] I also think the BI is referring to the College Years spin off. Tiffani, Mario, Mark-Paul, and Dustin were on that show.

• R67, the BI says only two cast members returned. So why does the fact that everyone returned for The College years make you think it's the BI?

• Agree with R68. Also, The College Years only ran for one year and contained mostly only the original cast, whereas The New Class ran for seven years (longer than the original) and had a lengthy list of actors on it with a seemingly constant cast rotation. I was a kid when The New Class was on and remember thinking it was kind of bizarre that the show had such an ongoing, constant cast rotation, but figured that most of the actors left because they just wanted to do better things and didn't want to be on a cheesy kids' show anymore. How hilariously wrong I was, if R19's BI is actually true.

• If only she were lukewarm by surprise anal by Mr. Belding on Today Show.

  I%27d%20be%20lukewarm%20too

• Tiffani Thiessen has a troll? Now I've seen everything.

  Shannen%20Doherty%20of%20%20Education%20Connection

• Did Tiffani have sex with Mark-Paul Gosselaar?

• I can't remember if it was 2012 or 2011, but one of the years Tiffani just happened to be on a stroll through Central Park during AIDS Walk and caused all sorts of congestion by trying to walk against the traffic with a baby carriage on one of the windy small paths that start the walk. I thought it was so absurd.

• R73 Not surprising. Something about her comes off as entitled and snotty, despite the fake smiles.

• I was in a (lousy) play with Dennis H before "Bell" and he was nice enough. But if you had told me he would be one to remotely make it as an actor... goes to show you. You never know. Ended up being a very long gig, whether it was high paying or not.

• What a bitch.

• R75, 'Saved By The Bell' was the peak of Dennis' career. He hasn't gone anywhere since.

• That's Dustin posting. I don't want to say how I know because he's friends with friends of mine but it's him. He's got some seriously twisted stuff going on inside his head, from what my friends have said. He's never had a woman that wasn't a desparete groupie, an extra on SBTB, or has paid for. Tiffany was one of thos who laughed in his face when he thought he could get some action from her. He hates her guts. One of my friends say he's a helluva chess player, though. Go figure.

• What's Dustin posting? Where?

• I like Tiffani. I thought she seemed very down-to-earth in her recent appearances on Howard Stern and Fashion Police.

• [quote]One of my friends say he's a helluva chess player, though. Go figure. Wow! I would never in a million years have guessed he's a chess nerd. I figured with his record with women and his appearance he would be an Extreme Sports superathlete.

• But didn't Dustin say that because he was the youngest, everyone else bullied him and that's why he hates everyone? I think he said Mario and MP would shove him in the lockers.

• On a lark,I bought Dustin Diamond's book, "Behind the Bell", on Amazon Kindle for 99 cents after reading this thread yesterday. His book is a no holds barred, tell-all expose in which Diamond definitely has an ax to grind. At the same time, his book is hilarious in many places. I do believe that the other child-actor castmates on SBTB were probably as full of themselves as Dustin says. Yet, they were teens, after all. Dustin's writing can be overly crude, needlessly snide, and sanctimonious. He overly relies on pure speculation in places, as well. He would have definitely have benefited from the services of a good editor. I do believe that Dustin Diamond himself was just as much of a handful to deal with on the SBTB set as any of the other castmates. Yet, he was still obviously liked well enough by the powers-that-be on SBTB to have been a castmate on the long-running "The Next Class" incarnation of the show. Dustin was very ballsy to have told his story as he did. He has now indubitably burned so many bridges in Hollywood that the chances of him working again in that very incestuous town are very, very slim. In the end, I'm kind of surprised that he is not more well-received here on DL. After all, we who frequent Datalounge abide by a credo that specifically declares a love for pointless bitchery. Dustin Diamond could teach a master class on pointless bitchery at DL University.

• Mr Belding called her Tiffani-Amber. She never used the Amber till she started getting porked by Mark-Paul, who demanded everyone call him Mark-Paul, never Mark.

• Excuse you! Coming through!

  http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/07/11/article-2013579-0CC783B700000578-15_306x518.jpg

• She looks great there R85

• How does Tiffani fit through doors with that giant head? She's like a walking candy apple!

  Elaine%20Benes

• Keep in mind that Dennis Haskins is probably a good twenty or more years older than Tiffani. I doubt they hung out together and smoked blunts on the SBTB set. She probably has a strictly professional relationship with him and nothing remotely friendship-oriented. If I crossed paths with one of my former teachers from 20 years ago, I'd have the same formal, reserved reaction that Tiffani did.

  Anonymous