If you wanted to sum-up the ’90s in 30 minutes or less, then Saved by the Bell is the show for you. This hilarious high school sitcom was one of the defining series of the decade.
As incredible as it was, a lot went on off-camera that you porobably didn’t know. Have a look and check out these 10+ Saved by the Bell behind-the-scenes secrets that fans didn’t know.
1. Kelly and Zack had nothing on Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Lark Voorhies.
Sure, Kelly may have held the keys to Zack’s heart but Lark was the only girl for Mark-Paul .
He has admitted that the couple seriously dated for close to three years while they were filming.
But the off-screen romances didn’t stop there, according to an interview that Mark-Paul gave to *People*.
“All of us dated at one point or another,” Mark said. “It was incestuous !”
I’m not going to lie, a part of me always hoped that Kelly and Zack would make it in the real world…
2. Mark-Paul had to dye his hair blonde every single day for six years!
During an appearance on Live with Kelly & Michael , Mark-Paul said that he constantly gets asked by fans “Why aren’t you blonde, anymore?”
Mark-Paul was never blonde. He’s surprised he even has hair after all the blonde dye.
3. The series had an incredible amount of high-profile guest stars.
Among the many young actors and actresses to grace the halls of Bayside High were Tori Spelling, Leah Remini, and Denise Richards.
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Legendary radio DJ, Casey Kasem , even stopped by for a visit.
4. Elizabeth Berkley wasn’t a fan of Jessie’s wardrobe.
Elizabeth didn’t think it was fair that just because her character was a feminist that she always had to dress the part.
She didn’t understand why Jessie shouldn’t be able to be empowered and girly at the same time.
Of all the outfits the producers dressed her in, there was one thing she hated above all else:
Elizabeth was appalled to learn that her character would be donning a one-piece swimsuit.
“I’m sorry, but at 16 you don’t want to be the girl in the one piece [sic] with baggy shorts,” Berkely joked to Us Magazine .
5. The actors weren’t allowed to swear on set.
Creator Peter Engel wanted to maintain the wholesome feel of the show at all levels. So he decided to ban all forms of cursing on set.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar didn’t get to swear for the first time until he filmed Dead Man on Campus .
6. There was a *Saved By The Bell* musical produced.
The production was put on by National Lampoon . It’s wacky, it’s tacky, and it’s totally Zacky!
This is one of those things that you just have to see in order to believe.
7. Jessie was originally going to become addicted to a much harder drug.
Fans of the series will no doubt remember when Jessie became addicted to caffeine pills. She was so obsessed with studying that she began taking them to stay awake.
In the first draft, the script called for her to begin taking speed .
8. We have a man named Scott Gale to thank for the iconic theme song.
Scott Gale is a legendary music composer, who has over 2000 episodes of network TV attached to his resume.
Supposedly, Scott wrote the show’s theme song in less than two minutes.
9. There’s a *Saved By The Bell* comic book!
In 2015, Roar Comics attempted to bring the iconic ’90s sitcom into the 2000s.
The story takes place at the beginning of freshman year for the Bayside bunch, only with a much more modern and relatable setting.
10. Mario Lopez was the last person to learn that he was rocking a mullet.
The way that Mario tells it, he was a huge fan of Mel Gibson and was looking to emulate his look.
Unfortunately, Mario ended up looking more like Rick James than Martin Riggs .
11. Dustin Diamond wrote a tell-all book called “Behind The Bell.”
Dustin’s memoir is salacious, negative, and according to Mark-Paul Gosselaar — largely untrue.
He slammed Dustin for his negativity , refuting the statements in the book. By Mark’s own admission, his time spent at Bayside was incredibly positive.
12. Dennis Haskins was the one who came up with Mr. Belding’s catchphrase.
Dennis was the one responsible for Mr. B’s high-pitched laughter, as well as his class “Hey, hey, hey — what’s going on here?!”
Dennis did it at a table read as a joke and it stuck!
13. Dennis Haskins surprised Tiffani-Amber Thiessen on *Today*.
As you can see from her reaction, Tiffani is far from thrilled.
Haskins had a falling out with the cast and wasn’t invited when they took part in a Saved by the Bell reunion for People .
