The host of "The Richard Bey Show," which provided much of the fodder for E!'s "Talk Soup" daily digest program before Jerry Springer got violent. Filmed at the studios of WWOR-TV in Secaucus, New Jersey, he would find some of the trashiest people around and let them vent their differences on an extremely cheesy set that in later seasons resembled a castle with a spiral staircase that guests would descend upon being "brought out."
Most of the guests were of what you might politely call the "working class". Many had names that were about as far from Anglo as you could get -- names like Shanaynay and Quaymesha. Almost all had beepers, and the anecdotes they talked about inevitably included the phrase "He beeped me." To augment the raucous laughter and "oh!"'s from the crowd, the producers even added sound effects to further mock the guests. The audience members often asked very denigrating comments, a practice used on many other talk shows.
The Richard Bey Show had a lot of gimmicks, as well: in addition to the aforementioned sound effects, guests could be subjected to the Wheel of Torture where they would be spun on a disc while their ex pelted them with various foodstuffs. There were also themed shows, including the infamous "Large-breasted women vs. Small-breasted women." That show featured an obstacle course that included a slo-mo replay of running down a hall, and of course wrestling in more foodstuffs.
I really miss the Richard Bey show, and hope he's doing well. Come back soon!