Results: Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!

Love him, or hate him, there is no denying Jerry Spring was one of a kind. Best known for his controversial, "The Jerry Springer Show," which ran for 27 seasons, Springer passed away Thursday, at the age of 79. Were you a fan or occasional viewer of his show?

Jerry Springer was actually born Gerald Norman Springer on February 13, 1944. He was born in the Highgate station of the London Underground when it was used as a shelter as German forces bombed the city during World War II. His parents were German-Jewish refugees who escaped from Prussia during the war, which would now be considered modern-day Poland. Did you know this about him?

Jerry served as a political campaign advisor to Robert F. Kennedy, but following his assassination, he started practicing law in Cincinnati. He unsuccessfully ran for congress in 1971, was elected to the Cincinnati City Council and served as the 56th Mayor of Cincinnati from 1977 to 1978. He even had a TV show called Judge Jerry, for three seasons. Were you aware of Springer's political and legal career?

The Jerry Springer Show, which was part talk show, part 3-ring circus, was his "crowning glory". The show lasted for 27 seasons, and began by talking about serious issues, like homelessness and gun control, but the format was revamped in 1994 to get higher ratings. It became known for people confronting their family members or friends about topics like adultery, prostitution, or other controversial memberships. Usually a full-blown physical fight would break out, By 1998, the show was so popular that it reached more than 6.7 million viewers and was even more popular than "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in some cities. If you watched the show, did you ever wonder where he found these "guests"?

Have you ever wondered what possessed people to go on national television and share the most embarrassing aspects of their lives? Turns out it's not necessarily because they just liked attention. Apparently, the Springer show's "policy" was to immediately offer potential guests a sweet deal. Anyone who calls with an interesting story gets a free flight and hotel for that very night, usually filming the episode the next morning. This leaves those involved virtually no time to properly think the decision through before it's too late. Regardless of whether you think this is morally right or not, it definitely explains more than a few things about this show… Would you ever want to air your "dirty laundry" on public TV?