A bizarre reality TV show from 2005, Space Cadets, has resurfaced online, leaving viewers both shocked and amused.
The show, which aired on Channel 4, involved a group of contestants who believed they were being sent to space as part of a thrilling reality series.
But, in reality, they were victims of one of the most elaborate hoaxes in television history.
The Setup: Convincing the Contestants They Were Going to Space
Space Cadets was designed to trick a group of unsuspecting participants into thinking they were undergoing astronaut training and traveling to space.
The contestants, carefully selected based on their “suggestibility,” included Keri Hasset, a college administrator from Birmingham; Paul French, a 26-year-old plasterer from Bristol; and Billy Jackson, a 25-year-old semi-professional footballer from Kent.
They were joined by three actors, posing as fellow space rookies and experienced cosmonauts.
The show’s premise was simple: the participants were told they would undergo astronaut training in Russia, but in reality, everything was staged in a disused military base in Suffolk, England.
The producers even went to great lengths to create an environment that resembled Star City, the famous cosmonaut training center in Russia.
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The Journey to ‘Space’
The contestants were flown from the UK under the illusion that they were heading to Russia for a two-week space training program.
To sell the lie, they were flown in a helicopter at night and kept in the dark about their true destination.
Hours were spent flying in circles over the UK, avoiding populated areas and familiar landmarks, before landing at the decommissioned military base.
The “space shuttle” they boarded was a Hollywood prop, originally designed for the film Space Cowboys.
And the Russian cosmonaut, Yevgeny, was actually an English actor who had studied modern languages at Oxford.
Once aboard the shuttle, the participants were told they were nearing “Near Space” (not Deep Space) and, therefore, wouldn’t experience weightlessness.
They even believed they were looking out at Earth through the shuttle’s windows, though the view was just a computer screen projecting images of the planet.
The Suspicion Grows
As the days went on, cracks in the illusion started to appear. One contestant, Paul, was the first to voice his doubts.
“This is a spacecraft, but it feels like a caravan,” he said.
“And if we were going to space and they were weighing us for our health, they wouldn’t use scales like you get at home, would they?”
His suspicions grew as he noticed more inconsistencies, but the producers kept up the charade.
One particularly strange moment involved the group being asked to hold a memorial service for a dog, Mr. Bimby, who was supposedly a celebrity in Russia.
This bizarre task only added to the contestants’ growing doubts.
The Big Reveal: Shock and Disappointment
After five days of “space travel,” the big reveal finally came.
Host Johnny Vaughan appeared on a plasma screen and informed the contestants that they had been part of an elaborate hoax.
The door to their “space station” was opened, and they were greeted by their friends, family, and a live studio audience.
The contestants, stunned and disoriented, were heartbroken.
Keri, visibly upset, said, “I’m so angry I just want to go home now. I’m so p***ed off.”
Billy, on the other hand, was left feeling embarrassed: “I feel stupid as hell.”
Paul tried to laugh off the situation, adding, “Ahh, that’s embarrassing.”
The Aftermath: A TV Moment That Fell Flat
Despite the grand scale of the hoax, Space Cadets failed to achieve the impact that Channel 4 had hoped for.
The show only attracted about two million viewers per night, far below expectations.
The contestants were each awarded £25,000, which softened the blow, but the experience left a bitter taste in many mouths.
The hoax, once thought to be a legendary moment in reality TV history, has resurfaced online, sparking a wave of nostalgia among fans.
TikTok user Dan Egg recently shared a clip recalling the infamous TV moment, which quickly gained over 200,000 views.
Fans flooded the comments, reminiscing about the details of the prank, including the long flight around the UK and the moth that nearly exposed the fake space window.
While Space Cadets may not have been the greatest reality TV hoax of all time, its shocking and absurd premise continues to live on in the memories of those who watched it.