10 TV Hoaxes That Fooled Everyone

10. There's A Lost Episode Where Chandler Dies - Friends

These days, any half-talented video editor can repurpose existing filmed footage to create a convincing hoax, as YouTuber Dogfood proved in 2016 when he released clips from a supposedly "lost" episode of Friends.

For years, rumours had been doing the rounds among the fanbase that an episode called "The One Where Chandler Dies" was shot but ultimately canned.

Per its title, the episode would explore a hypothetical scenario where Chandler (Matthew Perry) dies and the five remaining friends would then learn to cope with his demise.

In a credibility-straining twist, Chandler would also appear throughout the episode as a ghost, watching how his friends try to move on with their lives.

Dogfood decided to bring the idea to life through his cleverly crafted hoax video, taking clips from various Friends episodes, re-editing them, and even adding some passable visual effects to further sell the illusion.

Proving the ease with which a lie can be sold to the masses via social media, the video quickly went viral, with more casual Friends fans failing to recognise the recycled footage, truly believing it to be a discarded episode.

As easily noticeable as the fakery is to the most die-hard Friends fans, Dogfood is to be commended for putting so much effort into the ruse and ultimately fooling so many.