Power Rangers is massive now, but the production of the series’ very first episode was more sinister than anyone knew.
The latest episode of Investigation Discovery’s new miniseries Hollywood Demons, a true crime-esque look at scandals of the entertainment world, is all about the “dark side” of working on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. At one point, the “abusive” working conditions were so bad that an actor passed out from heat stroke—and was subsequently replaced.
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“When we’re shooting the pilot, we’re out in the desert—it’s got to be 110 degrees—and someone has heat stroke,” Audri Dubois, who played yellow ranger Trini, said in an Entertainment Weekly preview. “It was one of the bad guys in a wet suit with a rubber mask over their head with pinholes for the eyes and mouth. He’s flopping around like a fish…me and the others had come together and agreed we were not going to continue shooting until this guy gets in an ambulance.”
Dubois’ role was recast for Thuy Trang when the first episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers finally aired in 1993.
“It was offered to anyone there that they would get $100 if they took that man’s wetsuit off and put it on so that we could continue shooting, and someone did. The original then was in his underwear in the dirt, flopping around waiting for an ambulance,” Dubois said. “I was watching that going, ‘What? This is not okay. It’s scaring me.’”
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was the start of the massive American franchise, which has multiple feature films and over 25 TV spin-offs and iterations. Last month, Disney+ announced their purchase of the franchise from Netflix, and will release a 31st season of Power Rangers.
Hollywood Demons airs Monday nights at 9 p.m. on Investigation Discovery.
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