‘The Big Bang Theory’ has popularised Sheldon’s go-to term “bazinga” and now everyone’s using it. How did the term land up on the ‘The Big Bang Theory’ scripts? Keep reading to find out!
Sheldon Cooper from ‘The Big Bang Theory’ has given the show some of its classic charm. For example, his distinctive three-time knock on the door followed by calling out the inhabitant’s name thrice. However, nothing became more popular among ‘The Big Bang Theory’ fans like Sheldon’s prank word “bazinga”. Here’s how the show came up with the word that is now a pop-culture sensation.
Highlights —
- Writer Stephen Engel brought it to the table
- ‘Bazinga’ was not included in the script originally
- ‘The Big Bang Theory’ isn’t the first show to use ‘Bazinga’
Writer Stephen Engel Brought it to the Table
‘The Big Bang Theory’ writer, Stephen Engel, was the first one to have made the cast and crew members familiar with the word “bazinga”. Just like Sheldon, “bazinga” was the go-to prank word for Engel. Every time he would prank one of his fellow writers, he would say “bazinga”. Engel’s mischievous mind, however, was not just limited to the writers. He had once played a prank on ‘The Big Bang Theory’ co-creator, Bill Prady.
In an interview, Prady had recalled how the prank on him by Engel went. Engel gave Prady a grapefruit. However, when ‘The Big Bang Theory’ co-creator attempted to bite into the fruit, it turned out to be carved out hollow and carefully put together and that’s when Engel shouted “Bazinga!” Amused by Engel’s pranks and even more by his prank word, the writers decided to use it in the script. Soon enough, people saw Sheldon using the term for the first time in the season 2 finale while playing pranks on Leonard.
‘Bazinga’ was not included in the script originally
The season 2 finale of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ has Sheldon playing pranks on Leonard. The first time he points out to Leonard, who was working on a problem on the whiteboard, that there was a mistake in his calculations. After Leonard racks his brain for a while trying to find the mistake, Sheldon comes clean to him saying, “You actually had it right in the first place. Once again, you’ve fallen for one of my classic pranks. Bazinga!” Across the episode, Sheldon plays a few more pranks on Leonard and ends them with a “bazinga” every time.
However, apparently, the original script for ‘The Big Bang Theory’ season 2 finale episode did not have Sheldon saying “bazinga” after the pranks. In fact, the initial script just had Sheldon telling Leonard that it was a prank and that’s it. In an interview, Jim Parsons, who played Sheldon Cooper, said, “I remember it wasn’t in a script. It was one of those moments where we’d work on a scene and then you’d go and take notes from the producers and writers. If I’m correct, it was inserted right before a taping basically. It was like ‘That would work in here. What if he said ‘bazinga’ after that?’”
That’s how, folks, the legendary “bazinga” made its way into the script!
‘The Big Bang Theory’ isn’t the first show to use “bazinga”
‘The Big Bang Theory’ might have popularised “bazinga” but it was not the first TV show to have used it in the script. Previously, shows like ‘The X-Files’ and ‘Family Guy’ have used versions of the word. However, none of these shows could hook the audience to the word the way Sheldon Cooper had done. In one of the episodes, “Hollywood A.D.” on ‘The X-Files’ it was used to imply an achievement of sorts. Written and directed by David Duchovny, the episode shows Scully investigating the “Lazarus Bowl”, which is supposed to have Jesus Christ’s voice recorded in its grooves. Chuck Burks, a sound engineer, assists Scully in the investigation and when he discovers some noise, he says “buzzinga”.
Moreover, Stewie Griffin from ‘Family Guy’ used the term “bazing” in one of the episodes after playing some pranks. Evidently, “bazinga” or versions of the term existed before ‘The Big Bang Theory’ made it into a phenomenon. However, while “bazinga” was used quite frequently during the initial seasons of ‘The Big Bang Theory’, the later seasons rarely had the script using it. Nevertheless, “bazinga” isn’t going out of fashion anytime soon! Which of Sheldon’s pranks did you find to be the most entertaining? Let us know in the comments below!
