The WORST episodes of 48 Hours
Every episode of 48 Hours ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of 48 Hours!
Television's most popular true-crime series, investigating shocking cases and compelling real-life dramas with journalistic integrity and cutting-edge style.
#1 - Miracles
Season 13 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/9/1999
To most people, a miracle is an event that appears unexplainable by the laws of nature or science, and therefore is supernatural or an act of God. A recent poll found that 61 percent of Americans believe in miracles. Do they exist? And to what extent? Should we believe? 48 Hours takes a close look at miracles of all shapes and sizes. Correspondent Bill Lagattuta travels to Rome to find out how the Vatican chooses a saint. Officials are in the process of deciding on the status of Katherine Drexel, a Philadelphia heiress who gave up her wealth to become a nun, and who, many believe, had healing powers. Correspondent Harold Dow reports on one desperate family who traveled to Lourdes in search of a miraculous cure to an incurable disease. Tanya Fisher had never met her birth mother. After searching for years, she finally found her, and discovered that they had actually been neighbors. Correspondent Susan Spencer reports from North Carolina.
Watch Now:Apple TV#2 - Courage
Season 12 - Episode 51 - Aired 9/2/1999
What is courage? Many people see it as a dramatic attribute, the ability to suddenly rise above fear. But courage can also be something quieter and more lasting. Thursday CBS News' 48 Hours profiles three people whose courage consists in their dogged, decades-long fight to overcome obstacles. The three face different difficulties, but what they share in common is their commitment to triumph no matter what the odds.
#3 - Race to Freedom
Season 12 - Episode 52 - Aired 9/14/1999
As a kid growing up in a tough California town in the 1920s and 1930s, Louis Zamperini was a troublemaker. He hopped freight trains, skipped school and fled from the police more than once. But then he discovered that he was a world-class runner. In 1936, he ran in the Berlin Olympics. Then his life took an incredible turn. In "Race To Freedom," 48 Hours Adventures tells the story of Zamperini and of his dogged will to survive all kinds of mental and physical obstacles. Bob Simon reports, from all over the world.
#4 - Nature's Fury
Season 12 - Episode 53 - Aired 9/16/1999
As Hurricane Floyd makes its way up the East Coast, 48 Hours reports on the havoc that this and other such storms can cause: "Nature's Fury." Rescue On The High Seas: Correspondent Susan Spencer tells the story of a hazardous Coast Guard rescue operation that took place five years ago during Hurricane Gordon. Blowing In The Wind: To get a sense of the power a hurricane can pack, CBS News Correspondent Jose Diaz-Balart went into a wind tunnel for 48 Hours this week. What do 115 mph winds really feel like? Chasing Floyd: While everyone else in Floyd's path headed for safe ground, meteorologist Josh Wurman went into the danger zone -- all in the name of science. CBS News Corresondent Sharyl Attkisson reports.
#5 - Torn by Hate
Season 13 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/30/1999
Just seven weeks ago, Los Angeles paramedics Todd Carb and Paul Medina found pandemonium after reports of gunshots at the North Valley Jewish Community Center, at a summer camp for preschoolers. Police identified the gunman as 37-year-old Buford Furrow, a white supremacist armed with a 9-millimeter semiautomatic and a hatred for Jews. In less than a minute, he opened fire on five children and then proceeded to kill a postal worker. 48 Hours Correspondent Susan Spencer takes the first television look inside the community center since the shooting took place. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watch Now:Apple TV#6 - Why Did Josh Kill?
Season 13 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/7/1999
Last November, 8-year-old Maddie Clifton vanished from her Jacksonville, Fla., home. After a frantic citywide search, she was discovered hidden in the waterbed of a 14-year-old boy who lived across the street. Josh Phillips was put on trial, convicted of first-degree murder, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. But the question remains: Why did he do it? 48 Hours finds out. For seven days, parents Steve and Sheila Clifton held out hope, and with the help of dozens of volunteers searched desperately for their daughter. Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports on how Josh was viewed by his family, friends and teachers. Was there any hint that he could end up murdering his playmate?
#7 - Gambling With Your Life
Season 13 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/26/1999
Gambling is one of this country's most popular activities. In 1996, Americans made $586 billion in legal bets. One expert estimates that 4 million people in this country are addicted to gambling. 48 Hours takes a look at this pastime, profiling a recovering gambling addict, a woman whose obsession with scratch-off games has left her deeply in debt, and a cabby who trades online while he drives. Melanie Morgan was a successful radio and TV journalist. Then she started playing poker, in legal games in Seattle. Soon she let everything else go, including her career, her marriage, and even her newborn baby. Correspondent Troy Roberts reports on her long struggle to regain control. A recent study found that 70 percent of day traders lose money. But Kenny Glick is convinced that he can buck those odds. Correspondent Susan Spencer reports on an activity that many critics say is just another form of gambling. Scratch-off lottery tickets are enormously popular in Massachusetts; by one estimate the state makes $800 million from this game. But this form of gambling has its price. Among those in its thrall are Terri Candido of Boston, who is more than $50,000 in debt. Correspondent Harold Dow reports. While he is ferrying fares around New York, cabbie Carlos Rubino, who has a laptop computer in his taxi, trades online and even offers tips. Dow reports from Manhattan's hectic streets.
#8 - Deadly Secret
Season 13 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/28/1999
Can a team of dogged detectives solve a 6-year-old disappearance when all of the trails seem to have gone cold? 48 Hours Correspondent Harold Dow reports. In 1994, Russ Smith and his wife Khristine had seemed like the perfect couple. They had been married for eight years and lived a comfortable life in Kalamazoo, Mich., with their 7-year-old daughter Candace. Next-door neighbor Debbie Orosz says that Khristine was a wonderful mother, deeply involved in her daughter's life. A former policeman, Smith, 32 at the time, worked as the service manager of the local Sears automotive department. But in September of that year, Khristine disappeared.
#9 - Impossible Mission
Season 13 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/1/1999
On April 3, 1989, 22-year-old Chip Flynn was shot to death in a Central Florida orange grove. Soon after, police arrested Crosley Green, a black man recently released from prison on drug charges. On Sept. 5, 1990, all all-white jury convicted Green, then 32, of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to death. Ever since, he has been on death row. Last year five prominent private detectives got together to try to exonerate Green. They believe he is innocent. 48 Hours Correspondent Erin Moriarty followed them as they revisited crime scenes, reinterviewed witnesses and reinterpreted evidence, in an effort to save Green's life.
Watch Now:Apple TV#10 - A Mother Accused
Season 13 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/4/1999
For years, Jennifer Bush had been in and out of hospitals. By the time she was 8, she had been hospitalized more than 200 times, and had undergone more than 40 surgeries. Doctors had removed her gallbladder, her appendix and part of her intestines. She was often nourished through feeding tubes. What was causing Jennifer's illness? Florida prosecutors say her mother, Kathy Bush. 48 Hours Correspondent Harold Dow reports.
Watch Now:Apple TV#11 - The Imposter
Season 13 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/11/1999
Over his life, 42-year-old David Pecard has had many careers. Among other things, he has been a lawyer, a police officer, an emergency room technician and a soldier. He has also been many people: Wayne Simms, Kenny Tyler, Thomas Michael Lamar, Brandon Lee Bailey, David Auni, Michael Simms, Robert Simms and Paul Robert Ritter, among others. Who is Pecard? No one, not even him, is quite sure. But whatever else he may be, he is also a prolific con man, who over the last 25 years has talked his way with remarkable skill into police departments and onto top secret military posts. He conducted federal investigations with the FBI, put criminals behind bars and married six women. 48 Hours Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports on this extremely unusual case.
Watch Now:Apple TV#12 - A House Divided
Season 13 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/18/1999
Tom Green is a polygamist. "Men are designed by nature to love more than one woman," he says. But he has a problem. In Utah, where he lives, polygamy is a felony, and Green faces up to 25 years in jail. 48 Hours Correspondent Troy Roberts reports on this complex case.
Watch Now:Apple TV#13 - On the Edge of Your Seat
Season 12 - Episode 50 - Aired 8/31/1999
What is the thrill of risking danger? Is it the momentary adrenaline rush or the sense of having cheated death? Whatever it is, the pursuit of extreme excitement appears to have caught on in a major way. From jumping out of airplanes to climbing mountains, Americans are putting themselves in harm's way - all in the pursuit of fun. In "On The Edge Of Your Seat," 48 Hours Adventures looks at people who take great risks - sometimes with awful consequences. The Sky's Her Limit: When a plane full of skydivers crashed, Carol O'Connell was the only survivor. Follow along as she decides to confront her greatest fear, returning to the skies to jump once more. Life As A Loose Cannon: 48 Hours Anchor Dan Rather reports on Sean Thomas, a real-life human cannonball, and the master who taught him his art. Surviving An Avalanche: Christian George got more thrills than he expected when he was trapped in an avalanche while snowmobiling. Find out how he tunneled his way through miles of snow, back to safety. A Life Full Of Crazy Stunts: For Cindy Folkerson, leaping off cliffs and dodging fireballs are just part of a normal day. And she takes her work home with her, too: A top Hollywood stuntwoman, Folkerson is married to stunt coordinator Jeff Ramsey. Susan Spencer reports.
#14 - Class of 2000: Too Much Too Soon
Season 13 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/16/1999
Being a teen-ager can be difficult. Teetering between childhood and adulthood, teens are often saddled with myriad responsibilities and can feel pulled in a thousand different directions. To find out what being a teen in contemporary America is really like, 48 Hours spent the last year reporting on extraordinary members of the Class of 2000. 48 Hours introduces several teens dealing with daunting obstacles - challenges that would be difficult for anyone, of any age. Find out how they muster the requisite courage and drive, and what they are able to accomplish. Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports on Cayla Sutton and Brandy Jones, two North Carolina teen-agers who confront a devastating flood their senior year of high school. Fort Worth, Texas, high school senior Jacque Steinmetz thought that her church was just about the safest place she could be. She was wrong. Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports how Jacque copes with the emotional aftermath of a deadly shooting. Correspondent Bill Lagattuta reports on 17-year-old Californian Mae Lin Schultz, who has spent the past two years rebuilding her life after a mudslide destroyed her family's house. Correspondent Harold Dow spends time with Jennifer Bell, a Maryland teen who earlier this year suffered a stroke. After coming out of a coma, she is determined to return to school and graduate on time with her high school class. Five years ago, Rachel Hubnik of Plano, Texas, began experimenting with drugs, eventually moving to heroin. Now 16, Rachel is struggling to stay off drugs and rebuild her life. Troy Roberts reports.
#15 - The Future of Everything
Season 13 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/30/1999
What will life in the next century be like? Are we on the brink of a technological and social revolution? And who will decide the knotty moral questions that science brings to the fore? With the new century just a few days old, 48 Hours takes a probing look at the future of medicine, technology and lifestyles. Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports on the latest in haute couture: clothing that lets people compute while they strut - or just go about their daily lives. Correspondent Bill Geist profiles an innovative filmmaker, part of a new breed creating movies with the latest in digital technology - and cutting costs in the process. At age 82, Mary Bowermaster is a world-class athlete, in better shape than many people a third her age. Correspondent Mike Wallace spends some time with her, to find out how she does it. Correspondent Richard Schlesinger reports on the latest research on how the brain works, and how it can be improved. One day, we may be able to artificially augment our intelligence with microscopic computers implanted in our brains. Afflicted with a deadly disease, 12-year-old Amy Frohnmayer is hoping that a cutting-edge treatment known as gene therapy will save her life. Correspondent Jerry Bowen examines the controversy behind risky gene therapy. Three years ago, with the help of a new procedure, Judy Bershak had her first child. She was almost 50 and past menopause. As researchers learn more about human genetics and reproduction, cases like hers are becoming more and more common.
#16 - Family Feuds
Season 13 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/6/2000
Every family has its problems and its petty disputes. But some families get more creative about their arguments. They sue each other, threaten each other, even raise the rent on each other. 48 Hours takes a probing look at families who just don't get along. These people just might make your family look like the Waltons. Correspondent Susan Spencer reports on the Tinney family, which is fighting over a million dollar family home. What happens when an elderly wealthy mother likes her plumber so much that she adopts him? When the landlord is also your sister, raising the rent can create some knotty problems. Correspondent Harold Dow visits Lockhart, Texas, where two siblings got into a serious beef over the family's famous barbecue restaurant. Comedian Louie Anderson hosts the long-running game show Family Feud. As Correspondent Bernie Goldberg discovers, Anderson has his own, er, unusual, family to deal with. The Kirk brothers live in Unity, Maine. But their own relationship doesn't quite live up to the town's name. Correspondent Peter Van Sant spends time with the two loggers, who were involved in a bitter fight over a piece of equipment known as a skidder.
Watch Now:Apple TV#17 - A Family's Shame
Season 13 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/13/2000
What happens when a vicious criminal turns out to be your child or sibling? 48 Hours takes a probing look at family members coping with the ordeal of having a killer in the family. Correspondent Bill Lagattuta reports on the Robisons, who are fighting to save their son from execution. But the killer himself, Larry Robison, says that he is ready to die. As the appeals drag on, the Robison family becomes divided over whether to keep fighting to save Larry Robison's life. Correspondent Susan Spencer reports on policewoman Molly McIntyre's sense of duty in a murder case where her son is a suspect. After her son is charged with murder, Molly McIntyre plays a forceful role in the trial. Will she succeed?
Watch Now:Apple TV#18 - Weighing the Risks
Season 13 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/20/2000
Obesity is the second-leading cause of preventable deaths in this country, according to a recent report in the New England Journal of Medicine. The government now says that 34 percent of Americans are clinically obese - at least a third of their weight is fat. Being overweight is a nationwide problem and a national obsession. Every year millions of Americans go on diets. Some of them lose weight permanently; most, however, do not. 48 Hours takes a probing look at this issue, focusing on several people trying to slim down, and on some new dieting strategies - including a controversial surgery that literally shrinks the stomach.
Watch Now:Apple TV#19 - Who Killed Robert Adair? aka Murder in L.A.
Season 13 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/3/2000
In 1996, Michael and Mindy Shapiro went through a bitter, acrimonious divorce, involving infidelity, jealousy and revenge. But the Shapiros' divorce went beyond normal nastiness: It included accusations of murder, reports 48 Hours Correspondent Bill Lagattuta. In 1995, Dr. Shapiro began having an affair with one of his patients, Jean Adair, a married woman. Soon after, his wife discovered the affair. The next year, someone brutally murdered Adair's husband, Robert. Someone smashed Robert Adair's head in with a baseball bat. Was it his wife, Jean? Or did Mindy Shapiro have something to do with the crime? After two years, police charged Jean Adair with murdering her husband. But prosecutors will have a hard time proving their case; Mindy Shapiro gives the defense a powerful weapon. After three weeks, both sides rest. The jury deliberates. Will they find Jean Adair guilty?
Watch Now:Apple TV#20 - The Perfect Child
Season 13 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/10/2000
Crystal and Jesse wanted a family. So they decided to adopt. They went all the way to Russia and adopted two children. But their dream took a strange, difficult turn. They say one of the children, a nine-year-old girl, turned out to have deep emotional problems. Could they cope with their new dilemma? 48 Hours Correspondent Troy Roberts reports on this sad, complicated story.
#21 - Matchmaker
Season 13 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/14/2000
There are more than 70 million single adults in America today. That seems like a lot to choose from, but finding a soulmate is not easy. Americans are working harder these days, and that leaves little time for dating. But the search for true love goes on. Millions are using new methods of matchmaking - everything from online dating services to international singles tours. 48 Hours takes a look at a few of these new-fangled ways of making a connection. Love At First Byte: A singer who lives in San Francisco, Christine LeDoux signed up for Match.com, an online dating service. After going on 15 online dates, will her sixteenth be the charm? As 48 Hours tagged along, she went out with British computer consultant Andy Wright. Find out if the sparks flew. A successful real estate saleswoman in Bentonville, Arkansas, Della Ivy Lavan, also signed up with Match.com. She met a North Carolina man named Scott Bradburg. They seemed to have a lot in common, and Lavan decided to fly to North Carolina to meet him. Will they - and their children - get along? Will Bradburg pass the "car door test?" Hot Pursuit: Looking for love, some single men signed up for a matchmaking tour in Moscow. Dan McGovern, Ed Lee and 28 other American bachelors each paid $3,000 to meet a group of almost 200 Russian women. "You're going to have a few girls that are looking to get a ride to the United States," said Preston Stuckle, president of the company running the tour. "But 90 percent of these girls are just looking for a good man." McGovern ended up meeting a Ukrainian named Julia, while Lee met a woman named Natasha. Did either of them find true love? Find out. Dangerous Liaison? In 1996, Texas oilman Maple Hughes went to Odessa, Ukraine, to find his perfect match. There, Hughes, 63, met Roxana Yani, 40 years his junior. A few months later, the pair married in Las Vegas. Under confusing circumstances, Yani returned to Ukraine. When she didn't return after five months, a despe
#22 - Panic
Season 13 - Episode 22 - Aired 2/24/2000
About 20 million Americans suffer from some type of anxiety disorder. Many must deal every day with the fear that at any moment they could be overwhelmed by panic, one of type of anxiety disorder. The symptoms can be overwhelming. "My legs get shaky," says Theresa Murphy, explaining her panic attacks. "I can't control my own body. Everything gets blurry. But when it actually blacks out, and you can't see anything, that's probably the scariest thing." Episodes can last for a few minutes or days, she says. 48 Hours explores anxiety disorders and spends time with several people, including Donny Osmond, who are trying to overcome them. Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports on two people trying out a new treatment for panic disorder. Can one week of intense therapy erase years of anxiety? Find out. Although he has performed before large audiences for most of his life, Donny Osmond didn't know until recently that he had a severe anxiety disorder. Harold Dow finds out how Osmond faced his problem. Richard Schlesinger reports on a new method of confronting anxiety: using dogs as stress-busters.
#23 - Cyberstalker
Season 13 - Episode 25 - Aired 3/30/2000
More than 15 million children currently go online - more than 10 million of then in America. Are they safe? For that matter, are adults safe when they go online? Maybe not. 48 Hours takes a look at cyberstalking and other online dangers. Tracking Cyber-Predators: Correspondent Peter Van Sant reports on Operation Blue Ridge Thunder, a team of investigators in rural Virginia trying to crack down on pedophiles who comb the Web to find victims. Catching A 'Traveler': Van Sant continues his report: After months of work, Operation Blue Ridge Thunder moves to arrest one alleged pedophile. Will it succeed? Love's Tangled Web: Bill Lagattuta explores a new way to check on people you meet online. One woman relied on the service, with some unexpected results. An Online Tragedy: Susan Spencer reports on one man who took his obsession into cyberspace, with deadly results.
#24 - Wild Things
Season 12 - Episode 37 - Aired 7/6/1999
It's a nonstop adrenaline rush. A trip to strange places that you've never even imagined. It's 48 Hours Adventures! The premiere, "Wild Things," introduces you to scuba divers who swim with sharks, runners who sprint from bulls, and a woman who takes care of baby elephants. Running With The Bulls: Correspondent Erin Moriarty takes viewers to Pamplona, where runners sprint just a few feet ahead of charging bulls. New York City bar owner Joe Distler understands the adrenaline rush well. He has been participating in the event for more than 30 years. Watch as Distler does it again. Adventurous Links: Want to find out how you can run with the bulls? Or how to help save orphaned elephants? The Web can tell you, and we've gathered the best sites here. Lightning Strikes: Correspondent Russ Mitchell explores the amazing power of lightning. You'll meet Gretel Erlich, who was hit by lightning on her cattle ranch in 1991. She almost died, and talks about how the experience changed her. Taking Care Of Baby: Correspondent Susan Spencer profiles a woman who finds new families for baby elephants orphaned by poachers and farmers in Africa. Dipping Into The Volcano: In Hawaii, Spencer meets volcano researcher Carl Thornber, who gets very close to what he studies. He once lived 200 yards from Kilauea, the best-studied volcano in the world. When it erupts, other residents flee, but Thornber gets in closer, to where the lava temperatures rise above 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit. Swimming With The Sharks: Correspondent Harold Dow reports on a group of divers who go swimming with sharks off the Bahamas. Known as a "shark rodeo," this spectacle is both beautiful and terrifying.
#25 - My Daughter's Killer
Season 12 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/4/1999
CBS News 48 Hours takes a look at the incredible story of a mother who is determined to confront, face to face, the condemned murderer who brutally killed her daughter 12 years earlier. Will he agree to meet her? If the meeting happens, will she be able to forgive him? Among the memorable people you'll meet on this Thursday's show: For more about programs devoted to reconciliation between victims and offenders, see our catalog of web sites. Jonathan Wayne Nobles: a 37-year-old convict who is on Texas' death row for two murders he committed 13 years ago. In 1986, Nobles, an ex-con with a history of drug abuse and mental illness, broke into a house in Austin, Texas, and stabbed to death two young women, Kelly Farquhar and Mitzi Kurland. Caught soon after, Nobles was convicted and sentenced to death. Paula Kurland, Mitzi's mother, who is still grieving over her daughter's untimely death. Paula believes that a face-to-face meeting with her daughter's killer might help her put the past behind her. She wants to go to death row and have a conversation with Nobles, telling him exactly how he's ruined her life. Says Kurland: "We've been sentenced to prison for 12 years and it's time for us to be free . . .It's going to help me close a chapter and hopefully get on with my life."