Random Surprising Stories From Behind The Scenes of 'Step by Step' (9 items)

(#3) Angela Watson Was Robbed By Her Parents

After Step by Step ended, Angela Watson, who played Karen Foster, realized that the $2.5 million she earned from her 10 years as a child actor was gone — her parents misspent the money and saved none for her. Watson shared her story and discovered that it was a common problem among child actors. In 2000, she started Child Actors Supporting Themselves (CAST), an organization that assists child actors in managing their own finances.
(#9) Suzanne Somers Allegedly Plans To Live To 125 Thanks To A Blood Ritual

Somers was allegedly part of an experimental treatment by the Young Blood Institute on January 23, 2018 in which she began receiving scientifically unfounded treatments to "rejuvenate" her aging cells by swapping out her blood for the blood of teenagers and young adults. In this process, a young patient donates plasma. That plasma is purified and then injected into the older patient's body. Somers is considered part of an official experiment, so only time will tell if the transfusions work.
(#2) Sasha Mitchell Was In And Out Of Prison

Sasha Mitchell’s character, Cody Lambert, was a major source of comic relief on the show. Sweet and dimwitted, Cody would often break the tension during more serious plot lines. Throughout the show's run, Mitchell was in and out of trouble with the law for domestic abuse. Police were called to his house several times to investigate reported incidents against his then-wife, Jeannette Robbins.
Robbins was accused of child abuse in the past, and full custody of the children was granted to Mitchell because of alleged neglect and violence by Robbins. Mitchell was quoted in an interview syaing that he "restrained her in a way that was deemed spousal abuse" after she was violent toward him and the children. However, Mitchell was later convicted on charges of child endangerment.
Mitchell was sentenced to a 30-day jail sentence for violating probation after he was convicted of domestic assault in September 1995. He was allowed to leave prison during his sentence to shoot Step by Step.
(#1) Brandon Call Was Shot In Both Arms In A Bizarre Traffic Dispute

In the middle of Step by Step’s run in 1996, Brandon Call, who played J.T. Lambert, was involved in a traffic incident that proved almost fatal. According to Call, he was driving home from studios in Burbank when a car began to tail him. Once the driver cornered Call, he stepped out and began firing at Call with a gun, missing his head and chest but hitting both of his arms. The young actor escaped and made it to a police station. The motive remains a mystery, but authorities suspect a traffic conflict.
(#4) Sasha Mitchell's Domestic Violence Eventually Got Him Kicked Off The Show

In 1995, Mitchell was charged with causing extreme physical harm to his wife and kicking a hole through the bathroom door. His attorney said Mitchell was framed, but the jury didn’t agree. The following year in 1996, Mitchell was once again arrested for abuse when he threw a chair against a wall, spit on his wife, and hit her with a couch pillow. He was later imprisoned for failing to complete his mandatory abuse counseling. The descriptions of the verbal and physical abuse are harrowing.
Mitchell was eventually fired from Step by Step. When he went to prison a second time, he was no longer allowed to leave for filming, although he returned as a guest for one episode in the show’s seventh season.
(#8) The Beautiful Body Of Water In The Opening Credits Is Actually A Six Flags Parking Lot

The show's opening credits depict the two families adventuring in an amusement park. The show is set in Wisconsin, and the final image of the credits reveal an aerial shot of the theme park. Behind it are green hills and in front of it the sparkling Lake Michigan water front.
In reality, the amusement park is a Six Flags north of Los Angeles, which is in the middle of a desert. The hills were digitally altered to look green, and the parking lot was covered with a lake.