The Energy Rangers franchise is exclusive among the many IPs geared toward youngsters as a result of it occurs to be generational. Just like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles earlier than it, the model has managed to maintain its recognition lengthy sufficient that folks of their 30s-40s grew up with it, whereas youngsters at present are hooked up to their very own evolution of the collection.
It doesn’t matter what technology is watching, the Energy Rangers signify heroism and teamwork, however the harsh actuality is that it is also a collection of TV reveals consisting of human beings taking part in roles. As soon as the TV is turned off, the performers go off to stay their actual lives, and what has been found in regards to the model is that there’s a darkish facet to the Energy Rangers that has led hardcore followers to imagine there’s a curse across the IP. Given the real-life tragedies which have struck these concerned with the present, there really could be some reality to that.
The Actors in Each ‘Energy Rangers’ Sequence Have been Paid Criminally Low Wages
Among the Energy Rangers’ harsh realities start with the present itself and what can solely be described as poor work circumstances. Mighty Morphin Energy Rangers was a non-union manufacturing, which signifies that the unique solid, consisting of Austin St. John (Pink Ranger), Walter Emanuel Jones (Black Ranger), Amy Jo Johnson (Pink Ranger), Thuy Trang (Yellow Ranger) and David Yost (Blue Ranger) have been paid extraordinarily low wages (starting from $600-$730 earlier than taxes) but needed to work lengthy hours in what some have described as a hostile work atmosphere.
They have been all younger and aspiring actors and did not have brokers or legal professionals to look over their contracts, which additionally said that creators Haim Saban and Shuki Levu, together with Fox, owned their likenesses and will use them to promote toys and different merchandise with out having to present them a lower of that cash. As well as, they didn’t obtain royalty funds, so additionally they weren’t paid for any re-runs of the episodes they have been featured in.
Three of the unique rangers, St. John, Jones, and Trang, left the collection over this concern and did get the identical agent (Ingrid Wang) concerned to struggle for higher contracts and pay, however they have been swiftly changed halfway via the second season. As soon as scores solely acquired higher following their departure, the producers determined that veterans of the present may keep so long as they desired, however newbies may very well be switched out yearly with new actors to maintain the model recent.
The pay concern plagued the model in future iterations of the IP and by no means acquired higher, with a number of actors complaining about their low pay, lengthy hours, and their time exterior the collection going to occasions to advertise the present. St. John as soon as put the pay dilemma in a sensible perspective, making it clear that though they have been on a success collection, the cash they have been making did not match that.
“I may have labored a window at McDonald’s and doubtless made the identical cash the primary season. It was disappointing, it was irritating, it made a variety of us indignant.”
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Different in-production points with the collection embody allegations of homophobia from the present’s manufacturing employees. Yost started his run on the collection when it began in 1993 however left throughout 1996’s Energy Rangers Zeo due to homophobic slander from members of the manufacturing employees that allegedly led the actor to endure conversion remedy to alter his sexuality. Yost, who now lives fortunately as an out homosexual man, mentioned that he walked off set in the future after “he was referred to as f*ggot one too many occasions.” He additionally alleged that producers would ask different solid members about their emotions concerning his sexuality, which solely served to make him much more uncomfortable.
Sadly, life exterior the Energy Rangers universe is much more tragic, and probably the most obvious first case of that’s the loss of life of Trang, the unique Yellow Ranger. On the age of 27, Trang died in a horrific automobile crash over Labor Day weekend in 2001. The actress was touring with one in every of her greatest associates, Angela Lockwood, and was supposed to be her bridesmaid at her upcoming wedding ceremony.
Different members of the solid have misplaced their lives, albeit by pure causes. Richard Genelle, who portrayed Ernie, the proprietor of the Angel Grove Youth Heart within the collection, suffered a deadly coronary heart assault on the age of 47 in 2008 following a battle with weight problems. Robert L. Manahan, who voiced Zordon from 1993-1998, misplaced his life to a coronary heart aneurysm on the age of 43, whereas Machiko Soga, who portrayed the Rangers’ arch nemesis Rita Repulsa, handed away in 2006, two years after she revealed her pancreatic most cancers prognosis. She was solely 68 years previous. None of those deaths add any validity to a curse since they have been all from pure causes, however the tragedy right here is that they have been all comparatively younger and positively had extra life to stay.
Some ‘Energy Ranger’ Actors Have Tragically Taken Their Personal Lives
Among the greatest tragedies with the Energy Rangers contain the heroes of the present succumbing to real-life demons that sadly drove them to suicide. Jason David Frank turned extraordinarily widespread as Tommy Oliver, the Inexperienced Ranger, a personality who started as a villain within the collection however was later made good to affix the group. Frank proved so widespread that he was in the end introduced again because the White Ranger when the Inexperienced Ranger was stripped of his powers. Between 1993 and 1996, Frank appeared on 124 episodes of the present, making him a veteran of the solid.
Sadly, Frank was battling his demons, which went again to his early 20s when he started his time on the collection. Within the just lately launched Hollywood Demons, which detailed the “Energy Rangers curse,” varied individuals from the historical past of the present have been interviewed, they usually hinted that Frank and his older brother, Erik, endured abuse as children. They combated this by moving into martial arts to channel a few of their points, they usually each pursued careers in performing.
Jason would go on to land Mighty Morphin Energy Rangers. Nonetheless, Erik struggled significantly to get work, however his fortunes appeared to show when he was given the chance to painting David Trueheart in Energy Rangers Zeo, the long-lost brother of Tommy Oliver. It was a five-episode story arc that Erik hoped would flip into an extended run, but it surely by no means occurred. His profession by no means took off the identical means as his brother’s, which was made extra irritating by being a younger father and husband. Sadly, Erik took his personal life by hanging himself in 2001 on the age of 29.
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Jason struggled along with his brother’s suicide, even blaming himself that he could not do extra to assist him. Nonetheless, Jason’s public persona painted an image of somebody who wished to assist others in an analogous place. Not solely did he play a hero on tv, however he wished to be a real-life hero to his followers who have been struggling. It was a noble trigger and one thing that endured him to a legion of followers, however he was bottling up his personal points, together with an on-again-off-again relationship along with his estranged spouse, Tammie Frank, though they have been making an attempt to reconcile following her submitting for divorce.
Frank detailed that, over time, it appeared like Jason had a void she could not fill irrespective of how exhausting she tried, and varied actors who labored conventions with him may inform that he wasn’t the identical man who attended these occasions with nice exuberance. Throughout their last evening collectively, the pair went to a bar till 2:00 AM after which headed again to their lodge room. Frank in the end left to seize snacks, leaving Jason within the room alone, however when she was unable to achieve entry to the room as a result of she had left her key, somebody from the entrance desk let her in, the place they discovered Jason lifeless within the lodge toilet with a wire round his neck. 21 years after his brother dedicated suicide, Jason killed himself similarly.
The pressures of fame and sustaining some type of success following being on a child tv collection appear to interrupt a number of the actors who’ve appeared on the present. Pua Magasiva, who appeared on Energy Rangers Ninja Storm because the Pink Ranger, took his life in 2019, 16 years after showing on the collection. Magasiva additionally had his justifiable share of demons, and it was realized after his loss of life that he had a historical past of violence, together with home abuse in opposition to his spouse. 15 days earlier than his suicide, Magasiva was convicted of home assault in opposition to his spouse, and he or she even said that he violently attacked her the evening he handed away whereas in a drunken stupor.
Some Former ‘Energy Ranger’ Actors Have Engaged in Felony Exercise
There have even been instances the place a former Energy Ranger has inflicted hurt on one other individual, ensuing of their loss of life. Ricardo Medina Junior portrayed Cole Evans in Energy Rangers Wild Pressure and later appeared as Deker in Energy Rangers Samurai. Medina was mentioned to have a really anti-social persona, usually retreating to his room along with his girlfriend and allegedly making her keep within the room with him and never permitting her to speak to others. His unpredictable persona in the end led to an evening of violence the place he allegedly stabbed his roommate, Joshua Sutter, on January 31, 2015.
Medina claimed he stabbed Sutter in self-defense throughout an altercation, however the weapon of selection is the very first thing that makes these occasions distinctive. Medina stabbed Sutter with a medieval samurai sword and initially mentioned that he solely poked Sutter with the weapon. Regardless of the bloody scene, Medina was launched, and it might take a full 12 months for the previous actor to be arrested as soon as extra investigation revealed that his self-defense claims have been bogus. An post-mortem report revealed that the sword went via Sutter’s stomach and exited via his again, piercing his lung. This is able to not be the case if he merely poked the sufferer.
Medina confronted a life sentence with an opportunity at parole after 26 years, however he in the end reached a plea deal in 2017. The previous Pink Wild Pressure Ranger pleaded responsible to at least one felony rely of voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to a most of six years in jail. Medina was finally paroled out after solely serving three years.
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Different felony exercise involving a former Energy Ranger dives into the world of alleged fraud. In 2022, St. John, the unique Pink Ranger, was indicted on felony costs for making the most of the CARES Act, a $2.2 trillion financial stimulus invoice handed within the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In accordance with the allegations, St. John was concerned in a scheme that conspired to create or use current companies to fraudulently submit purposes for Paycheck Safety funding.
The actor was placed on pre-trial launch following his indictment, which allowed him permission to depart the state of Texas just for work, together with his conference appearances. In 2024, St. John accepted a plea deal and pleaded responsible to primarily defrauding america Authorities. The circumstances of his plea deal weren’t available, and he hasn’t been sentenced to any jail time as of this writing.
So, is there a Energy Rangers curse? It is an attention-grabbing notion to take a position on, provided that an irregular quantity of tragedy has surrounded the franchise, however realistically, this most likely all comes all the way down to coincidence. As we discover these circumstances, the kid in us has to develop up and understand that though these individuals portrayed superheroes on tv, they have been all human. Generally tragedy is simply part of life, whether or not you are a Energy Ranger or not. None of this darkness ought to taint your recollections of the present and the enjoyment it as soon as introduced you, particularly when you think about {that a} lengthy line of performers and different expertise have labored on the collection and are nonetheless residing fulfilling lives. There’s a darkish facet to the whole lot, even to one thing able to bringing you nice pleasure. Mighty Morphin Energy Rangers is streaming on Tubi and Netflix.