‘Scrubs’: J.D. and Elliot’s Stunt Doubles Fell in Love on Set
One show that had tremendous chemistry among its ensemble was the sitcom Scrubs. Anyone who watched the show could see how well the cast members gelled.
But what many people might not realize is the great chemistry wasn’t limited to the cast. A couple of members of the stunt team also got along very well.
The premise of ‘Scrubs’
According to IMDb, Scrubs ran for nine seasons from 2001 to 2010. The show focused on a medical facility designed to teach medical students and interns known as Sacred Heart Hospital.
The show’s main character was John “J.D.” Dorian (played by Zach Braff). J.D. navigated life at the hospital with the help of his friends and his mentor, the snide but hilarious Dr. Perry Cox. Other characters on the show included J.D.’s best friend Turk, Turk’s wife and nurse Carla, J.D.’s rival the mysterious Janitor, and his on-again-off-again love interest, Elliot (played by Sarah Chalke).
The show began on NBC but ended its run on ABC. It was known for its clever, witty jokes that were delivered at a fast pace. It was also known for its absurdity, often putting the characters in nutty scenarios. The show had a heart at the same time, however. It wasn’t afraid to tackle the reality of being set in a hospital. It always balanced the sentimentality out with punchlines.
The relationship between J.D. and Elliot
Many great sitcoms feature some sort of “will they or won’t they?” romantic tension between the show’s leads. Friends had Ross and Rachel. Cheers had Sam and Diane. Seinfeld even had Jerry and Elaine (at least in the first few seasons). On Scrubs, that pairing was J.D. and Elliot.
The two always had romantic tension, even as they got together and broke up throughout the show’s run. The couple had a happy ending, eventually ending up together following the show’s conclusion. Of course, this doesn’t mean Chalke and Braff would get together. But there was at least one pairing on the show that did lead to a relationship in real life.
The story of how J.D. and Elliot’s stunt doubles fell in love
One of the reasons Scrubs worked as well as it did was due to the fantastic cut scenes that were a part of the show. While much of the show took place in “real” life, much of it happened inside J.D.’s head.
It had a dream-like quality, where characters would be placed in ridiculous, zany scenarios for a matter of seconds before the perspective snapped back to the show’s reality. This often left the actors performing rather physical takes.
One scene involved J.D. and Elliot bungee jumping. A fan once asked Chalke on Twitter if she and Braff performed the skydive. Chalke responded that it was stunt doubles. Apparently, the stunt doubles for both actors had never met before that day. But they later fell in love and got married after meeting on the set. But according to the Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach and Donald podcast, the pair later got divorced.
