“What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.”
With those words, Robert Durst seemingly confessed to multiple murders on Sunday’s episode of “The Jinx.” Durst was later arrested, seemingly on the strength of evidence presented by the HBO series.
But it’s hardly the first time a TV show has led to a real-life arrest — though the path to that arrest is often a bit more circuitous than in the case of Durst.
Here are five TV shows that unexpectedly helped Johnny Law.
‘The Vanilla Ice Project’
When a Florida house was robbed earlier this year, police had to look no further than next door for clues. That’s where former rapper Vanilla Ice was working as part of his home-improvement show “The Vanilla Ice Project.” Robert Van Winkle was charged with burglary and grand theft after the stolen items were found in his house.
‘Deadliest Catch’
A guy from “Deadliest Catch” ended up getting caught. Joshua Tel Warner was picked up in 2010 on charges he robbed an Oregon bank after appearing as a rookie deckhand on the fishing reality show.
‘Blind Date’
In 2004, a man was arrested on suspicion of rape and kidnapping after his victim recognized him from the reality show “Blind Date.” Maybe justice isn’t blind after all.
‘Dr. Phil’
Anything you say on the Dr. Phil show can — and will — be used against you . . . In 2013, an Oklahoma man was arrested after he confessed to beating his girlfriend on an episode of the talk show dedicated to domestic violence.
‘Happy League’
A contestant who appeared on the Chinese dating show “Happy League” ended up without a happy ending of his own. In 2011, Liu Hao was arrested as a suspect in a 1990s murder after a witness spotted him competing on the romance reality show. The show allowed a female contestant to pick from a panel of eight male suitors — and guess whom she chose?