Everyone loves The Big Bang Theory, right?

Okay, maybe not everyone – there are always those television snobs who think that any comedy that caters to so many people is too mainstream and unoriginal, but those of us who watch it know that even if that’s technically true, it still manages to make us laugh!

Below are 20 facts about the show that even the most ardent fan might not know – so read on and increase your knowledge!

#20. The initial pilot “sucked.”

The show filmed two different pilots, because even though CBS didn’t like the first one, they flet that the show had potential. The first pilot began with a different theme song and featured Sheldon, Leonard, and two female characters, including an actress other than Kaley Cuoco playing the Penny role. Chuck Lorre thought the initial pilot “sucked” but is open to having the unaired pilot included as a DVD “extra.”

#19. Sheldon wasn’t the first person on set to use the word “bazinga.” 

Writer Stephen Engel used the word as a ‘gotcha’ in a recurring backstage gag involving an old grapefruit in the writers’ room. It eventually made its way to the actual script shortly before the finale was filmed.

#18. He might not actually have a doctorate, but Jim Parsons (Sheldon Cooper), might be a genius. 

When Sheldon plays the theremin, (widely regarded as one of the hardest instruments to play) that is Jim Parsons playing the theremin.

#17. Sheldon Cooper inspires naturalists all over the world!

There is now a genus of rhizostome jellyfish named Bazinga, Sheldon’s favorite word on the show. Sheldon’s catchphrase also inspired the naming of a new bee species in 2013.

#16. Gotta love those Aussies! 

The song Sheldon requests when he’s sick or upset, “Soft Kitty”, is based on an Australian children’s song from Executive Producer Bill Prady’s daughter’s preschool.

#15. Show me the money!

Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco are the world’s highest paid TV actors.

#14. Sometimes reality is at least AS strange as fiction…

Raj’s inability to talk to women except when drunk is based on a co-worker of Executive Producer Bill Prady’s from his days at a computer company.

#13. Chuck Lorre, the creator of The Big Bang Theory, writes odd “vanity cards” at the ends of his shows.

As the credits roll, a piece of Lorre’s writing flashes on the screen for a second, but with too little time to read them.

#12. Method acting FTW!

Kevin Sussman, who plays depressed comic book store owner Stuart Bloom, actually worked in a comic book store before becoming an actor.

#11. You’re not seeing triple…

Only one floor of the set has an elevator, so all of the scenes filmed in front of it are in the same place.

#10. Namesakes.

The two main characters (Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter) are named after late television producer Sheldon Leonard.

The man is best known for his work on classic shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show and the The Andy Griffith Show.

#9. It’s opposite day! 

Although on the show, Sheldon does not drive, Jim Parsons prefers to be behind the wheel in order to combat his propensity toward motion sickness.

#8. Sheldon often wears shirts containing the number 73, which is also the year Jim was born in real life.

On the show, Cooper repeatedly states that 73 is his favorite number.

#7. Smarty pants!

Mayim Bialik, who plays the awkward fiancée to the more awkward Sheldon Cooper, is the only cast member to actually have a Ph.D. In 2008, she earned her Ph.D. in Neural Biology. She also is the reason that her character Amy Farrah Fowler has the same job.

#6. This is what their apartment really looks like.

#5.  Kaley Cuoco missed filming two episodes of Season Four after she broke her leg in a horseback-riding accident. 

I guess they didn’t want to write the injury into the show, because in her first appearance following the accident, she was filmed standing behind a counter.

#4. The original title of the show was called Lenny, Penny and Kenny.

I assume this means Sheldon was originally named Kenny, but I, for one, am happy they changed it. Because it’s ridiculous, and also because it reminds me of South Park.

#3. How good is your eye? 

Floors 2, 3, and 4 of the set are all Sheldon and Leonard’s apartment, just re-dressed for each scene. As they walk up the stairs, you might notice identical scuff marks on the moulding on each level.

#2. Have you noticed that Penny has been using the same purse since Season One, Episode Two?

#1. What happened to feminism? How many of the male actors has she seen naked?!

There you go! I hope you learned a few things along the way that will help you kill at your next trivia night!