Paternity Ward

The team winnows the stories to 10 or so, then DNA tests are administered. About half the 10 cases are selected to air, and Povich and Faulhaber insist that the DNA results do not influence that decision.

Povich never knows the results of a DNA test until he reads them on the air. "That's been crucial to the success of that segment," he says. "I want to find out when the audience finds out. I want to find out when the guests find out." (For this article, the show's producers did not permit access to their guests.)

"Maury" fans express delight when such guests as Georgetta make repeat appearances. The previous week featured the eighth visit by a woman named Simone, who is known for her lightning flights from the stage each time she hears the words "You are not the father."

"During her taped piece, we showed a retrospective of all of her appearances on the show," Faulhaber says. "And she came out the first time and said, 'Maury, I'm 110 percent sure.' And the next time she goes, 'I'm 130 percent.' . . . 'I'm 155 percent.' 'I'm 200 percent.' 'I am 1 billion percent.' . . . And each time it's amazing, because she sits there and she says, 'I know it this time.' "

"Did she run off last time?" Povich asks.

"Every time," Faulhaber replies. "Catlike reflexes."

Povich nods in remembrance. "I mean, it's been going on so long. In my younger days, I could catch her." He laughs. "Now I can't catch her anymore."

Unsung Measures

Povich and Faulhaber make a point of saying that the show's association with the guests doesn't end with the taping.

"We will check up," Povich says. "That first story, for instance -- you don't know whether old Niko is gonna take an interest in that child, but six months later, we'll update the viewers and we'll check on this guy, and we'll give him every opportunity to get in this kid's life."

If a father refuses to contribute financially to his child's upbringing, the DNA results are a formidable legal weapon.

"I know of no state where they will not take DNA test results," says Jack Sampson, law professor at the University of Texas and an authority in the field. "In civil cases, establishing parenthood involves a preponderance of evidence. . . . Now you demand that the test show at least a 99 percent probability. Most DNA tests go to 99.9 percent.")

Of course, the producers' ongoing contact with former guests sometimes leads to those audience-pleasing return visits to the show, so the efforts cannot be considered entirely altruistic. Still, Faulhaber says the program goes to considerable -- and unsung -- lengths to try to bring families together.