Ah, Hannah Montana; the show that changed the Disney Channel forever… When the show first premiered back in 2006, no one had any way of knowing what was coming. The show ran for approximately five years, contained ninety eight episodes spanning over four successful seasons, and included a surprisingly high grossing film (making an impressive 34 million during its theatrical release.) Not to mention the concerts, the tours, the 3D concert experience, the CDs, dolls, books, wigs, bedding, and millions of other products Disney sold with Miley’s face plastered all over them.

No one could have predicted the huge international following that the show would create. No one could have predicted that both the Disney Channel sitcom itself and Miley Cyrus would become the most successful products the channel had ever created. And no one could have predicted the scandals and controversies that surrounded the collected casts every move.

Though the show ended several years ago, the cast have been very open with their experiences on the famous set in candid interviews and social media posts. Even Miley Cyrus herself, who has made her attempts to distance herself from the show that made her a household name no secret, has been very candid about her experience on the show. From daredevils stunts, total rewrites, and possibly illegal working conditions, there are plenty of behind the scenes secrets to go around.

So hold onto your wigs, because we are about to delve into 20 mind-blowing behind the scenes secrets from the set of Hannah Montana.

25 Hannah Not So Montana

If you’ve ever written a story, made up a drinking game, or tried to find a unique social media handle, then you would be all too familiar with how hard it can be to come up with a unique name for something. When I was fifteen, I thought I had created the coolest and most creative username for MSN Messenger that anyone had ever seen… that is until I Googled it later and found out that I had accidentally named my online persona after a not-for-kids film.

And that is exactly what almost happened to Miss Hannah Montana. For an unknown reason, the creators of the show wished to create a female name/American state rhyming title for their new show. But they were having a bit of trouble. They thought they had struck gold with “Alexis Texas” until they Googled the name and realized it already belonged to a film star. They then scrapped that idea faster than you can say “Bucky Kentucky.’

24 The Mullets Are Back

Anyone in the film industry will tell you that auditioning is a special kind of hell. The process to join the cast of Hannah Montana was no different. When Miley first started auditioning for the show at age 11, she was brushed off entirely as she was seen as far too young for the part. But she fought for it. She came back when she was twelve and did everything she could to prove to the showrunners that she was made for this part. She even performed the song, “I Want My Mullet Back” with her dad, during one of her many auditions.

Everyone who saw her final audition tape absolutely adored her and she was later not only offered the title role (she had originally auditioned for Lilly) but the song she sang also became featured in a later episode.

23 What Would We Do Without Miley?

As stated above, Hannah went through a few name changes before Disney was satisfied. But did you know that the character of Miley went through a series of name changes herself? When the show was originally pitched, the title character was named “Chloe.” During Miley’s early auditions, the character's name had been changed to “Zoe” (the lead character of my favourite show and I could have been name buddies). But Miley ended up getting her final name change whilst filming the show's pilot episode. An obscene number of takes were needed for each shot as Billy kept calling his daughter “Miley.” He allegedly complained that it was difficult to call his daughter a name other than the name that he had been calling her for the past 13 years of her life. So a last minute change was made.

22 Think Of The Children

This show is no stranger to controversy both on and off screen.

During the show's five-year run, there were plenty of complaints from concerned parents about the show's content popping up online. Many complained that the rude jokes, mocking comments characters had towards one another, and disrespectful ways in which the Stewart children and their friends addressed Robbie Ray made the show a “bad influence” on their children.

Miley herself also drew a large amount of controversy due to her 2008 Vanity Fair cover shoot, leaked personal photos (mainly featuring an underaged and scantily clad Miley), substance use on her 18th birthday, and questionable Teen Choice performance to the song “Party in the USA.” All of which she was (unfairly) expected to publicly apologize for. Mitchel Musso (Oliver Oken) also had his fair share of scandal as he was busted for risky driving in late 2011.

21 A Music Video With A Purpose

One of the coolest aspects of Hannah Montana is the way that they were able to create a popstar themselves. Hannah had albums, concerts, tours, and full on music videos. But, unlike traditional music videos, Hannah’s were made with a specific purpose in mind. Every single one of Hannah Montana’s music videos (except for the one she was “filming” in the 2009 movie) was filmed as a “live concert” experience rather than a traditional dance or story-based music video. This was done so that they could include clips of Hannah’s music video in the show when Hannah was supposed to be in concert. Then they would have her walking “off stage” in a costume that matched the one used in the video to create the illusion that the two scenes were connected.

20 High School Senior Citizen

We all know that Jackson was Miley’s older brother on the show, but how much older are we talking? Though the character was only supposed to be a couple years Miley’s senior as they briefly attended the same school during the shows third season, the actor who brought him to life was considerably older. Now, how old are we talking? Well, by the end of the last season Jason Earles (Jackson Rod Stewart) was 34 years old. Now, I’m well aware that shows often cast older kids, even adults in their early twenties, to play high school kids but Jackson was honestly probably closer in age to Robbie Ray than he was to Miley. But Jason is the king of not acting his age because we never suspected a thing.

19 Everyone Appreciates A Good Pun

Have you ever looked up the episode titles for any given season of Hannah Montana? If you haven’t, I highly suggest doing so because you are in for a treat… a pun filled treat. Though the writers hit a few speed bumps while naming Miley Stewart and the show itself, they more than made up for it with the titles of each and every episode. As every episode name was inspired by the title of a famous song which was slightly changed to match the content of that specific episode. Titles include “Smells Like Teen Sellout,” “Achy Jakey Heart,” “You’re So Vain You Probably Think This Zit is About You,” “Promma Mia,” and “Welcome to the Bungle.” I’ll tell you, nothing brings me more joy than cracking open the Hannah Montana Wikipedia page after a long day and reading out the creative and hilarious episode titles.

18 A Shag With A Purpose

Remember Oliver Oken’s shaggy mop of a hairstyle? You probably never gave it a second thought as most teenage boys tend to go through a phase where they grow their hair out as long as their moms will allow them to. But Oliver’s signature shag was picked out by Disney with a specific purpose in mind. And that purpose was to get in the way of Mitchel Musso’s street cred. You see, after the first season of the show, Mitchel got his ears pierced. But Disney didn’t like that. Mitchel could either take his earrings out or grow out his hair to cover the offending ears. So he did what any rebellious teen would do and grew that hair out. He was allowed shorter and earring revealing hair in the show’s fourth season as Oliver’s new rock star image seemed to suit the extra jewelry.

17 Sister Act

It turns out that Miley and Billy weren’t the only Cyrus family members that were given their chance to shine on the Hannah Montana stage. Miley’s older sister, Brandi, appeared as an extra in several episodes and was actually even given a role in Hannah’s band. Brandi features as Hannah’s backup guitarist in several of her music videos. Miley’s younger sister, Noah, also appeared in several episodes but her appearances often involved speaking roles. Her most noted appearance was in the second part of the two part “Achy Jakey Heart” special. She played a little girl who threatened the gang with her moms taser. Lovely.

Speaking of moms, Miley’s real-life mom Tish actually appeared in the show's alternate finale (which you can see in its entirety at the end of this article.)

16 Mad For Hannah Montana

The long running sketch comedy show MADtv has a special relationship with Hannah Montana. Though MADtv has been known to have done several parodies on the show, Miley herself, the character of Hannah Montana, and her role on the Disney channel; several MADtv veterans have appeared on the Disney channel show that they so openly mocked. MADtv’s Lisa Arch appeared on an early season of Hannah Montana as an avid photographer with a rather large crush on Robbie Ray. Michael McDonald and both Paul and Peter Vogt also appeared on the show as a cooking show host and the Stewarts obnoxious neighbour, Mr Dontzig.

The lengthy list of celebrity guest stars also include Sonny With a Chance’s Tiffany Thornton, Community’s Alison Brie, Dolly Parton, the Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Brooke Shields, and The Rock.

15 Rico's Got A Secret

The entire Spanish speaking world is most likely laughing at me right now but I had no idea what Rico’s name meant when translated into English. For those of you who don’t speak Spanish, allow me to explain to you that Rico’s name means “rich” in Spanish.

Yes, the cackling, rich, and manipulative little boy whose entire character is defined by his insane wealth is literally named after his only initial character trait. Imagine if everyone in both fiction and reality were named after their most obvious/all consuming personality trait. Robbie Ray would probably have to be renamed “pie lover.” Miley would probably have to undergo yet another name change and would find herself named something like “bossy” or “always gets involved in other people's business.” And Jake/Leslie Ryan might not appreciate finding out that he had been renamed “gross creepy cheater man who was never good enough for Miley in the first place.”

14 A Lesson In Morality

In the mid 2000s, fame was everywhere. Kids were dreaming of screaming fans, cover shoots, and seeing their name up in lights. Everyone wanted to be famous and some kids (ex. The Bling RIng crime gang) were doing anything they could to get a taste of the charmed life. So, they made Hannah Montana to not only show kids that friends, love, family, and being a genuinely good person is the most rewarding thing in life; but to also cast a spotlight on all of the negative aspects of fame. The show underlined rumours, lack of freedom, paparazzi, and the fear of being publicly shamed when it highlighted Hannah’s life, but usually focused on honesty, bonding, and real connections when Miley was at the centre of the plot. The show's last season really emphasized the toll that Hannah had on Miley, which culminated in her publicly removing her wig and choosing the Miley life instead of fame.

13 Disney Daredevils

One of the trademarks of the early seasons of Hannah Montana was all of the stunts involving the small cliffs behind Rico’s Surf Shop. It was nearly impossible to get through an episode without having someone fall of those cliffs. They might just fall, they might get knocked over by unsuspecting dudes with oddly long surfboards, and they might even find themselves being pushed down to the beach below by a jilted friend or lover. Now, this sounds painful and like something you’d only ever want to experience once. But the boys of the cast would disagree. Moises, Jason, and Mitchel would often fling themselves off the ledge behind the beach set for fun during their down time on set.

Once the Stewart’s moved to the ranch and Rico moved his business to the pier, the beach became a thing of the past. But it will always live on in our hearts.

12 Not So Family Channel

Now, it’s no secret that Miley struggled both during and after the filming of Hannah Montana but it might surprise some people that her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, blames the show outright for his family's problems. He has been quoted during several interviews claiming that the show drove a wedge between him and Miley and that the intense pressure that she was put through caused her severe personal problems. Many publications were quick to blame shoddy parenting for Miley’s wild antics but Billy claimed that the blame should be placed on Disney and has even gone as far as to openly wish that Miley had never gotten the role in the first place. From all the tales of Hollywood abuses of power that have recently come to light and the secrets Miley has revealed detailing her time on set, it’s amazing that anyone can stay sane in Hollywood.

11   There's No Place Like Home

When The Hannah Montana Movie first hit theatres in 2009, I was a shy high schooler who was often teased for openly liking the show. But weeks passed and it was the only watchable film showing at our small town theatre. Eventually, everyone caved and saw it. And what do you know, they all loved it. It had a certain small-town charm that reminded us all of home.

And there’s a reason for that. Though Disney originally planned to film the Tennessee set film in Louisiana, Billy Ray was able to convince them to move the shooting location to his own backyard. Literally. The film was short roughly seven miles away from the Cyrus family farm and Miley would often terrify her co-stars by taking them 4x4ing through the backcountry. There’s just something about home that can’t be replicated.

10 Set Your Weapons To Shrill

If you’ve ever seen an episode of Hannah Montana, then chances are that you’ve heard Traci Van Horns' infamous shrill voice. Traci (played by actress Romi Dames) is one of Hannah’s best friends, a known socialite, and speaks in a shrill, nasal, and grating voice due to her nasal condition. Her voice is famous within the fandom and fans might be shocked to find out that that is not Romi’s real voice at all.

At the time of auditions, Romi was working in sketch comedy at the time and decided to make the character her own with a special voice. Though she is an incredibly talented voice actress that can do several voices and various convincing accents, she felt like this irritating character needed a voice to match. And thus Traci was born. The crew ended up loving what she did with the character so much that they made Traci into a far bigger character than originally intended and had her feature in several episodes throughout the shows four seasons.

9 Wild Stars, Wild Animals

Romi Dames (the actress behind Hannah’s socialite friend, Traci Van Horn) revealed in an interview with MTV that the animal trainer which handled Traci’s infamous spoiled cat had recently adopted an abandoned baby raccoon. The trainer was trying to expose the raccoon to humans in order to get it used to being around us and adjusted to human contact in order to better train and handle it. Apparently, he quickly adjusted to being surrounded by dozens of humans and could be seen constantly trotting around set on his own. Unfortunately, no public photos exist of the little guy.

Now I’ve seen my fair share of raccoons (both baby and full grown) and I have to say that they are insanely cute but also incredibly dangerous when not properly handled. Rabies is no joke. Don’t play with wild trash pandas. Just don’t do it.

8 Thank God For Jackson

With all the rewrites, reworkings, and names changes that went around during the early days of creating the show that we now know as Hannah Montana, it’s no surprise that some characters didn’t make the final cut. While others had to be completely torn down and rebuilt from the ground up.

What would the show be without Jackson? Though it’s hard to describe him as anything other than a typical American older brother type, the show would have been entirely different had Jason Earles not intervened. During the early days of production, Jackson was supposed to be a morbidly timid and shy character who could only communicate through a puppet that he was never seen without. This puppet was mentioned during one of Miley’s many auditions for the role of Chloe/Zoe Stewart. But Jason really wasn’t feeling it and ended up putting on such a mind blowing performance that it convinced the director to rework the character into the Jackson that we all know and love.

7 Miles Of Misery

Miley has made no secret of her general disdain towards the show that made her famous, but I think that her complains have been written off as classic teenage rebellion rather than taken seriously.

She revealed that she was absolutely miserable during the later seasons of the show and that the filming actually had a huge impact on her mental health and body image. Miley went into detail on how the costuming affected her self-esteem. She explained that every day, for five years, she had a team of people "telling" her what “pretty” is and “what a girl should look like” by covering her in make-up, extensions, and tight uncomfortable clothes. After the show ended, she recalled feeling unable to figure out who she was as no one was telling her who she had to be anymore. Miley even likened the experience to Toddlers in Tiaras.

6 The Worst Of Both Worlds

On top of the body issues the show caused Miley, there was an incredibly large amount of pressure placed on the young girl as well. While Hannah Montana was created for the show, she also managed to maintain a traditional pop career. Hannah toured, performed concerts, filmed music videos, made multiple studio albums, and did public appearances. While doing everything Hannah needed to do for her brand and career, Miley also had to film the show, film the movie, work on side projects, create and record her solo albums, attend school, and build her brand as Miley Cyrus. She was literally leading two separate pop careers simultaneously. I can’t even imagine being under that sort of pressure. Most people can't even successfully manage on career, let alone two.