6 Things You Didn't Know About 'Big Bang Theory' Before the Season 8 Premiere!

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ETONLINE

Our favorite gang of scientific nerds is back for season 8 and ET has some behind the scenes tidbits from TV's top rated comedy! Here are six things you probably didn't know about The Big Bang Theory.

6. Origins of "Bazinga" (Hint: It involves a grapefruit!)
Sheldon's trademark catchphrase originated with show writer Stephen Engel who would set up a recurring practical joke that involved taping a hallowed out grapefruit back together. "I'd open it up and [he] would say 'Bazinga," exexcutive producer Bill Prady recalled. "It was Stephen's word for gotcha." It caught on so much that not only did they put it in the show but Bazinga has officially been dubbed a species of bee.

VIDEO- Sneak Peek: The First Group Dinner of 'Big Bang' Season 8

5. Penny has a last name, we just won't ever find out what it is.
Penny (played by Kaley Cuoco) last name has remained a mystery and Kaley along with the show's writers and producers are now vigilant that it is not revealed. Executive producer Steve Molaro told Vulture, "We're kind of a superstitious lot here. We've made it this far without knowing Penny's last name. I think we're good not finding out."

Mayim Bialik

4. The cast really is musically inclined!
When it was decided that Amy's instrument of choice would be the harp, Mayim Bialick learned to actually play the stringed instrument. Likewise, Jim Parsons learned to play the theremin so that when the scenes call for it, he's actually playing.

NEWS- Mayim Bialik Spills on Shamy's Relationship & Chance of Coitis!

3. Penny was almost a "Katie" and super sexual.
In an unaired pilot for the CBS comedy, Amanda Walsh played a hyper-sexual, a bit more raunchy version of Penny. Oh also, the character was named Katie. The test audience did not like Amanda Walsh's version of Penny, feeling overprotective of the guys. Soon after Cuoco took over the part.

Le premier ET le deuxième étage

2. Only one set of stairs.
There is only one set of stairs leading up to Penny, Leonard and Sheldon's apartments. The staircase featured is reset and redressed per scene to make it look as if the characters are climbing more than one flight. TV magic!

1. Jim Parsons Isn't a Trekkie.
While Sheldon is a die hard Star Trek fan, the actor behind the hopeless Trekkie is not. Jim Parsons admitted in an interview with Time that, although he loves playing Sheldon, they don't have many things in common.  "I'm very frank about certain things, I get asked a lot of science things and I'm like, 'You're kidding.' And even the pop culture... I've never seen Star Trek."

Season 8 of The Big Bang Theory premieres tonight on CBS. Find out how much the cast is earning
this time around in the video below.

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