Steven Culp Bet on Desperate Housewives Death  6/2/05

Desperate Housewives star Steven Culp was so convinced his character Rex Van De Kamp was going to die at the end of the show's first season, he placed bets with his male cast members. 

The cast and crew of the hit ABC drama were forbidden from finding out the details of the first series' finale, which aired in America last week (22MAY05), until as close to filming of the scenes as possible. Culp's S&M-loving character Rex died following a heart-attack in the finale, leaving Marcia Cross' Bree a widow. 

Culp explains, "I had a sneaking suspicion someone was going to go. The show's about the housewives. You got to keep them desperate. "I was laying bets with the other guys in the cast it was going to be me. After I found out it was, I stopped doing that. "Here's the worst-case scenario: I've been on this phenomenal success. Done work I'm proud of. Made money to provide for my family. And I'm free again. That's not a bad situation." 

Culp admits he doesn't hold out much hope for a Bobby Ewing-style comeback to the show though. He adds, "If millions of people call in and say, 'How can you kill Rex?' maybe they'll make it all a hoax."