This article was originally published on 24/7Mirror
1. The Blue-Eyed, Blonde Haired Dahm Triplets
On December 12th, 1977, the Dahm triplets Nicole, Erica, and Jaclyn came into this world. Their parents were ecstatic and felt genuinely blessed at giving birth to such beautiful little angels.
As it is a rarity to see triplets, people were shocked to see such beautiful little girls with identical looks. Their blonde hair and blue eyes attracted more attention.
2. Almost Impossible To Tell Them Apart
It was difficult for others to differentiate between the Dahm triplets, and it was almost impossible for the parents as well. So, they came up with a solution. They decided to have the bottom of each child tattooed with individual dot marks.
As Nicole was the firstborn triplet, she got one dot. Erica got two dots, and Jaclyn (the third one) got no dot.
3. Getting a Lot of Attention
As the triplets grew up in Jordan, a small town in Minnesota, they got a lot of attention from everyone. They attended a local high school and were inseparable from a very early age.
The town had less than 30,000 residents, and it meant that everyone knew about the triplets. It didn’t take long enough for the modeling agencies to pick up how stunning they are.
4. Doing Everything Together From An Early Age
Growing up, the Dahm twins did almost everything together. They wore the same clothes, they had same friends, and they even played with same toys.
In an interview with the Playboy Magazine, Nicole said, “we rarely hold our own identity. We were always known as ‘You three’ or ‘The Triplets.”
5. Teen Models
Unsurprisingly, the modeling agencies were quick to notice the beauty of three triplets. After all, you don’t find three stunning triplets so easily.
They were just 16 when their similar looks, matching blonde hair, and blue eyes helped them get on the front cover of ‘Teen Magazine as the Great Model Search winners.' It was their first mark on the modeling industry, and it didn’t take long for them to make their way into one of the most prominent modeling magazines of all.
6. Not Thinking About Making a Career Out of It
Although the triplets were getting a lot of attention from the modeling agencies, they were not thinking about making a career out of it.
In the hope that they would one day all be nurses, they enrolled with the University of Minnesota, as part of the nursing school. However, one day, they came across a flier advertising Playboy’s search for models to include in their “Girls of the Big Ten Special Edition.”
7. Giving It A Shot
The triplets decided to give it a shot. They didn’t know at that time that the modeling role would change their lives forever.
They went to the casting agent, and it didn’t take long for them to realize how beautiful they are. There was a test shoot, and the sisters had to make a joint decision on whether they should take their clothes off for a famous magazine or not.
8. Never Have Done It Alone
As the triplets never thought of making a career out of modeling (let alone taking their clothes off), they thought of every possibility before making their decision. After a lengthy debate, they made their decision.
In a 1998 interview with Playboy, Jaclyn told that they “would never have done this (modeled for Playboy) as individuals.” None of them knew at that time their decision would open a door to a shocking DNA test.
9. A New Beginning
After their decision to appear in the centerfold for Playboy Magazine, a lot of opportunities start to knock on their door. No wonder why Erica once said that featuring in Playboy started new lives of triplets.
Erica described their experience as “incredible and something she wouldn’t change for the world” To pursue their careers in the entertainment industry in LA, the triplets dropped out of nursing school.
10. Making It Big
Their brave decision to pursue their careers soon reaped the rewards as doors began opening everywhere. The triplets starred into TV shows, including the hit sitcom Boy Meets World, as the three beautiful women who lived in a dorm room close to Eric and Jack.
They also participated in an episode of Family Feud with their father and older sister. They went on to win $10,000 from that episode.
11. Opportunities Kept On Coming
The triplets were typecast as the unobtainable twins. After winning an episode of House Wars, they were hired for a Fox reality TV show called Renovate My Home. The Fox reality TV show was hosted by Jay McGraw, the son of Dr. Phil.
The sisters didn't know by then that lives would change without them even knowing about it. Jay met the middle triplet, Erica, and it didn’t take long for him to knock on her trailer door and ask her to watch a movie with him. According to Erica, it was love at first sight.
12. Heading to Their Surprising DNA Test
In a TV show The Doctors, different medical issues are discussed by a panel of doctors. One of the executive producers on the TV show is Dr. Phil.
Meeting Jay McGraw led the sisters to their surprising DNA test results and what unfolded next baffled the triplets and everyone.
13. The Health of Triplets
In 2006, Jay married Erica. One day Jay presented the idea that the sisters should feature on the TV show The Doctors and discuss their lives and health as triplets.
The public loved their appearances because of the triplets’ beauty and intriguing personalities. They discussed everything from their medical similarities as triplets to trying to get pregnant. One day, the producers came up with an idea for the show and the triplets.
14. Expanding The Family
Although the appearances of the triplets on the show helped increase the ratings, what really boosted the popularity of the TV show was one medical phenomenon.
At the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010, all three triplets became pregnant at the same time. It surprised everyone because people knew by then that the sisters do lot of things together, including getting pregnant.
15. Triple Happiness
In 2010, all three sisters gave birth to beautiful little girls within just weeks of each other. It amazed everyone.
Jaclyn told Playboy how “it must be that triplet bond.” The producers of the show The Doctors gave the triplets moms time to settle before calling them back on the show in March 2017. The producers had an exciting idea, and they couldn’t wait for the sisters to come back.
16. A Strange Request
At the beginning of 2017, the producers of the show and Jay McGraw approached the sisters with a rather strange request.
They wanted to investigate with the help of journalist from Inside Edition (Lisa Guerrero) whether DNA and ancestry tests were reliable. As they were triplets, no one was expecting shocking results.
17. In-demand DNA Tests
Over the years, the popularity of at-home DNA tests have increased, and many people don’t mind paying to know where they have come from and who they are.
Ancestry and 23andME have become leaders in the industry. Their tests are carried out at reasonable price at home.
18. Taking The Test
The DNA test is pretty simple, and all you have to do is provide a sample of your saliva, and the companies will decode your DNA with it.
The sisters took the samples and saliva and shipped them to the company. They waited for the results, but they were not expecting anything out of the ordinary. They were clueless that the results would shock them and the world.
19. The Casual Waiting Game
It only took about two weeks for the results to come, and the triplets waited without giving it a lot of thought.
In theory, there was no doubt that they were going to have the same DNA. But the journalist, Lisa Guerrero, was a bit dubious of the tests and couldn’t wait for the results to come.
20. No One Knew
When the triplets first applied for the Playboy Magazine modeling job, they didn’t know they would become so popular.
They had come a long way from being small-town girls to famous triplets waiting for the results of their DNA tests on a popular TV show.
21. Fascinated By DNA
As they shocked the world with their identical looks, they didn’t know that the results of DNA tests would shock them.
The saliva samples were sent to 23andMe, and the results were announced on a special episode of The Doctors in March 2017.
22. Not a Big Shocker!
The first results came, and they didn’t surprise anyone. The siblings were indeed identical. Wow, such a big surprise!
They are so alike that the fingerprints of Erica and Nichole are almost identical. It is really crazy stuff.
23. Delving Into Their Ancestry
As the first test confirmed that the siblings were identical, the second test looked into their ancestry.
The second test looked into what countries their ancestors were from and what ethnicities the girls were. The girls were expecting the same results. However, the TV show didn’t go as planned.
24. A Slight Difference
The first test showed that according to their DNA, they were indeed 99% European. But when their DNA was broken down even further, there were unbelievable revelations.
Erica was found 16% British and Irish, whereas Nicole was 18% British and Irish. More results came in to confuse everyone.
25. Even Bigger Differences
As more results started to come in, the triplets, doctors, and audience were shocked to find that there were even more significant discrepancies between some of the triplets and their supposed origin.
For instance, all three of the triplets had different percentages of German and French heritage; Nicole at 11%, Jaclyn at 18% and Erica 22.3%. It baffled everyone that identical twins have such different ancestry.
26. More Discrepancies
When the Scandinavian part of the test came up, the triplets and experts couldn't believe that Erica and Jaclyn had the same percentage (7.4%), but Nicole's percentage was 11.4%.
So the test showed that Nicole was almost 4% more Scandinavian than her identical sisters. No one could believe their eyes.
27. Shocked Reactions Everywhere
The triplets, experts, and the audience were utterly surprised by the results. Nicole admitted that the results shocked her because all of the three triplets have the same DNA.
Dr. Travis Stork, the host of The Doctors, said that these home-tests can't be used as real evidence for your heritage and should only be used for entertainment.
28. Not 100% Accurate Results?
According to Dr. Stork, the tests are not advanced enough to be 100% accurate, and there will be some differences in results.
“You can’t just spit in a cup and have every single answer that you are looking for,” Dr. Stork said. Did it mean that the experts disapproved the results?
29. Another Test
Although Lisa Guerrero initially had doubts, she admitted on the show that she would want to take one of the tests for herself in the future as well.
The journalist said that she knows she is English on her dad’s side and Latina on her mom’s, but she’d still want to know more. She did admit that the tests are not 100% accurate, but they do give exciting insights into DNA, genetics, and ancestry.
30. Taking An Advanced Test
Lisa was keen on getting a test for herself, but she admitted that she would have a more advanced test with doctors.
The advanced test would cost more money, but they wanted to know why these tests are so popular.
31. So, Now What?
The DNA results shocked the sisters, but they are not too much fazed about it and are creating awareness about these types of DNA tests.
A lot has changed for the Dahm triplets ever since their appearance on the show. What are they up to now?
32. More Babies, More Happiness
They are as beautiful as they always have been, and they all gave birth to cute sons at almost the same time as well.
All three of the triplets are married, and each has one son and one daughter. They just showed that you don’t need a DNA test to prove that you are identical.
33. Hurtful Rumors
One of the biggest downsides of living a public life is that there are always going to be false and hurtful rumors about you.
Erica and Jay McGraw are still battling divorce rumors. Their case is no different from Dr. Phil and his wife, Robin.
34. A Beautiful Wedding
Back in 2006, Jay and Erica married each other in a perfect wedding ceremony at the property of Dr. Phil and his wife Robin, in Beverly Hills. There were 400 guests attending the special ceremony.
Robin admitted that her husband was tearing up at the emotional ceremony, and she couldn’t control her tears of joy as well.
35. Dropping Down on One Knee
When asked, Jay McGraw told how he proposed to the love of her life. After taking Erica to Dallas, Texas, he dropped down on one knee and “asked her to spend the rest of her life with me.”
He gave her a five-carat platinum ring, complete with diamonds and two green emeralds.
36. Identical Bride and Bridesmaids
Not many people can say that they’ve got identical bridesmaids. Erica’s wedding was made more special with her sisters as bridesmaids.
On her wedding day, Erica wore a jaw-dropping Chado Ralph Rucci gown, and her sisters wore dresses designed by Bradley Bayou. All three of the triplets were looking gorgeous, and it was a sight to behold.
37. Beautiful Children
Not long after Jay and Erica got married, they gave birth to a beautiful little angel Aver Elizabeth.
Their son, London Philip, was born in 2011. Despite all the divorce rumors, the couple and children looked so happy together.
38. Dr. Phil’s Great Influence
Erica’s father-in-law, Dr. Phil, has been involved with couple from the very start. He felt over the moon when his son told him that he was going to propose to Erica.
Jay said on Dr. Phil that he thought his parents “love her almost as much as I do.” Dr. Phil was Jay’s best man on his wedding day. It is such a special bond between them.
39. Jaclyn’s husband
Jaclyn met the man of her dreams, Billy Dolan, and they got married. They also have two beautiful kids; one son and one daughter.
They are always having so much fun together, and their social media is filled with their super cute happy family.
40. Still Can’t Believe It
The girls still can’t believe how lucky they have been. Their lives would be a lot different if they did not decide to go for that Playboy shoot.
“It’s something you never experience when you’re from a small town of 2,000 people, and all of a sudden you’re in a magazine all around the world,” Erica said.
41. Reality TV
After their Playboy debut, the triplets got the taste of the limelight. Whenever they have tried their hand at reality TV, audiences have always loved them.
The triplets have most recently starred in a Canadian TV show, Relic Hunter. They have also shown keen interest to feature in Playboy magazine again.
42. Talented Triplets
They are good at modeling and TV appearances, but did you know that they are incredibly good at cooking as well?
They have their own YouTube channel, TripletsGourmet, where they share their recipes. Is there anything these talented sisters can’t do? We wish all three of the triplets a great life ahead.