With all these shows on tv, some chill some don't. What's the deal?

I know!!! I feel the same way!! I was originally taught not to refrigerate so I didn't for a long time. But recently, I bought a new, very spacious fridge and thought, "hummm, I'll give it a shot" and I have to admit, I'll never go back to room temp. It is SOOOO much easier to work with a chilled cake. Especially if your stacking. If you use a buttercream icing that is stable with temp changes, condensation is rarely a prob. (even down here in Louisiana with 90% humidity most of the time.) I don't store in fridge for long because it will dry out the cake. So I usually fill and crumb coat, refidgerate for a few hours, ice the cake, refridgerate; then, the next day, I decorate. After decorating, I store the cake at room temp. I'm too scared to put fondant in the fridge. I've heard mixed things about this. Even, though I do see people on tv doing it all the time. I'd love to know what others do as well.

Depends on the cake, depends on the frosting, depends on the fondant...depends on the baker! The bakery I worked for kept all cakes in the cooler...we used real butter in the buttercream and it needs to stay cold while frosting and decorating. I do that PLUS I freeze my cakes before filling and frosting because I find it much easier to crumb coat. Everyone is different. There is no 'one way' to do cakes, but there are certain principles that apply to all cakes--such as cakes with perishable fillings need to be refrigerated, etc.

That's one of the "Great Debates of Caking", discussed here on Cake Central frequently. Some do, some don't.
The consensus seems to be this: try both ways, then do whatever works for you.

I also struggle with this. I usually make my cake a day or so in advance of actually covering it so I will bake and then freeze. Then I will fill and crumb coat the next day and typically cover it with fondant, but then I struggle because if I am not ready to decorate, I don't always want to leave it sit out. I have put it in the freezer and also the fridge to "experiment." I've found that I don't like the fridge but the freezer is ok as long as you let the cake come to room temp before touching it. It will have condensation on it that needs to dry. I think it really comes down to preference.

I have a sheet cake with cooked fruit filling and whipped cream icing I am making this weekend. I have to make it the night before, it is a 9 am delivery. I realize it has to be refrigerated, any suggestions on how to keep it from drying out in the fridge?
thanks

I think as long as you have a layer of icing on it you should be ok. You also can put a layer or like a "crumb coat of simple syrup before you ice let it crust and then ice with your whipped icing. I sometimes use simple syrup to crumb coat. It seals the cake so it doesnt dry out. I basically get it to a glaze consistancy and just brush it on with a pastry brush. It wet so it sinks into the cake making it super moist but not too soggy. When it's done right, your cake will kinda look like a glazed donut (sorta). Good technique I learned from a pastry chef a while back.

Great advice, thank you!