By their nature, most reality shows are pretty ridiculous.
It's no secret that they entail some level of manipulation by producers, increasingly
insane premises, and publicity-hungry participants.
However, some particularly shady gems really stick out in our memories.
Let's check out the shows that took it too far and thankfully ended up getting canned.
Are You Hot?
The 2003 ABC reality show Are You Hot?: The Search for America's Sexiest People, had a
simple premise.
People would go on stage, where a panel of judges would pick apart their physical appearance
to decide if they were hot...or not.
"Not."
Yeah, it was as bad as it sounds, and the show aired for five excruciating episodes
before it was canceled due to being not very hot...but mostly because of its terrible ratings.
ABC and the producers of the show also found themselves in hot water after Howard Stern
filed a lawsuit claiming that the show had ripped off a bit from his radio show.
He later withdrew his complaint, probably after realizing that owning up to this idea
wasn't really a good thing.
Born in the Wild
Lifetime's 2015 reality series Born in the Wild captured the experiences of couples who
ventured off into remote places to give birth without any medical help.
Or, as the intro to the show put it, "Modern parents, giving birth in the wilderness, like
their ancestors."
Mmmkay.
The show was immediately greeted with criticism and skepticism, and debates raged about the
ethical questions it posed.
One critic said, "Having a child without medical assistance nearby is a remarkably dangerous
thing to do, and I’m wondering about the ethics of the network, the producer — and
the incredible irresponsibility."
Ultimately, for all its grunting and screaming, Born in the Wild left the world it had so
recently entered after just one season.
Boy Meets Boy
Bravo's 2003 series Boy Meets Boy originally seemed like a potential groundbreaker in TV
history as the first gay dating show.
However, any hope of progress was quickly dispelled when viewers learned about the show's
twist:
"What neither the gay suitors nor the leading men know is that some of the suitors are straight
men, pretending to be gay."
Yup, unbeknownst to "bachelor" James Getzlaff, some of the 15 men that he was courting were
in fact not gay.
One of the contestants, Dan Wells, explained his role as a straight man in the show, saying:
"They pitched it to me as an acting job on a reality show: 'Look, you're gonna be acting
like a gay guy, it's improv.'
[...] Then you see the difficulty James had with his decisions, and here am I toying with
him.
It wasn't very nice."
As Entertainment Weekly put it, the show was "Cruel, offensive, and worst of all, boring."
Accordingly, Boy Meets Boy didn't return for another season.
The Moment of Truth
This show aired on Fox in 2008, with the premise that contestants would be hooked up to a lie
detector test and asked questions.
If they could make it through a series of 21 increasingly personal questions, they'd
win half a million dollars.
Not surprisingly, this resulted in a ton of cringeworthy moments, including contestants
admitting to being attracted to their spouse's siblings and to sleeping around.
Luckily, The Moment of Truth only lasted for one season before its own moment of truth
came around...and it was canceled.
The Swan
In each of the two seasons it was on the air, Fox's 2004 series The Swan arranged for 16
contestants to undergo complete plastic surgery makeovers.
The contestants weren't allowed to see themselves until their "big reveal."
Each episode featured two contestant's stories, with one contestant being eliminated for not
being sufficiently transformed at the end.
This all led up to one final pageant, where one contestant was finally crowned "The Swan."
Critical reaction to the show was appropriately harsh, with outlets like USA Today slamming
the show as "Hurtful and repellent even by reality's constantly plummeting standards."
Luckily, the show went off the air after its second season.
I Wanna Marry "Harry"
If you've ever wanted to marry a guy pretending to be royalty, Fox's 2014 fiasco I Wanna Marry
"Harry" was made for you.
Especially since, you know, the guy on the show wasn't really Prince Harry.
He was just a construction worker named Matt Hicks, who kinda-sorta looks like Prince Harry.
In fact, the biggest mystery on this show was how the contestants could have believed
an actual prince would star on a reality show.
Well...maybe not such a mystery after all.
"We're in Downton Abby hu-hu-hu."
Sadly TV viewers didn't even get to see how it all turned out for "Harry" and the women.
After just four episodes, the show was canceled.
Man Vs. Beast
This bizarre series aired on Fox in January 2003 and February 2004.
Basically, contestants faced off against Mother Nature's finest, while completely serious
announcers described what was happening.
"Here, he's kinda taunting him with his acrobatics.
And I think of Marshall doesn't stay focused, the orangutang will absolutely win this this
event."
That's a gymnast competing against an orangutan to see who can hang from a stick the longest.
As The Telegraph remarked, "No one comes out of this story well."
Audiences seemed to agree.
After consistent low ratings, Fox ultimately decided to throw Man Vs. Beast right back
where it came from: the trash.
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