With hundreds of shows hitting the small screen each year, there are bound to be some strange
ones that slip under the radar - and a few that will have you wondering how they were
ever made in the first place.
Here are some of the most bizarre TV shows you won't believe actually exist.
Vanilla Ice Goes Amish
If you've been hoping to find a TV show in which a dressed-down Vanilla Ice moves in
with the Amish, the D.I.Y.
Network has got you covered.
In 2013's appropriately titled home-improvement spin-off Vanilla Ice Goes Amish, the rapper
assists his Pennsylvania Dutch hosts with a variety of tasks around the house.
The rest of the time, he basically just sits on the porch, tells jokes, and does everything
but embrace the Amish lifestyle.
If that isn't good television, what is?
The Swan
Reality TV has really scraped the bottom of the barrel a few times — and you'd be hard-pressed
to find a better example than The Swan, a two-season beauty pageant featuring so-called
"ugly ducklings" who receive extensive plastic surgery, life coaching, and psychological
therapy.
Unsurprisingly, some contestants were left both physically and emotionally scarred, and
the show has rightfully been chastised for exploiting women with pre-existing personal
issues.
No matter which way you try to spin it, The Swan was ugly, exploitative, and just plain
awful.
Thankfully, the planned Celebrity Swan revival never made it to the air.
Ramez in Control
Egypt's Ramez in Control is like Punk'd on steroids.
Well-known television prankster Ramez Galal isn't afraid to take things to the absolute
extreme.
He once gave socialite Paris Hilton the ride of her life by staging an emergency airplane
landing — though speculation has arisen that she was in on the prank all along.
According to CNN, Galal once ran a prank called Ramez the Desert Fox in which he and a group
of armed men hijacked a bus before kidnapping and blindfolding the passengers.
Yikes.
The Puppy Channel
Long before videos of keyboard playing cats were only a few clicks away, there was a short-lived
television pilot called The Puppy Channel.
According to Upvoted, it actually tested well, too, with 38 percent of one focus group claiming
they'd probably watch it at least once per day.
Unfortunately, The Puppy Channel never did become its own full-fledged channel — but
at least we still have Puppy Bowl.
Sunset Daze
In 2010, WE TV launched their own geriatric Jersey Shore in the form of Sunset Daze — a
reality show featuring baby boomers gone wild.
According to the LA Times, the show was a success among older viewers, but the under-50
demographic found the show's many age-defying one-liners cheesy, and the first episode's
discussions regarding going commando struck many as cringeworthy.
As a result, the show was put out to pasture after only one season.
Prince of Poets
Abu Dhabi's competition show Prince of Poets focuses on wannabe wordsmiths reciting their
best lines to an enthusiastic crowd and panel of judges.
Unlike the United States, where poets are largely confined to open-mic nights in coffee
shops, the Arab world really digs its poetry — poets in some parts of the Middle East
are bona fide pop stars, filling stadiums with eager ears excited to hear some verbal
bliss.
Cop Rock
Have you ever found yourself watching a cop show like The Shield or Blue Bloods and wishing
it was actually a musical?
Probably not.
But if you have, definitely check out 1990's musical police drama Cop Rock.
ABC's bizarre cross-genre show only lasted 11 episodes, and has since found its way onto
more than its fair share of "Worst TV Shows of All Time" lists — but no one can deny
the fact that the show is a lot of fun to laugh with and laugh at.
The show also deserves credit for trying something new in the industry full of recycled ideas.
After all, when's the last time you've seen a singing baby merchant on TV?
The Flying Nun
It's hard to imagine a major network greenlighting a show about a flying nun.
What's even harder to believe is that such a show would make it through more than 80
episodes.
The Flying Nun aired on ABC from 1967 to 1970, and featured Sally Field as a novice nun whose
small frame and stiff cornette made her susceptible to gusts of wind.
As one might expect, the comedy is fairly mediocre — in fact, as Field told Oprah
Winfrey in 2008, she didn't even want to do the show.
Fortunately, she transcended the ridiculous role, and went on to enjoy a long, award-filled
acting career.
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