Reality television has taken over late-night programming. From “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” to “The Voice,” to “The Real Housewives” franchises, everyone seems to be addicted to watching people fight, cry, and compete. But, since the emergence of reality television years ago, there have been plenty of premises that proved to be unsuccessful. Here are some of the most outrageous shows (yes these all really existed, and yes I have watched all of them) that failed to stay on the air.
1. “Next”
If you think “The Bachelor” is a terrible way to get to know somebody, then you definitely need to watch old episodes of MTV’s “Next.” On the show, a group of women or men would sit on a bus and one by one step off and meet the person they were all hoping to date. If the person who stepped off the bus was deemed not attractive enough or said something off-putting during the date, the star of the episode would shout “next” and the date would immediately end. If the contestant lasted the entire 60 minutes, they could either choose to continue the date or take a WHOLE $60 and leave.
Where to watch: YouTube.com
2. “Beauty and the Geek”
Created by Ashton Kutcher, which is the only explanation as to why this show stayed on for five seasons, Beauty and the Geek featured beautiful women and nerdy guys paired together to compete and win money. Some of the competitions involved the geeks having to complete fashion related tasks while the beauties had to do simple math problems. Yes, this show was extremely stereotypical.
Where to watch: YouTube.com
3. “Queen Bees”
“Queen Bees” was a very short-lived show on The N (now known as Teen Nick) where spoiled, cruel girls had to live in a house and learn how to be nice. They were originally told that they were going to compete to see who was the biggest diva, but then they were blindsided with videos of their friends and family members saying that they needed to learn how to become better people. The mean girl who could transform into sweet girl won money. It does pay to be nice.
Where to watch: Teennick.com
4. “Love in the Wild”
So many reality shows based on love! This one convinced single men and women that the only way to find love was to travel all the way to the Dominican Republic and complete challenges similar to those on “Survivor.” Imagine if “The Bachelor” had fantasy suite dates every episode and that describes this show. The final pair didn’t even win money. They were sent on a trip around the world and that was it.
Where to watch: A few clips on YouTube.com
5. “Date My Mom”
The episodes were just as cringe-worthy as the title sounds. Each show would include three dates that the dater went on with only the moms of the son or daughter who was hoping to be chosen. The sons and daughters were able to listen in as their moms described their personality and most likely their most embarrassing secrets. Somehow this show lasted for over 100 episodes!
Where to watch: YouTube.com
6. “Room Raiders”
Ah, MTV. You never disappoint in your documentation of the strange ways people try to find dates. The three contestants on room raiders hid in a van and watched as the person they hoped to date rummaged through all the belongings in three different rooms. There were also a high amount of awkward moments when a contestant’s underwear drawer was displayed on national television. Fun fact: Zac Efron was one of the room raiders back in the day!
Where to watch: TV.com
7. “Average Joe”
“Average Joe” lasted a whopping four seasons and each season had a unique theme. The basic idea for the series was that an “average” looking person (by NBC’s standards) would try to date above average people to see if a physical connection was just as important as an emotional connection.
Where to watch: NBC.com
8. “True Beauty”
Hosted by Vanessa Lachey, this show might be the most ridiculous one on the list. The point was to prove that just because someone is attractive that does not mean he or she cannot be kind as well. The only problem was that none of the contests were nice people and were spied on during the competition to see who really was beautiful on the inside.
Where to watch: Thankfully you can’t. It’s not even on YouTube.com
9. “Crowned: The Mother of All Beauty Pageants”
“Toddlers and Tiaras” lasted longer, but the best pageant focused show was “Crowned.” On the show, moms and daughters had to compete against other pairs to win a prize that included multiple tiaras. When the moms and daughters had to choose team names on one episode, one pair thought “Silent, but Deadly” was a good option.
Where to watch: YouTube.com
10. “The Mole”
“The Mole” originally aired in 2001 and was revived for one season in 2008. The purpose was to figure out who out of all the contestants was sabotaging the others and trying to prevent the group from winning the money. Compared to the other shows on this list, it sounds like a pretty thrilling hour of television. It is a little suspicious that the mole managed to make it to the final episode without being caught every season.
Where to watch: YouTube.com
11. “Fear Factor”
“Fear is not a factor for you!” This show made you realize you had unknown fears as people ate bugs, surrounded themselves with snakes, and participated in other frightening activities to win money. Maybe this show was cancelled twice because people finalltiredw tried of risking their lives for a small amount of money while Joe Rogan mocked them.
Where to watch: TV.com
12. “More to Love”
The title alone suggests how appalling this show was. Lasting only one season, “More to Love” wanted to clarify that thin people are not the only people who can fall in love. All the contestants were described as “full-figured” which made the show’s creators label it as love with a “twist.”
Where to watch: You can’t.
13. “Rock Star”
Think “American Idol” for aspiring rock stars. The two seasons of this show had two bands looking to find a new lead singer. Well-known musicians like Tommy Lee and Dave Navarro were members of the judging panel that decided if a musician was good enough to make it through to the next round. I guess the show ran out of bands that were formed without a lead singer…
Where to watch: YouTube.com
14. “From G’s to Gents”
If only Taylor Swift had written the line “I can make the bad guys good for a weekend,” before this show aired. Created by Jamie Foxx, self-labeled gangsters went on this show to learn to become gentlemen. One of the episodes was titled ‘Pimps, Ho’s and Family Time’ and Riff Raff was one of the contestants. So, that should help you better understand the quality of this show.
Where to watch: Tv.com
15. “Farmer Wants a Wife”
The farmer on this one season series required ten girls who lived in various cities to move to the country, live in his family’s house, and compete to become his wife. Filled with tractors and way too much hay, it is surprising that none of these girls self-eliminated. This show also included possibly the worst phrase: “You’re sitting pretty, ain’t going back to the city.”
Where to watch: You can’t. You shouldn’t.
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