Oftentimes, it seems like reality TV gets a pretty bad rap. But reality TV is responsible for many celebrities' successful careers in entertainment and beyond and it's also helped bring couples together for decades now. Sure, it might be a little bit unsettling or unethical, but over time, reality television seems to have evolved.
However, when reality TV was just beginning, the shows and their concepts were anything but realistic. Though some shows of the early-aughts saw major success, others barely lasted a season. These 11 shows varied in length and quality, but they represent the absurdity of the era and the beginnings of TV as we know it today.
Fox's "The Swan" was actually pretty disturbing.
Though they weren't that long ago, the 2000s were actually a pretty different time. If one TV show proves that, it's "The Swan," which aired on Fox for two seasons.
The makeover show's name came from the idea of "ugly ducklings" turning into "beautiful swans," in this case meaning that contestants would get extensive plastic surgery in order to drastically change their looks with the help of a panel of experts. Some of the women would then move on to compete in a pageant at the end of the season, where one would win the title of "The Swan."
The show immediately received criticism for perpetuating the sexist idea that a woman's sense of self-worth should be totally on her looks.
You probably don't remember this show at all, so it's likely that you don't recall the identity of one of its featured plastic surgeons. Dr. Terry Dubrow was one of the doctors responsible for the women's makeovers. Later, Dubrow would shoot to fame through appearances on shows like "Botched" and "Real Housewives of Orange County."
Before Meghan Markle, there was "I Wanna Marry Harry."
Now that someone is actually marryingPrince Harry, it's even funnier to look back on just how absurd this quickly canceled Fox reality show was.
The show followed 12 American women as they vied for the love and affection of a person whom they believed was "Prince Harry." At the end of the show, it was revealed that "Harry" was actually just a redheaded man named Matthew Hicks, vaguely reminiscent of England's prince.
Not only was the idea itself preposterous, the show was extremely ill-fated in terms of ratings and production. It aired partially for one single season in 2014.
"Next" was the best of the best when it comes to MTV reality shows.
In MTV's golden era of amazingly corny and obviously scripted reality dating shows, "Next" was by far the shallowest and most reminiscent of its era, if not also the most hilarious series on the network. "Next" was on the air from 2005 to 2008.
Basically, busses full of young adults would travel far and wide to go on themed dates, with each dater getting a dollar for every moment they lasted off the bus with an "attractive" date, whose affection they were all vying for. If they heard "next!" the cashflow would come to an end and they'd have to return to their spot on the bus. Eventually, there'd be a choice of Herculean proportions for the final, favored dater: money or love.
Highlights of the series include a contestant who likes to text people when she goes "poopy" and alarming series regular Dicky.
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