7 Of The Most Cooked Reality TV Shows That Ever Aired
From the beginning of time, humans always longed for entertainment. We longed for drama, extravaganza, misery, action and more. Like most things, forms of entertainment evolved over time. Remember that jousting phase? Or those awesome Shakespearean plays? Now it seems that the crowd has moved on and has set their eyes on Reality TV.
The early-to-mid ’00s was an iconic time for all things pop culture and reality television. The era delivered us iconic shows such as Flavor of Love, Australian Idol, Big Brother and more. But some shows were just way too weird that the producers and head honchos of these networks had to be absolutely cooked for it to be greenlit.
Although these shows were sooo bad it honestly was so hard to look away. Some shows didn’t even last one season!!! It was just that cooked!
Anyway, here’s a roundup of the most cooked reality TV shows that were ever aired.
I Wanna Marry “Harry”
This show, I kid you not, is sooo fkn weird and I feel sorry for the contestants who went on it.
This show, as some YouTubers labelled it, is the king of gaslighting. It begins with the introduction of 12 American women who were sent to London to compete for the love of a mystery man. This ‘Mr Mysterious’ was a bloody, fake Prince Harry!!!
The first episode shows how they trained him to look, act, and speak like the Royal in order to ‘fool’ the girls into believing that they’re competing for the affection of the Prince of Wales. And honestly, it’s sooo cringe!!! The piles of lies and the ridiculous amount of gaslighting made my toes curl, but it was hard to look away.
I Wanna Marry “Harry” only lasted one season and had eight episodes in total. It did have happy ending though (sorta) and if you don’t want any spoilers, skip this!!!
As the ‘royal fantasy ends’, the ‘Harry’ did end up finding his love as well as revealing his true identity as Matt the environmentalist, and luckily the winner was cool with that, as she has fallen in love with him forrealz! The couple ended up winning $250,000 at the end.
The show can be found on YouTube if you wanted to give it a squiz.
The Swan
The Swan was a makeover show that got a bit too much.
The Swan is definitely the epitome of an extreme makeover show and has copped a lot of criticism for its portrayal of superficial beauty standards. Each episode takes on two women who are unhappy with their physical appearance, personality and lifestyle. Professionals do a complete 180 on them in hopes of changing their lives.
The transformation is only done in three months and the contestant is supported with therapists, personal trainers, and plastic surgeons. They are also not allowed to see their own reflection until the big reveal at the end!!!
On top of all that hard work, one contestant is selected from each show to compete in ‘The Swan Pageant’ that takes place at the end of the season, and whoever wins becomes THE Swan. The show only lasted for two seasons and is remembered to be one of the most controversial shows to have ever been aired.
Some contestants also have come out claiming to have medical issues after the plastic surgery taken on the show. According to The New York Post, ex-Swan Lorrie Arias says “I am agoraphobic, on meds, and unable to enjoy life”.
Opposite Worlds
Honestly one of the most CURSED shows on reality TV.
Opposite Worlds is exactly what it says it is. It was created as a way for viewers and contestants to ‘travel through time’ and experiment with past and future technologies. The show is basically a survival of the fittest. Youtube commentator Jenny Nicholson says that it was pitched to be a “scientific” reality show and kinda not your average Joe competition.
Teams were split into two and were made to live in ‘different time periods’, one during the caveman period and the other a futuristic kinda vibe. Each team had to compete in challenges until there was one left standing and honestly the cave people were going through it!!!
The futuristic team obviously had the best technology, insulation, and all that good shit, but the cave people had to make do with raw food, stale bread, and even struggled to start a campfire.
I get what the show was going for but like ???? You can’t help but feel bad for the people who were forced into The Flintstones times. ALSO, each team could watch each other through a glass panel, like how depressing!
Kid Nation
Do you remember that Jimmy Neutron movie where aliens abducted parents and kids ran amuck in town? Basically that but IRL.
Kid Nation was kinda a social experiment to see what would happen if children were to be placed in positions of power.
Children were instructed to handle money, shops, and even govern the whole town. The show saw a lot of criticism from audiences as many were concerned for the well-being of what seemed to be unaccompanied children in a desert town. According to ABC, an anonymous adult claimed that four kids “drank bleach” and another “burned their face”.
Kid Nation producers were also rocked with child exploitation claims. Howard Kurtz, a media reporter for The Washington Post said, “When you’ve got kids involved, it does cross a line. It’s different. Consenting adults — if you want to make them eat flies or run around in the sand half-naked, they agree to do it. Children are different.”
The show only lasted one season and has seen a cult following on YouTube. Some of the kids have since spoken out in interviews about their experiences on the show.
Bridalplasty
A show that combines The Swan and Four Weddings.
Bridalplasty follows 12 soon-to-be brides battling it out in challenges to get their desired plastic surgery before the big day… YIKES!!!
Similarily to The Swan, the show copped a lot of shit for messing with unrealistic beauty standards. This show also only lasted one season.
Mr Personality
If you had a thing for guys in masks, then maybe this is a show that we need to bring back ;).
Mr Personality is basically the Bachelorette with all 20 guys wearing a full face mask for the whole show. It’s like you’re surrounded by a bunch of Rey Mysterios (low-key a dream)! This show was totally quirky and of course, the reason was to not judge a book by its cover, but to wear a mask for the competition? Uh-uh, not my cup of tea.
ALSO, Monica Lewinsky hosted this show. Cute…
The Chamber
If Saw was televised it would be this:
This show was sooo weird and I actually first heard about it browsing through Reddit in my off time.
Contestants were strapped to a chair and were forced to face ‘The Chamber’, which is basically a torture dungeon!! They must answer questions and make it through ‘seven levels’. If they endure the torture, the winner will walk away USD$100,000.
While they’re in the torture chamber, they could face scorching heat or sub-zero temperatures. NO THANKS! The thought of this show scares the hell out of me, but my toxic trait is thinking I could grab that cash money if I just close my eyes in the chair! The show was cancelled after just one week. The New York Times reported that the show appeared to be “torture for the entertainment of television viewers”.
SCARY!
Although a lot of these shows did their job and captured the attention of audiences, the gaslighting and the safety of contestants is NOT worth our entertainment.
I think I’ll stick to my 90 Day Fiancé for now!
