There have been some absolutely horrid reality show ideas over the years, and some of them have actually made it to the screen. According to ScreenCrush.com, these are the 10 most offensive:
1. “Are You Hot?” (2003) Contestants who thought they were hot got put in front of a panel of judges for a yay or nay. Some of the most uncomfortable and misogynistic television in history.
2. “Benefits Street” (2014 – 2015) This was a British show about welfare recipients who refused to work, and also ran around committing crimes, like shoplifting.
3. “Black. White.” (2006) A white family and a black family traded places, with the help of body makeup and prosthetics, to see how the other half lived. It was produced by Ice Cube.
4. “Born in the Wild” (2015) This one focused on couples who chose to have their children born in the wilderness, minus the usual comforts or modern medicine.
5. “Boy Meets Boy” (2003) Kind of like a gay “Bachelor”, except that half the guys were secretly straight.
6. “Kid Nation” (2007) Children ages 8 to 15 were dropped into an empty town devoid of adults, and charged with building a functioning society.
7. “The Pickup Artist” (2007 – 2008) Self-proclaimed pickup artist Erik “Mystery” von Markovik taught guys how to score with the ladies . . . but his methods came off as manipulative and predatory.
8. “The Swan” (2004) Supposedly “ugly” women underwent transformations that included extensive plastic surgery, then competed against each other in a pageant.
9. “Who’s Your Daddy?” (2005) Contestants adopted as infants had to pick their biological fathers out of a group of men. If they guessed right, they got a cash prize. If they chose the wrong man, HE got the money.
10. “There’s Something About Miriam” (2004) Another British show. This one’s basically “The Bachelor”, except the guys didn’t know that the woman they were fighting each other for was trans.