Saturday, April 4, 2015

5 rejected reality TV shows

A lot of shocking reality TV shows have made it to broadcast, but some were too controversial to make the cut.
What follows are some reality TV shows that got canned before they could air.

Arranged Marriage 

“Arranged Marriage” was green-lighted by CBS in 2010. It was to follow four adults who allow their friends and family to choose a spouse for them.
“Between grumbles of protest and the show’s creative supposedly not coming together, it wasn’t surprising that the network quietly shelved the show,” EW reported.

Someone’s Gotta Go

In April 2009, during the Great Recession, Fox decided to do a reality show about downsizing companies called “Someone’s Gotta Go.” In the show, employees of a small business would decide which one of their colleagues would be laid off. Each week a different company would lay off an employee. The show was pitched as “Survivor” meets “The Office.”
The show was quietly canned. But in May 2013, Fox aired a revised version of the show called “Does Someone Have to Go?” It lasted just six episodes. (See IMDb and Wikipedia entries.)

I’ve Got a Monkey on My Back

Producers pitched Fox executives for a show called “I’ve Got a Monkey on My Back.” People would literally have a monkey on their back as they raced across the country. (See article by Grantland.)

Extreme Biggest Loser

“Extreme Biggest Loser” was described as a show where plus-sized contestants are locked in a house and can’t leave until they can squeeze through a well-marked exit door. (See article by Vulture.)

Virgin Territory

In 2007, a porn producer tried to get several network to buy a show in which real-life geeks without carnal knowledge of the opposite sex competed for the chance to have their virginity taken by a porn star, Vulture said.

Photo: “The Dillionaire,” a fake reality TV show cooked up by New York metropolitan area PBS affiliate Thirteen. (See articles by Adweek, Gawker, The Wrap and EW.)

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