8 Times Early 2000s Reality TV Competitions Embarrassed Women For Content And Ratings
The early 2000s were like the Wild West when it came to reality shows. There seemed to be an attitude of “anything goes,” and oohhh boy, everything went.
ABC
Women were, by far, the most likely to be exploited in these types of shows.
MTV / Via tenor.com
And when it came to reality competition shows, women were often degraded, exploited, and publicly humiliated in order to get people watching.
And whether the women involved in these shows were okay with it or not, it still happened, and we still all watched.
So here are eight extremely misogynistic times that reality competition TV shows embarrassed women during a challenge:
1.Scream Queens (2008)
What is it: Ten aspiring female actors compete for a supposed "breakout" role in Saw VI.
The challenge: Acting coach — and guy who forgot to take off his sunglasses — John Homa tells the women to eat a piece of fruit "seductively."
The reward: There's no "winner," but all the actors get John Homa's words of wisdom: "We can't lose our dignity here. It's the last thing I'm asking you to do."
Then he makes them do it again.
You can watch the clip here:
2.Beauty and the Geek (2005)
What is it: Seven “beauties” are matched with seven “geeks,” and in pairs, they compete for $250,000.
The challenge: In front of an audience, the “beauties” have to answer fifth-grade-level questions.
The reward: The winner receives the ability to send another team to “the elimination room.”
You can watch it here:
3.Rock of Love (2007)
What is it: Women compete for a chance to date Poison frontman Bret Michaels.
The challenge: Bret makes the women have phone sex with him while his penis is hooked up to a machine that measures blood flow.
Oh, and they have to do it in front of everyone.
The reward: The three winners get to go on a group date with Bret.
You can watch the scene here:
4.America's Next Top Model: Cycle 4 (2005)
What is it: Aspiring models compete for a chance to win a Ford Models modeling contract, a photo shoot in Elle magazine, and a $100,000 contract with CoverGirl.
The challenge: During a "mock special assignment," Tyra makes the girls read from a teleprompter.
The women stumble over and mispronounce words, while the judges laugh at them.
One contestant, Tiffany, struggles to do the challenge out of embarrassment.
After Tyra tells her she'll be sent home if she doesn't do the challenge, Tiffany reluctantly reads from the teleprompter. As she leaves, she mutters how embarrassed she is.
The reward: There's no "winner," but if you didn't do the challenge, I guess you'd have to leave the competition.
But it didn't even matter, because Tiffany was eliminated a few minutes later.
You can watch the challenge here:
5.A Shot at Love II with Tila Tequila (2008)
What is it: Fifteen women and fifteen men compete for a shot to date early 2000s celeb Tila Tequila.
The challenge: After the women beat the men in the first round of a challenge by drinking more shots of vinegar, fish sauce, clam juice, and other condiments than them, the women each have to eat a pig’s vagina without throwing up.
The men, even though they lost, don't have to eat a pig's vagina. They watch from the sidelines as the women struggle to keep everything down.
The reward: The winner gets some "quality time" with Tila right before the next elimination.
The winner also has to choose one of the men (who, again, did not have to eat a pig's vagina) to join her on her date with Tila.
6.Flavor of Love (2006)
What is it: Women compete for the chance to date Public Enemy rapper Flavor Flav.
The challenge: After finding out that one of his contestants had been on another reality show before his, Flav recruits his former ex, Brigitte Nielsen, to give the women a lie detector test.
Of course, she asks the most ridiculous and sexist questions.
One contestant, Smiley, who was clearly bothered by the whole thing, tries to defend herself.
She even tries to stop the test, but Brigitte insists they continue and asks again if she was ever a stripper, followed quickly by, "Are you still in love with your ex-husband?"
Post-interview, Smiley tears up at what she just had to do.
The reward: There was no "winner," but I guess the people who told the truth would get Brigitte's approval, maybe.
You can watch the scene here:
7.Bridalplasty (2010)
What is it: Twelve women compete for plastic surgery and a "celebrity-style" dream wedding.
The challenge: After the contestants' fiancés come to visit, the couples have to take a lie detector test.
The questions are cruel and clearly just fuel to create unnecessary drama.
The reward: The couple with the lowest number of lies wins "top bride," a spot in the finale, and a plastic surgery procedure from her wish list.
You can watch the scene here:
8.The Swan (2004)
What is it: Women receive head-to-toe ~extreme~ makeovers in a matter of three months and then compete in a beauty pageant for the title of "The Swan."
Throughout the season, the host and the team of consultants working on them refer to the contestants as "ugly ducklings" and "ordinary" while suggesting that these women need these alterations.
I'm pro–plastic surgery, but this show was brutal and exploitative to these women. And the choice to make it a competition show and end in a pageant was absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary.
The challenge: After an intense three months, the contestants have to perform "the walk of their lives," which includes walking a stage in evening gowns, bathing suits, and lingerie.
They digitally added their "before" pictures just in case you needed a reminder about how horribly disgusting these women were before the makeover. *eyeroll*
The contestants walk the stage in front of a huge audience and five judges, who rate them.
The reward: The winner with the "greatest transformation" receives a modeling contract, a designer wardrobe, a trip to Hawaii, a trip to Las Vegas, a $50,000 educational scholarship, continued personal coaching from Tony Robbins Master University, a 2004 Jaguar, $50,000 in cash, and of course, the crown and title of "The Swan."
