Blind Date (1999-2006)
Unlike your average date, this one included pop up captions and your own personal narrator! Nothing says ‘I’m having an awful time’ than a sarcastic dictionary defining your every word. (Insert: Date from Hell) Alas, thank you Roger Lodge for all the awful hookups and love connections!
Joe Millionaire (2003-2003)
Hmmm, let’s get together a group of lonely delusional thirty something year-olds and knock off The Bachelor but with a TWIST! We’ll tell them the guy’s loaded, but in reality he makes $30K a year. After the initial luster wore off, it’s no wonder a second season was never ordered. Well at least we have the faux wood sex scenes to last us a life time. Oh and Evan Marriott.
Road Rules (1995-2007)
Strap together 5 or 6 college kids and throw them into an RV and force them to overcome challenges in order to obtain a handsome reward. As the red-headed step child of The Real World, Road Rules always failed to get the credit that they deserved. No, the show didn’t have the same social impact that RW did during its heyday, but it was always fun to see what some schmucks would do when they were essentially dared to do so. Probably it’s greatest legacy that RR left behind was the ever popular series The Challenge, which is currently airing its 21st season on MTV.
Tempation Island (2001-2003)
For three seasons, Mark L. Wahlberg brought us into the lives of couples who were already having massive issues, but decided to test their relationship further on an island with exceptionally good looking singles. Though I might’ve been to young to watch the adult content during its original run (If my mom could let me watch Telenovelas, I was mature enough to watch TI!), nothing could stop me from tuning into see if Mandy would stay with hey boyfriend or go for the other guy!
The Mole (2001-2004; 2008)
Probably one of the most underrated reality competition shows of the past decade (or ever if I have anything to say about it!), The Mole was able to combine intrigue, sabotage and deception to create a truly unique series. Each week the group would compete and earn money, while one would competitor is designated ‘The Mole’ and is in charge of ruining the competition and making sure the group makes the least amount of money into its bank account. On top of that, they also had two celebrity editions that boasted Kathy Griffin and Dennis Rodman as winners! Unfortunately, after a 4-year hiatus and a short return in 2008, ABC pulled the plug on show.
