The Most Chaotic Reality TV Dating Shows That Have, Thankfully, Gone Off-Air
All is fair in love, war, and reality television, but some reality TV dating shows really missed the mark. While television staples like Love Island, 90-Day Fiancé, and The Bachelor/Bachelorette provide entertaining views into people's romantic lives, other ventures into the genre weren't quite so successful and had premises that just would not work today.
Here are some of the worst dating shows of all time that we're glad have since been canceled.
Average Joe (2003–2005)
Rather than garnering a group of attractive guys, 16–18 ordinary men compete to win the heart of a beautiful woman (although she was not informed that she would be meeting "average" looking guys). However, halfway through the season, a group of attractive dudes entered the race.
Out of the four seasons that aired, 3/4 of the women chose from the hotties, and the notion that "looks aren't everything" that inspired the show really fell through.
The X-Effect (2007–2009)
In this show, a pair of exes who had each moved on to a new relationship went on a romantic vacation together to see if their feelings would rekindle. At the end, they would decide whether they wanted to stay with their current partners or get back together.
I mean, I would go on a paid vacation with my ex, but I literally would not so much as touch the skeezebag.
A Shot At Love With Tila Tequila (2007)
In this show that closely mimics The Bachelor, both men and women competed to win the love of bisexual queen Tila Tequila, who was a popular influencer on MySpace (yeah, that's how old this show is).
Naturally, it was a little extra messy because of the two genders competing, but having regular people fight for the attention of social media influencers was always bound to be trashy.
Joe Millionaire (2003)
Trying to follow the success of The Bachelor, this show follows a similar premise except all the female contestants believed "Joe" was a millionaire—viewers knew he was actually a construction worker.
Shipmates (2001–2003)
This was the entire premise of the show: Put a bunch of young, hot, single people on a cruise ship. Yes, that was it. The results were similar to Love Island, except somehow with even less structure and more trashy behavior.
By some miracle, it was renewed for a second season before being canceled completely. If anyone managed to find love, I definitely ship it.
Date My Mom (2004–2006)
During this show, a contestant would go on three separate dates—not with their potential love interest, but with their love interests' mothers. The contestant, after only meeting the mothers, has to make a decision on who they want to date the most based on their experience meeting each mom.
Considering that I've liked the moms of guys I've dated more than I liked the men themselves, this seems like a misleading premise. Either way, the show had a short, two-year run.
Flavor Of Love (2006–2008)
Imagine The Bachelor, except you're competing for the love of formerly successful rapper Flavor Flav, and instead of roses, you receive giant clocks on chains.
Despite the fact that the winner of Flav's heart knew they'd inevitably be dumped before the next season, this show created some of the greatest reality stars of the 2000s—including "New York" Tiffany Pollard—and multiple spin-offs.
Parental Control (2006–2010)
My mom would love this show, where parents who hated their son or daughter's significant other were able to choose two new prospects for her to go on dates with. After the two dates, the son or daughter had to decide whether they would stay with their current partner or choose to move forward with one of their parents' selections.
It could have been a decent show if the families on it weren't in desperate need of extensive therapy.
Farmer Wants A Wife (2008)
This show features a bachelor farmer who is looking for the love of his life amongst a group of city girls who are looking to step away from the hustle and bustle. The show played out much like The Bachelor, except instead of trips to exotic locations and fun excursions, the women did farm work to show off how handy they were.
While it was a huge flop in the US, a version of the show still runs in Australia.
I Wanna Marry "Harry" (2014)
Before the days of Meghan Markle, Prince Harry was a hot commodity. In this show, 12 American women compete for the love of the member of the British royal family with one slight twist: It's not Harry at all, but instead a lookalike.
The show, however, was canceled after airing only four episodes due to low ratings and general disgust about the blatant deception the show was based upon.
For Love Or Money (2003–2004)
In this dating show, suitors work to gain the affection of a single woman or man, just like in The Bachelor/Bachelorette. However, the twist was that the winner was given the opportunity to reject the person they'd worked to seduce all season in exchange for a $1 million prize.
The level of two-faced behavior and unwholesome intentions that backed this show made it wildly exciting, but not particularly emotionally fulfilling, and it only survived four seasons.
Conveyor Belt Of Love (2010)
In this show, five women got to choose from 30 different men who would be presented in front of them on—you guessed it—a moving conveyor belt. The men would have a minute to impress, and if a woman liked one, she could pull him aside (and possibly swap him out later if someone else caught her eye). The five ladies later went on separate dates with their choices.
Needless to say, the show was so horrible that it didn't make it past the pilot.
Exposed (2007–2008)
In this show, a contestant goes on a date with two potential love interests while their close friend monitors the date from a nearby RV. Everything the two potential mates say is passed through a lie detector test. Afterward, the contestant consults with her friend before confronting the two mates about the lies they made before revealing which one they prefer.
All around, the lies were so preposterous that the whole thing seems staged, and the show did not survive the criticism.
Date My Ex: Jo & Slade (2008)
Each episode, three or four guys would take Jo De La Rosa, who become famous after her stint on The Real Housewives of Orange Country, on dates to win her heart while her ex, Slade Smiley, would host the guys at his house for a week, secretly watch the dates, and help Jo decide at the end.
It was a weird concept that people didn't latch onto because, honestly, I can't think of anything worse than having my ex vet my dates.
Boy Meets Boy (2003)
What might have initially looked like the gay-positive version of The Bachelor turned out to be a hot mess. In this show, a gay male bachelor tries to find love amongst a group of men. However, in a twist reveal, we find out that half of the contestants are secretly straight. If the winner is a straight man, he won a prize.
All around, this cruel premise was not widely accepted, and I personally want to fight the person who pitched the idea.
Chains Of Love (2001)
A person with $10,000 is chained to up to four potential matches for four days and nights. From there, the person is able to eliminate matches one at a time, deciding to distribute money to the contestants they send home as they please. At the end, the original person could either keep or split the money with the last contestant.
All around, this borderline kinky show did not please the general public and was pulled from the screen after six episodes.
Momma's Boys (2008–2009)
In this show, 32 women seek love with three single men—a firefighter/paramedic, a real estate broker, and a college student. However, these men have the help of their mothers when it comes to choosing the women they keep on or kick off the show.
Meeting a guy's over-involved mom is enough of a nightmare in regular life, let alone on reality television, and the show was not renewed for a second season.
Change Of Heart (1998–2002)
This dating game show brought couples on set, set them up with other singles, and then sent them off on separate dates. During the episode, contestants would discuss their relationships and new dating experiences. At the end, each person would reveal whether they wanted to stay together with their original partner or if they'd had a "change of heart."
While it was moderately entertaining, it was more sad than anything and was canceled after five years.
Love Games: Bad Girls Need Love Too (2010–2013)
This spinoff from the notorious reality television show Bad Girls Club brings back three past "Bad Girls" who are looking for the man of their dreams. They go through weekly challenges, group dates, and slowly eliminate male contestants—and yes, it is all extremely dramatic.
Unfortunately, the sheer chaos of Bad Girls Club didn't translate as well into the dating genre, and the show only lasted for four seasons.
Temptation Island (2001–2003)
Based on the Dutch TV program Blind Vertouwen (meaning Blind Faith), couples are placed into separate houses with members of the opposite sex in order to test the strength of their relationships. Despite the trashiness of it all, it actually did make some of the couples stronger, and while this show was canceled in 2003, it was recently rebooted in 2019.
