10 Controversial Reality Shows That Were Canceled Before They Ever Aired
From Teen Mom to Bridalplasty to MILF Manor, there’s been no shortage of eyebrow-raising reality TV shows over the years. It seems there’s no low to which producers won’t sink in their quest for outrageously watchable TV. And usually, audiences will eat up what they deliver, no matter how trashy it is. (Just look at TLC’s ever-expanding 90 Day Fiancé universe.) But sometimes, a reality show goes too far. These 10 controversial reality shows crossed the line in one way or another. As a result, they never even made it to air.
‘Escaping the KKK’
A&E’s documentary series Escaping the KKK promised to give viewers an inside look at the workings of the Ku Klux Klan. The reality show, which followed high-ranking members of the notorious hate group and their families, would have been controversial no matter what. Then, it emerged that producers had made cash payments to some of the show’s participants. That violated the network’s documentary standards, per Variety. A&E had previously said that no payments were made to hate group members. In December 2016, the network canceled the series without airing a single episode.
‘The Activist’
In 2021, CBS announced a new reality series called The Activist, which it promised would be “ground-breaking” and “inspire real change.” The show – hosted by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Julianne Hough, and Usher – would have seen six seasoned activists competing in various challenges that would generate buzz on social media and help catch the attention of global decision-makers. The blowback was immediate, with critics slamming the show for attempting to turn the serious work of social change into a cheap quest for likes. CBS quickly pivoted, saying it would retool the show into a documentary format. However, that documentary never aired.
‘Flip It Forward’
Sometimes, it’s the concept of a reality show that’s controversial. In other cases, it’s the cast. That was the case with Flip It Forward. The house-flipping show hosted by twin brothers David and Jason Benham was supposed to air on HGTV in 2014. Then, reports surfaced that David had made homophobic comments and led anti-abortion protests. The network balked and pulled the show. The brothers told Nightline that HGTV was fully aware of their past and only got squeamish after media scrutiny.
‘Our Little Genius’
Our Little Genius was a Fox game show showcasing child prodigies answering tough questions for a chance at serious cash. But shortly before the heavily-promoted series was set to premiere in January 2010, the network pulled it from its schedule. Creator Mark Burnett explained that he’d learned that there were questions about “how some information was relayed to contestants during the preproduction,” according to The New York Times. Allegedly, producers had fed some answers to contestants – a big no-no in the game show world. The eight already taped episodes never aired, and the FCC opened an investigation into whether the show had violated any laws.
‘Seriously, Dude I’m Gay’
In 2004, Fox announced a new reality TV special: Seriously, Dude I’m Gay. The premise – which the network described in a press release (via the Los Angeles Times) as “a heterosexual male’s worst nightmare” – was problematic, to say the least. In an effort to win a $50,000 prize, two straight men would try to convince their friends and family they were gay. Their efforts at faking gayness would be judged by “a jury of their queers.” Criticism of the show was swift, and Fox scrapped plans to air the show a few weeks later, The Washington Post reported.
‘Welcome to the Neighborhood’
In Welcome to the Neighborhood, a group of would-be suburbanites competed to win a picture-perfect house in a Texas cul-de-sac. To take home the top prize, the contestants – who included a gay couple with a child, a Black family, a Korean family, and a Pagan family – would have to win over the white, conservative Christians who already lived on the street. But 10 days before it was scheduled to premiere, ABC decided not to air the show.
At the time, there were reports that offensive comments about the contestants in the early episodes were behind the decision to kill Welcome to the Neighborhood. But Disney (which owns ABC) may have gotten cold feet for another reason. The gay couple ultimately charmed the neighbors and won the house. But at the time, Disney was heavily promoting its first Chronicles of Narnia movie to a conservative Christian audience. The company may have feared that churches would boycott the movie because Welcome to the Neighborhood portrayed a gay couple in a positive light, according to a 2006 report in The New York Times.
‘Good Grief’
There’s no subject too sacred for reality TV, and that includes funerals. In 2014, Lifetime announced a show titled Good Grief, which would focus on a family-run mortuary in Texas. Then, eight decaying bodies were discovered at the Johnson Family Mortuary in Fort Worth after the business was evicted for not paying rent, according to a CBS News report. Dondre Johnson and his wife Rachel Hardy-Johnson, the mortuary co-owners (and stars of the show) were arrested on multiple accounts of abusing a corpse. The show, unsurprisingly, never aired.
‘Ultimate Slip N’ Slide’
On paper, Ultimate Slip N’ Slide sounded like a fun bit of mindless summer entertainment rather than a controversial reality show. In reality, it was anything but. The show, which featured people competing in rounds of games on a giant Slip N’Slide, never made it to air thanks to an outbreak of giardia on set that shut down production early. According to a report from The Wrap, dozens of crew members became violently ill with “awful explosive diarrhea” while filming. Though the show was mostly complete, NBC eventually decided it would be too costly and logistically complicated to resume production, Deadline reported.
‘Ev and Ocho’
Ev and Ocho was a controversial reality show VH1 reality series starring NFL player Chad Johnson (aka Chad Ochocinco) and his wife, Basketball Wives star Evelyn Lozada. The show, which would have followed the couple’s relationship, was set to premiere in September 2012. Then, Chad was arrested for head-butting his wife after they argued over a receipt for a box of condoms. The show was quickly pulled from VH1’s lineup. Chad was also cut from the Miami Dolphins, according to The Washington Post.
‘I Love Money’ Season 3
VH1’s I Love Money pitted failed dating show contestants against each other for a chance to win $250,000. Three seasons aired between 2008 and 2010. But four seasons were actually shot. I Love Money 3 never made it to air after one of the contestants, Ryan Jenkins, murdered his wife, Jasmine Fiore, in August 2009. Jenkins had married Fiore shortly after he was eliminated as a contestant on another VH1 reality show, Megan Wants a Millionaire. After killing his wife, Jenkins fled to Canada, where he died by suicide.
Megan Wants a Millionaire was airing at the time of Fiore’s murder. But VHI pulled it from the schedule and only three episodes were ever broadcast. I Love Money 3 never made it to TV. The disturbing situation led to lasting changes in how reality shows screen potential cast members, EW reported a decade later.
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