8 Times Early 2000s Reality TV Competitions Embarrassed Women For Content And Ratings

    "I thought I was going to burst into tears. I saw a lady in the audience laughing."

    Molly Capobianco
    by Molly Capobianco

    BuzzFeed Staff

    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)

    VH1

    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."

    John presents a selection of fruit and tells the women to pick one and eat it seductively
    VH1

    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:

    View this video on YouTube
    youtube.com VH1 / Via Joana Reves

    2. Beauty and the Geek (2005)

    WB

    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.

    After getting a question wrong, a woman says she was on the verge of tears and that she saw someone in the audience laughing at her
    WB

    The reward: The winner receives the ability to send another team to “the elimination room.”

    You can watch it here:

    View this video on YouTube
    youtube.com WB / Via Beauty and the Geek

    3. Rock of Love (2007)

    VH1

    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.

    Bret saying that he's on the road a lot, so in order for a relationship to work, his partner needs to be good at phone sex
    VH1

    Oh, and they have to do it in front of everyone.

    The phone calls happening in front of the other women
    VH1

    The reward: The three winners get to go on a group date with Bret.

    You can watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    youtube.com VH1 / Via All Reality

    4. America's Next Top Model: Cycle 4 (2005)

    UPN

    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.

    A woman saying "I don't know that word" while the judges laugh at her
    UPN

    The women stumble over and mispronounce words, while the judges laugh at them.

    One contestant, Tiffany, struggles to do the challenge out of embarrassment.

    Tiffany saying she can't do this, while Tyra says the other girls did it and messed up the words, so just have fun with it
    UPN

    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.

    Tiffany saying "This is humiliating, more and more each week"
    UPN

    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:

    View this video on YouTube
    youtube.com UPN / Via Next Top Model

    5. A Shot at Love II with Tila Tequila (2008)

    MTV / Via dailymotion.com

    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.

    Tila Tequila saying she was disappointed because half of the women gave up when they heard about the challenge
    MTV / Via dailymotion.com

    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 men laughing and pointing as they watch the women
    MTV / Via dailymotion.com

    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)

    VH1

    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.

    Brigitte asking "Are your boobs real?"
    VH1

    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.

    Brigitte asks if Smiley has been a stripper, she answers it's more complicated than yes or no, and Brigitte says "If you're an honest person, you should not have a problem"
    VH1

    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.

    Smiley saying she can't just say yes or no without explaining herself and that the interview sucked
    VH1

    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:

    View this video on YouTube
    youtube.com VH1 / Via All Real

    7. Bridalplasty (2010)

    NBCUniversal

    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.

    A woman is asked if she's had reservations about getting married to her fiancé, she says no, and the polygraph operator gives a thumbs down to indicate a lie
    NBCUniversal

    The questions are cruel and clearly just fuel to create unnecessary drama.

    A man is asked if his fiancé could work harder at losing weight, and he says yes
    NBCUniversal

    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:

    View this video on YouTube
    youtube.com NBCUniversal / Via lilatornelli

    8. The Swan (2004)

    FOX

    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.

    FOX

    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.

    FOX

    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."

    What are some other moments from early 2000s reality shows that you can't believe they aired?