MTV has given us a lot over the years, and if you were around (and watching MTV) in the early-2000s, then you recall a time before Tinder, but after reality TV, and in this time frame dating reality shows were a huge hit. They were awkward, they were cringey, and today we’re talking about the worst of the worst MTV had to offer. Let’s get started!
Room Raiders
The premise: Three “unsuspecting” victims, err, people have their rooms inspected by one single person; and the sole job of this single person is to decide who they want to go on a date with based on what they find in their bedrooms, the cleanliness, organization, etc. As the single person is going through their rooms, all three people are watching on monitors inside of what was probably a studio, but viewers are led to believe it’s a van. Once all three rooms have been inspected, the three people that have been patiently watching can get revenge when they are given the opportunity to go through the single person’s room. Finally, the room raider, if you will, confronts the three room raidees to announce which person they’ve chosen. It was a wild time, we learned a lot of things about a lot of different people, got some decor tips, and lastly, lived in fear for years that we would be next.
Date My Mom
The premise: So this was a weird one. One single person goes on a date with three different moms and on these dates, the moms are trying to convince the single person to date their daughter. At the end of each episode, the single person announces who they’ve chosen for a date based on the date. It was strange and creepy and we couldn’t turn it off.
Next
Perhaps the cringiest of them all is the hit show Next. The premise: A contestant goes on three blind dates and at any time they wish, they can say “next” and the well, that person goes back to the bus, and the next person goes out. One of the many cringy details is that each contestant had an intro where they got their shot at a real quirky or naughty one-liner and it went as bad as you’re thinking. And yes, the contestant that had the power to “next” someone could do this as soon as the other person stepped off the bus, and yes, we do still wonder how long we would have lasted.
Parental Control
Another seemingly simple and cringe premise involving parents: parents that didn’t like their son or daughter’s boyfriend or girlfriend set them up with three other people in hopes they would break up with their current significant other and give love a shot with someone new. The kicker? The current boyfriend or girlfriend had to watch their significant other go on the dates. Another show we were terrified we would end up on.
