Yes, All Of These MTV Shows Were Actually On-Air In The 2000s
If you grew up with a TV in the ’90s, you probably remember MTV. To some, it was a channel devoted to round-the-clock music. Others may have tuned in during its reality TV heydey. Launched in 1981 with the music video for “Video Killed the Radio Star,” MTV became the home for many musical artists striving for the top of the charts. Then, in its later years, music videos were phased out for eclectic programming.
MTV shifted gears from its musical roots to a more focused approach to original television and reality shows. At first, the famous cable channel delighted the masses with gems like The Real World and Punk’d, but it eventually delved into the bizarre and controversial.
Some shows made MTV look like a circus, and we’d like to explore those in this retrospective into the channel’s strangest programming. Why did MTV kind of go crazy and start pumping out uncomfortable scenarios and questionable concepts? We’re unsure, but we can explore what happened by pinpointing some of its most bizarre shows.
My Super Sweet 16
My Super Sweet 16 remains a staple in MTV’s networking history. Famous for hosting outlandish events, the show featured teenagers from wealthy families celebrating their 16th birthday. What ensued was a spoiled slideshow of squandered expenses spent on lavish parties and gifts only the rich can afford and underappreciate.
My Super Sweet 16 premiered in 2005 and lasted ten seasons, with many infamous episodes presenting overindulged teenagers for less than half an hour. While it’s difficult to say where these decadent folks are years later, the show is an ideal target for parody work. Comedy Central’s South Park essentially bashed the show with its “Heck on Earth 2006” episode featuring a bratty Satan.
Engaged and Underage
Lasting for only two seasons, Engaged and Underage focused on young couples approaching their wedding days. Though the name sounds quite scandalous, all couples were of legal age, as the concept only required one spouse to be between 18 and 21 years old. Throughout each episode, the featured couple shared their undying passion for one another with the audience.
Engaged and Underage couldn’t attract enough viewers to stay hooked on the happy couples and wedding bells. Conflicts often arose when parents disagreed with youthful marriages and the noted ages of the couples. Engaged and Underage ran from January 2007 to August 2008.
The Ashlee Simpson Show
Jessica Simpson made headlines with her singing talent and superficial acting chops. The general public sometimes says the same about her sister, Ashlee. To elevate her rise as a singer, Ashlee Simpson starred in her own reality with The Ashlee Simpson Show. She essentially took steps to escape her sister’s shadow, and the show unfortunately perpetuated this.
Amid her career, Ashlee Simpson starred as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live. A wrong tune played during her time to shine, and the audience caught her lip-syncing, denting her performance and image. The reality show did nothing to boost her ratings, with only two seasons showcasing her talents.
Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica
Speaking of Jessica Simpson, she became the center of attention with her Newlyweds reality show. Starring her and then-husband Nick Lachey, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica received a hostile reception for various reasons. Some believe MTV scripted some scenes, while others found Simpson and Lachey unfavorably due to their imprudent behaviors.
Newlyweds lasted three seasons, with Simpson’s and Lachey’s widely publicized divorce soon following the fallout. While the show helped Jessica Simpson rise to fame, viewers perceived Nick Lachey as an ill-mannered husband.
Room Raiders
During Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey’s marriage, they worked together to promote Room Raiders in 2003. Room Raiders, a popular dating show, focused on blind dates rummaging through the rooms of potential candidates. All the germs and judgment one can muster are administered in a 30-minute reality program for young adults.
While Room Raiders ran for eight seasons, it’s another example of problematic television from MTV’s history book. Participants had their privacy invaded and fielded open criticism, and it’s all on display for the MTV audience to embrace. Luckily, the general public quickly forgot about this dating deep cut.
Next
MTV’s Next has nothing to do with Fox’s sci-fi series of the same name. Instead, Next is a dating game show where a contestant hangs out with five blind dates. The contestant goes out with each participant to verify they’re good enough for a second date. If the leading party weren’t feeling the vibes, they’d shout “Next!” for the subsequent date to begin and the current one to end.
Not only is Next‘s premise shallow, but it also highlights the superficial attitudes of young adults on MTV. At times, dates could face an immediate rejection upon an initial glance. Whatever happened to first impressions?
Date My Mom
While it may initially sound taboo, Date My Mom focused on potential partners trying to impress their lovers’ mothers. It’s an innocent premise, though it faced allegations of script-writing despite its status as a reality show. When the storylines felt inauthentic, so did the content itself, with many regarding Date My Mom as “cringe-worthy” television.
Due to its cancelation, Date My Mom is a victim of content hunters hungry for more bizarre content. Impressing one’s mother on camera while following a script delivers unconventional, embarrassing results. Perhaps the lost episodes may appear one day so that fans can embrace more of MTV’s forgotten history.
Meet the Barkers
Before drummer Travis Barker married into the Kardashian family, he opened his private life to the public with Meet the Barkers. Another show out of MTV’s reality vault, Meet the Barkers, centered on the famous Blink-182 musician and his former wife, Shanna Moakler. Their children also appeared throughout the show, yet the public primarily focused on the couple.
Even though Meet the Barkers isn’t as controversial as other reality television shows, it didn’t have a happy ending. Running for merely two seasons, the show saw the end of Barker and Moakler’s marriage.
‘Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen and Dave
MTV reality shows appear to bestow a particular curse on televised couples and their marriages. If the Barkers could attribute their divorce to reality television, the same can apply to Carmen Electra and Dave Navarro. Though the former denies any wrongdoings of an “MTV curse,” ignoring the history behind ‘Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen and Dave is difficult.
Even when audiences viewed Electra and Navarro’s marriage as unconventional, they continued tuning in. ‘Til Death Do Us Part ran for only seven episodes, providing a false sense of authenticity. Navarro even commented on the nature of reality television, saying, “There’s no such thing as reality TV!”
I Want a Famous Face
Plastic surgery gives people the tools to look different on the outside. MTV promoted this idea with I Want a Famous Face. The premise is simple: young adults undergo cosmetic procedures to mirror their favorite celebrities. Some famous individuals the young adults impersonated included Elvis Presley, Britney Spears, and Jennifer Lopez.
Many issues quickly followed regarding I Want a Famous Face. False expectations of beauty, teenage exploitation, and dangerous health risks related to post-surgery contributed to the show’s criticisms. Although the show lasted only two seasons, these young adults certainly earned their 15 minutes of fame.
The New Tom Green Show
While young adults didn’t aspire to resemble Tom Green, the comedian did revive his television show for MTV in 2003. Tom Green achieved the glory of a successful show for only a few months. The New Tom Green Show aimed to bring audiences back for another round of Green’s comedy.
However, you can only fly so far when you’re the star of Freddy Got Fingered. The New Tom Green Show received negative reviews and was soon canceled. It’s another entry in MTV’s forgotten line of shows from the 2000s.
Celebrity Deathmatch
Since some celebrities enjoy embracing the camera, creators Eric Fogel and Gordon Barnett saw an opportunity to parody them. Stepping into the ring of MTV’s strangest entertainment is Celebrity Deathmatch, an animated program in which claymated celebrities fight to the death! It’s gory, outrageous, and out of this world, running for an initial six seasons before moving onto MTV2.
Celebrity Deathmatch was a show we can’t imagine receiving a revival today. Pinning claymated famous personalities against each other can spin bad results, especially in a violent format like the show. Matches like Hilary Clinton vs. Monica Lewinsky (season 1) and Dave Grohl vs. Courtney Love (season 3) might not even make it past today’s censors.
Doggy Fizzle Televizzle
After emerging from Compton as a rapper, Snoop Dogg can do just about anything. His talents aren’t exclusive to the mic. The rapper also exhibits talents in acting and comedy, as exemplified by his sketch show on MTV. Entitled Doggy Fizzle Televizzle, the Long Beach-born music artist displayed his comedic chops with some friends.
However, despite Snoop Dogg’s popularity, the Doggy Fizzle Televizzle fizzled out after eight episodes. He continued to find success elsewhere in the entertainment world, though you’ll unlikely hear his sketch show referenced much today. It remains another deep cut in MTV’s line of forgotten programs.
Nick Cannon Presents: Short Circuitz
Snoop Dogg wasn’t the only rapper to host a sketch show on MTV. Before the sketch comedy and rap improv game show Wild ‘n Out moved on to VH1, Nick Cannon had his buddies participate in another program. Aptly named Nick Cannon Presents: Short Circuitz, the show ran for only eight episodes before MTV slashed its programming. While short-lived, it featured many comedic favorites like Taran Killam, Katt Williams, and Mikey Day.
While low ratings play a part in Short Circuitz’ cancelation, it’s easy to see how Wild ‘n Out may have overshadowed it. Wild ‘n Out is a top-rated comedy show. Adding Short Circuitz to the TV Guide might have been overkill.
