Married by America (partially found Fox reality show; 2003)
Status: Lost
Married by America was a reality show broadcast from March 3, 2003 to April 14, 2003 on Fox. The premise of the show revolved around five single people to, as the title says, be paired up with other people "by America" (family members and phone-in voters). The other major gimmick of the show was that the singles would pair up with the strangers "sight-unseen" with a wall separating them on stage, meaning that they could only talk to each other.
Controversy
In the show's short time on the air, it managed to drum up a great amount of controversy over its content; one affiliate in North Carolina (WRAZ) dropped the show after its premiere for how it "demeans and exploits the institution of marriage", and a year after its cancellation, the show received a $1.18 million FCC fine over an episode which contained explicit footage of whipped cream being licked off a stripper's breasts and a man being caressed by strippers. The fine was eventually dropped to $91,000 in 2009 and then dropped entirely in 2012.
The show also dealt with a contestant who was revealed to have been already married after the first episode had aired; in the end, none of the couples on the show ended up married, making the show a failure.
Availability
This show has never been rebroadcast or released on home video, nor have any full episodes turned up online. However, a few clips can be found online, one featuring the premiere's opening and another showing a compilation of Tony Ross' time on the show. Another clip can be found on a Parents Television Council compilation of "worst clips", namely the controversial stripper footage (not linked due to graphic content).