10 Canceled Reality TV Shows That Were Filmed But Never Actually Aired

For every good idea, there are five bad ideas. Sometimes, these bad ideas come to fruition in the form of terrible movies or regrettable TV shows. Plenty more bad ideas stay where they belong, in the brainstorming stage, or locked in some studio vault, never to be reopened. Reality television is the source of many such bad ideas, as networks often see the genre as a cheap cash grab or a means to stoke profitable controversy.

But there's another category of production failure we haven't accounted for. In an episode of "30 Rock," Jack (Alec Baldwin) hits Liz (Tina Fey) with a sage piece of wisdom: "There are no bad ideas, Lemon. Only good ideas that go horribly wrong." While we don't necessarily agree with Jack, good ideas can indeed end in disaster. We see this in reality TV all the time, when clever concepts get derailed due to the unpredictable nature of their very real cast members.

Stories of failure can be just as interesting as stories of success, which is why we've brought you this list of reality shows that never saw the light of day. Some of these series were bad ideas that never should have gotten the green light, while others failed due to circumstances outside of producers' control. Keep reading to learn about 10 canceled reality shows that were filmed but never aired.

The never-aired Lifetime series "Good Grief" presented an interesting concept, not to mention a great title. The reality show was set to follow the Johnson family, who ran a mortuary in Fort Worth, Texas. The family business was run by Rachel Hardy-Johnson alongside her husband, Dondre, and his twin brother, Derrick. The funerary duo were known as the "Undertaker Twins," and they'd been in the business since they were 11 years old.

The show was scheduled to air in July of 2014, but it never saw the light of day. The week before its premiere date, Rachel and Dondre were evicted from their building and later arrested when seven decomposing bodies were discovered inside. Both Rachel and Dondre were charged with seven counts of abuse of a corpse, though no foul play was suspected. Dondre wasn't worried by the arrest, and in fact thought it would be good PR for the show. "That's great advertising because in a few days from now we'll be on a reality show so I want all this media," he told the press following the arrest.

Lifetime didn't agree. "The allegations are deeply troubling and our thoughts and prayers go to the families affected by this situation," a representative wrote in an email, noting that the network would not air the show. (Notably, the mortuary was already under investigation prior to the arrests.) The show's would-be catchphrase, "death has never been so lively," turned out to be true after all.

We'd like to have been in the room when the executives at Fox greenlit the reality special "Seriously, Dude, I'm Gay," because, seriously, what were they thinking? The two-hour special, which was scheduled to air in June of 2004, followed two straight men as they competed for the chance to win $50,000 by pretending to be gay. They were required to live with other gay men, come out to their friends, and go to gay nightclubs. Other challenges included getting spanked by other men and making "a gay face." Per the show's initial press release, they were to be judged by "a jury of their q*****," who would choose which one of them seemed the gayest.

When the show was first announced, anti-defamation group GLAAD immediately raised the alarm. They took issue with the press release, which, in addition to the "jury of their q*****" line, also described the contestants' ventures into "the gay lifestyle." Fox tweaked the press release and gave GLAAD a copy of the show to watch, which proved to be its undoing. GLAAD Media Director Stephen Macias revealed that the contestants likened their experiences on the show to "their worst nightmare" and said they were "trapped in gay hell." GLAAD went on to describe the series as "an exercise in systematic humiliation." Though GLAAD's condemnation likely contributed to the show's cancellation just two weeks before it was set to air, the network attributed the move simply to "creative reasons."

We're going to put "The Activist" squarely in the category of bad idea rather than poor execution. In its original incarnation, the CBS series would have followed six activists representing three different fields — health, education, and the environment — as they competed in challenges to bring visibility to their chosen topics using social media. In the final episodes, three contestants got a chance to attend the G20 summit in Italy to further their causes. The series was to be hosted by Julianne Hough, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Usher, who would also act as judges.

CBS had high hopes for the series (they referred to it as "awe-inspiring" and "ground-breaking"), but "The Activist" was hit with immediate backlash when the hosts were announced. Celebrities like Jameela Jamil and activists such as Brittany Packnett Cunningham of police reform organization Campaign Zero took issue with how the show intended to sensationalize and gamify activism. One would-be contestant described it as an episode of "Black Mirror."

In response, CBS, Global Citizen, and Live Nation released a joint statement apologizing for their misstep. "It has become apparent the format of the show as announced distracts from the vital work these incredible activists do in their communities every day," the statement reads. Hough also posted an apology on her Instagram page, conceding that she isn't qualified to be a judge. Though the series was already filmed, CBS announced plans to completely retool the concept, airing a one-part documentary special instead.

In hindsight, the producers of "The Ultimate Slip N' Slide" should have seen this one coming. It was an amusing idea. The show featured pairs of competitors completing increasingly difficult Slip 'N Slide challenges with the hopes of winning a cash prize. Games included "Human Pong" and "Body Bowling," and the final two teams were to face down the intimidating Big Slipper. Comedians Bobby Moynihan and Ron Funches were the show's hosts.

The show's cancellation was the result of a veritable PR disaster. With only one week left in production, a giardia outbreak swept through the crew. Though only one crew member tested positive for the intestinal infection, it was reported that 40 crew members fell in dramatic fashion. According to a source who spoke to The Wrap, the crew came down with "awful explosive diarrhea," which had people "collapsing." Insert bathroom humor here.

The water used on the slides tested negative for giardia, though the "surrounding area" tested positive. One source claimed that finishing production would be too expensive, while another insider suggested that crew members were apprehensive about returning to the set due to safety concerns. The game show "Family Game Fight!" aired in its place.

You'd think a game show involving kids would be shelved for ethical reasons related to child safety, but that wasn't the case with "Our Little Genius." The series, which was set to premiere in 2010, was created by prolific reality TV producer Mark Burnett, the man behind "The Apprentice," "Survivor," "Shark Tank," and "The Voice." Hosted by comedian Kevin Pollak, the show featured child prodigies answering tough questions with the chance to win thousands of dollars.

The show was pulled from Fox's schedule six days before its premiere due to an FCC inquiry about the game show's ethics. According to the New York Times, the parent of a child contestant on the show sent a letter to the FCC suggesting that producers told kids the answers to potential questions before taping certain episodes. After the letter was made public, Burnett released a statement saying, "I believe my series must always be beyond reproach, so I have requested that Fox not air these episodes." While there was talk of re-shooting the show, this never occurred.

Though nothing came of the FCC investigation, former contestant Ben Mohler told his story in an extensive piece in the Arizona Republic. He confirmed that the show was, in fact, rigged, and described his experience as tantamount to "exploitation."

Did you know there was a reality show centered on Wu-Tang Clan member Ol' Dirty Bastard? Created by "Zombieland" and "Deadpool" writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, "Stuck on Dirty" followed an average Joe dared to spend as many consecutive minutes as he could by Ol' Dirty Bastard's side. The longer he spent with the legendary rapper, the bigger his prize would be.

In an interview with Grantland, Wernick and Reese revealed that the original pitch for the show involved another intimidating superstar. It was called "Handcuffed to Mike Tyson," and the idea was to find someone willing to spend a week handcuffed to the famous boxer. When Tyson pulled out, they pitched Ol' Dirty Bastard instead and selected a "pasty white guy from Queens" as the show's guinea pig. ODB and Bob, the contestant, both wore pseudo-ankle monitors that beeped if they got more than 10 feet away from each other. Production was split between capturing a day in the life of ODB and a day in the life of Bob, highlighting the many differences between the two men.

The show never aired for a tragic reason. Ol' Dirty Bastard died of an accidental drug overdose a few months after the show wrapped, and Spike TV elected not to air it. Though the tapes still exist, it's unlikely they'll ever see the light of day.

When ABC announced plans for their reality series "Welcome to the Neighborhood" in 2005, it was met with criticism from all sides. A reality show as much as a social experiment, the series followed seven families competing to live in a house located in a moneyed subdivision in southwest Austin. While the residents of the neighborhood in question were all white, Christian, and conservative, their potential neighbors were chosen because they didn't fit this mold. They included a Black family, an Asian family, a family of Wiccans, a Latino family, a heavily tattooed family, and a gay couple with an adopted child. Three couples and residents of the cul-de-sac were in charge of deciding which family got to live in the house.

Based on the two episodes that were sent out to the press, many commentators found the show racist and homophobic. GLAAD entertainment media director Damon Romine noted that while the show had admirable intentions, "it's dangerous to let intolerance and bigotry go unchallenged for weeks at a time." The National Fair Housing Alliance also expressed concerns that the show violated, or at least undermined, the National Fair Housing Act due to its racial and religious biases. Even right-wing groups like the Family Research Council worried about the show's representation of Christians. Ultimately, while the show never aired, the gay couple was awarded the house, and they were able to move in later that year.

If you're looking for a show that depicts the life of a rapper and his gaggle of children from many mothers, we're sorry to tell you that you're out of luck. A show like this was filmed, but no one in the public ever got to see it. Oxygen came up with the gonzo idea for "All My Babies' Mamas" back in 2012. It centered on the Atlanta rapper Shawty Lo from the group D4L. The show depicted his unique lifestyle, which involved being the father of 11 children with 10 different mothers and having a 19-year-old girlfriend.

The one-hour special, which had the potential to become a series, never aired due to backlash. Following Oxygen's press release and a leaked trailer, author Sabrina Lamb launched a petition on Change.Org to get the show canceled. The campaign garnered more than 37,000 signatures and resulted in petitions being hand-delivered to Oxygen, NBC Universal, and Comcast offices.

Following Oxygen's decision to cancel the series, Lamb released a statement reading: "We will not support any network and advertiser which exploits the plight of children and targets young women with stereotypical, dangerous, unsafe messages." Oxygen sent out a statement of its own, professing to "continue to develop compelling content that resonates with our young female viewers and drives the cultural conversation."

The premise of the never-aired HGTV show "Flip It Forward" is nothing special. It followed David Benham and Jason Benham, twin brothers in North Carolina, as they helped participants find fixer-uppers to remodel into perfect family homes. The show also included a competition element. "Flip It Forward" was set to premiere in October of 2014, but HGTV shelved the show in May of that year following a controversy.

Liberal watchdog group Right Wing Watch released a report revealing controversial statements the Benham brothers had made in the past. For example, at an anti-gay marriage rally in 2012, David Benham spoke of "homosexuality and its agenda that is attacking the nation." The report also noted that Benham spearheaded pro-life protests outside of abortion clinics. HGTV didn't comment on the controversy specifically, simply writing "HGTV has decided not to move forward with the Benham Brothers' series" on their Facebook page.

Most took the cancellation as a response to the political controversy, though the Benham brothers alleged that HGTV already knew about their political views. According to David Benham, the brothers were vetted a year prior and specifically asked about the 2012 rally, and the network still decided to move forward with the show.

A&E's failed KKK documentary wasn't canceled because of its difficult subject matter, exactly, but rather due to questions of documentarian ethics. "Escaping the KKK" was an eight-part documentary series that purported to depict people working to leave the KKK with the help of expert "extractors." Unsurprisingly, the show garnered controversy pretty quickly. It was initially titled "Generation KKK," but when folks questioned the show's focus, the title was changed to "Escaping the KKK: A Documentary Series Exposing Hate in America" to better highlight its intent.

The series was set to air in January of 2017 with that updated title, until another controversy shook the boat the day after the title change. Two weeks before the show was set to air, the network learned that "cash payments — which we currently understand to be nominal — were made in the field to some participants in order to facilitate access," per a statement released to the press. The network stated that they had previously believed that no money was paid to any members of a hate group, and they had assured the Anti-Defamation League as much.

Following the show's initial press release, "Grey's Anatomy" star Ellen Pompeo was one of the loudest voices to speak out against it. "The timing of this show angers me the most they are capitalizing on a disgusting wave that Trump started and media is normalizing NOT OK," she wrote on X.