The Worst Family-Focused Reality Shows, Reality TV is a much-maligned genre, and rightfully so. There's more emptiness per minute on reality shows than in most sitcoms or procedurals. And with the early success of "The Osbournes" and "Newlyweds," reality TV has gone to the family well time and again, usually with terrible results. That's not the case with "Braxton Family Values" which gets a leg up on its family-focused brethren by virtue of simply making it to a second season, something none of the shows on our list could manage.
There are plenty of bad family-focused shows that have run several seasons, of course, most of them on E!, but we're not looking at those. Instead, we're focusing on the ones that didn't survive past a season, or in some cases, an episode. So go on, Braxtons, give yourself a hand. You deserve it. braxton family values,
"Bret Michaels: Life as I Know It" Here's a thought: When you've built a career on the back of being promiscuous, perhaps a family-focused reality series isn't such a great idea. The "Nothin' but a Good Time" singer, who revitalized his career thanks to a series of VH1 dating shows, followed up his "Celebrity Apprentice" win with a series about being a daddy and sharing domestic duties with his on-again, off-again baby momma. Michaels' mostly middle-aged female fans didn't respond favorably, opting instead to remember their beloved Poison frontman like they always have -- as a fun-loving party boy. VH1 pulled the plug after nine episodes. Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It,
"The Hasselhoffs"Because of his frequent tabloid headlines, his overseas singing successes and his always-perfect hair, David Hasselhoff seemed like perfect reality TV fodder. But as was the case with Paula Abdul's "Hey Paula," The Hoff's family-focused reality show, which followed his attempts to revive his career while launching those of his two daughters, didn't resonate with audiences. Despite not being able to change the channel during many of his "America's Got Talent" rants, it was hard to NOT change the channel once this show began. The first episode of "The Hasselhoffs" attracted a meager audience, and viewership for the second episode was even worse, forcing A&E to cancel this dud just two weeks into its run. The Hasselhoffs,
"Britney & Kevin: Chaotic" Before Kevin Federline was a footnote in pop culture history, he was a footnote in reality TV history thanks to the dull reality show he starred in with then-wife Britney Spears. The show consisted of little more than the pair's self-shot home movies, which began with their courtship and ended with their wedding. Amazingly, the series was created by Anthony Zuiker, who created the "CSI" franchise, but who couldn't drum up anything half as exciting as a dead body here. What we got instead was the completely not shocking revelation that Spears is a narcissistic and Federline is dopey. Britney Kevin Chaotic,
"House of Carters" Former Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and his siblings, including hot-for-a-nanosecond Aaron Carter, were the focus of this E! series that was dead on arrival, just like the careers its stars hoped to kick-start. The show consisted of Nick and Aaron moving into a house with their not-famous three sisters, where mostly they fought, cried, drank and fought more. Though that formula works for "Jersey Shore," this "House" was made of cards, and it came down after eight episodes, never to be heard from again.House of Carters, nick and aaron carter,
"Hammertime" There's plenty to love about the always entertaining MC Hammer, the rapper turned preacher turned search-engine entrepreneur, but apparently not enough to keep viewers engaged for 22 minutes each week. The one-season-and-out "Hammertime" was just another nail in the coffin for rappers hoping to revitalize their career by getting into the reality TV game. Here's a bit of unsolicited advice for any once-famous rappers still contemplating such a move: Don't! No matter how many hits you've had or how gangsta you may have been, follow the examples set by Hammer, Coolio and Snoop Dogg , all of whom tried unsuccessfully to launch family-focused reality series and failed. Bring viewers something interesting, like the stories told in your lyrics, not some watered-down pap.hammertime,
"Living Lohan" No show in recent memory was more exploitative than this sucker, starring Lindsay's mom, Dina, and her other, less-famous children. The show essentially consisted of momma Lohan spouting off about how much she hates the tabloids while letting reality TV cameras trail her every move. You can practically see the souls of all those involved disintegrating right in front of the camera. Some unsolicited advice: If you want the tabloids to leave you alone, don't put yourself on TV. Try laying low like Johnny Depp or Ben Stiller or any number of other, more-famous celebrities, who never have to deal with a fraction of the same craziness, because, well, they're less crazy. living lohan,
"Who's Your Daddy?" These two doozies have more in common than just being crummy: They were both canceled after a single airing -- no small feat! On "Daddy," a contestant, who was adopted as an infant, tried to find his or her biological father from a group of 25 in hopes of winning $100,000. If the contestant picked the wrong person, the fake daddy got the dough instead. On "The Will," the family and friends of an Arizona benefactor competed against each other in a series of challenges for his inheritance. Not surprisingly, ratings for both shows gathered terrible reviews and a tiny viewership, and both were axed.whos your daddy tv show,
"Sons of Hollywood", "Princes of Malibu"In "Sons of Hollywood," the sons of Rod Stewart and Aaron Spelling hang around Hollywood and Las Vegas dealing with their daddy issues and spending lots of money. And that's about the extent of the excitement of the series, which lasted a dozen episodes before A&E realized that nobody cared. The same premise could describe "Princes of Malibu," which followed the offspring of Bruce Jenner and lasted a mere two episodes. But perhaps it was just ahead of its time, as the show did offer the world's first glimpses at Brody Jenner and Spencer Pratt, who would go on to make their own reality TV waves on "The Hills." And Jenner, of course, would eventually become a part of another family-focused reality series: "Keeping Up With the Kardashians." "sons of hollywood", 'Princes of Malibu',
"Carnie Wilson: Unstapled" The best part about this series was that former WWE star Diamond Dallas Page was Wilson's personal trainer. That was a cameo we weren't expecting! Sadly, "Unstapled" failed to offer any of the entertainment value of Page's previous employer, falling instead upon the usual reality TV cliches, which mostly involved Carnie launching a new business, struggling with her weight and dealing with a flailing career. Can we staple our eyes closed instead? 'Carnie Wilson: Unstapled',
"The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty" This series, which began shooting before Michael's death, quickly took an unexpected turn as the show became less about making a new Jackson 5 record and more about dealing with the loss of a family member. It wasn't a terrible show, but it wasn't terribly interesting either. Though the show didn't feel exploitative of Michael's death necessarily, it also didn't feel like the most respectful way to pay tribute to a recently departed loved one. The Jacksons A Family Dynasty,
"Leave It to Lamas"After being chosen on the London season of "The Bachelor," Shayne Lamas, daughter of actor Lorenzo Lamas, did what any hopeful starlet would do: She broke up with the dude. Then she got a reality series, not so coincidentally one produced by the producer of "The Bachelor." The thinly veiled plot had to do with Lorenzo repairing his relationship with his estranged son A.J., but really the point of the show was to make Shayne a star. It didn't, of course, but at least we got see Michele Smith, Shayne's mom, standing naked in front of the refrigerator to prevent hot flashes, which means we can cross that off our reality TV bucket list. Leave it to Lamas,
"Baby Borrowers" The show had an interesting premise: Give five young couples a chance to see what having a life together would actually be like by fast-forwarding through their lives, first by giving them a baby to look after, then a toddler, then a preteen, etc. And though the execution of the series wasn't bad, it's hard to fathom a parent agreeing to give their child to a bunch of TV executives for the sake of producing this series. Though safety precautions were taken, what's the upside for the children involved, none of whom seemed to enjoy the experience? Thankfully, no parents will have to ask themselves that again, as the show wasn't renewed after its initial six episodes. baby borrowers,
"Chasing Farrah" It's not that Farrah Fawcett's entry in the genre was so bad, but more so that she wasted an opportunity to find some relevance, particularly as TV Land managed to do just that a few years later, albeit in a scripted format, for stars of a certain age who had also seen their careers go cold. But like so many before her, Fawcett failed to make her "real life" interesting, and the show seemed like little more than a marketing push for the Farrah brand. chasing farrah,
