Joe Millionaire’s big comeback was nearly ruined thanks to a big Snafu and production shutdown
Joe millionaire has made a comeback in the world of reality shows, as Fox has introduced a new format for the series that questions whether its competitors are there for love or money. Joe Millionaire: For the richest or the poorest is a reboot of the early 2000s series that lasted two seasons, but its revival almost immediately derailed, due to a big snafu that halted production on the first night.
The original Joe millionaire introduced a group of women to a man under the pretext that he was worth millions of dollars, only to reveal to the winner that the leader was in fact a worker with a much smaller bank account. The reboot kept the same premise, but avoided the problematic aspect of fooling its competition by introducing two leads – one worth $ 10 million and the other not, leaving the women to pursue either. the other without knowing which one was the millionaire. This is where the snafu happened.
When introducing Kurt Sowers and Steven McBee as the two eligible singles, a woman, Caroline Campbell, recognized McBee, whispering to another contestant that she was following him on Instagram. McBee also recognized Campbell and immediately grabbed Sowers and host / butler Martin Andrew to make them aware of the problem. A producer, meanwhile, pulled Campbell away from other women before she had a chance to share more information.
Although Steven McBee and Caroline Campbell had never met in real life, following him on social media meant that she would be aware that McBee was leading a rich life. With the show’s premise contingent on not knowing which of the leads was the millionaire, Campbell’s presence was a huge problem. It was agreed that McBee should send Campbell home. He told him:
My goal in coming here was to find love in its truest form and meet women who know nothing about me at all. Not a single thing. As unhappy as it is, I can’t do this without you knowing who I am. So I’ll have to send you home. I am really sorry. It’s nothing against you.
Joe Millionaire: For the richest or the poorest seemed to narrowly avert disaster, as Caroline Campbell could unknowingly have ruined the series by sharing the details of Steven McBee’s lifestyle with the other contestants. Even with Campbell’s departure, producers shut down production overnight, not revealing the $ 10 million rebound until the next day.
It’s a little strange that Caroline’s situation got to this point in the first place. You would think that with the whole show depending on the anonymity of its protagonists, the producers would know if any of the contestants were following Kurt Sowers or Steven McBee on social media. But it did make for some fun drama when it premiered, and isn’t that what really matters?
Either way, the show must go on, and Kurt Sowers and Steven McBee have embarked on their journey to hopefully find true love. Joe Millionaire: For the richest or the poorest picks up at 8 p.m. Thursday, January 13 on Fox. Be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what other shows air this month.