''Married by America'' is an American

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

series hosted by Los Angeles-based DJ Sean Valentine that aired in the United States on

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

in the spring of 2003. Valentine is also the host of the syndicated IHeartRadio show ''Valentine in the Morning'' on 104.3 MYfm in

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. It was produced by the production company Rocket Science Laboratories (''

Joe Millionaire ''Joe Millionaire'' is an American reality dating show that premiered on Fox in 2003. The first two seasons of the series followed a group of single women, competing for the affection of a bachelor who was falsely billed as being a millionaire ...

'', '' Temptation Island'').

Format

Five single people agreed to be paired up sight unseen with strangers chosen by America. The five newly minted couples met and got engaged on the spot. This was accomplished through family members and phone-in votes by TV viewers. The five couples were Matt and Cortez (a friendly if awkward man and an attractive/uninterested woman who later claimed she was attracted to "the abusers"), Jennifer and Xavier (cold, unfriendly blonde woman and low-key Frenchman model), Stephen and Denise (uncomfortable average guy and low self-esteem woman who liked him much more than he liked her), Jill and Kevin (NHL team hostess and Catholic "daddy's girl" and a former pro baseball player seeking a new career), and Billie Jean and Tony (party girl and general bro). Next, the five couples were sequestered at Copper North Ranch for an engagement period. Relationship Experts (Dr. Jenn Bermann, Dr. Don Elium and Ms. P.) eliminated one couple per week, and the final two couples could decide whether or not they wanted to wed. In the end, neither of the couples ( Jill Nicolini and Kevin, Billie Jean Houle and Tony) opted to get married.

Production

On October 30, 2002, Fox sent out a

press release A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...

for ''Married by America''. The series was based on the concept of an arranged marriage, with Fox president of alternative entertainment

Mike Darnell Michael H. Darnell (born 1962) is an American television executive and former child actor. He is currently the president of unscripted and alternative television at Warner Bros. He spent nearly 19 years at the FOX network as president of alterna ...

stating "It’s different, it’s unusual, and it’s the first time anything like this has been tried in he United States.Ultimately, it’s up to the individuals if they’re going to get married. But hopefully, if it works, they’ll fall in love."

Episodes

Reception

Sheerly Avni of '' Salon'' criticized the series as "an orgy of vanilla heterophilia, a fantasy of a straight, lily-white America that should have gone the way of the original '' Star Trek'' enterprise."

Controversies

A Fox affiliate in

Raleigh-Durham The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont region of North Carolina in the United States, anchored by the cities of Raleigh and Durham and the town of Chapel Hill, home to th ...

, WRAZ aired the premiere episode but then refused to broadcast the remainder of the series claiming that it "demeans and exploits the institution of marriage."

FCC fine

Over a year after the show's cancellation, the

FCC The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdictio ...

fined Fox a record $1.2 million claiming that an episode which featured

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strippers and a woman licking

whipped cream Whipped cream is liquid heavy cream that is whipped by a whisk or mixer until it is light and fluffy and holds its shape, or by the expansion of dissolved gas, forming a firm colloid. It is often sweetened, typically with white sugar, an ...

off a man's nipple during a

bachelor party A bachelor party (in the United States and sometimes in Canada), also known as a stag weekend, stag do or stag party (in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth countries, and Ireland), or a buck's night (in Australia), is a party held/arranged by th ...

violated the FCC's decency laws The ruling underwent great scrutiny when

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ger

Jeff Jarvis Jeff Jarvis (born July 15, 1954) is an American journalist, associate professor, public speaker and former television critic. He advocates the Open Web and argues that there are many social and personal benefits to living a more public life on ...

uncovered that although the FCC originally claimed to have received 159 complaints, it later admitted to only receiving 90, which came from only 23 people. Jarvis studied the complaints and determined that all but two were virtually identical to each other, meaning that the $1.2 million judgment was based on original complaints written by a total of only three people. The fine was reduced to $91,000 in January 2009.Yahoo News
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References

{{reflist 2000s American reality television series 2003 American television series debuts 2003 American television series endings American dating and relationship reality television series Fox Broadcasting Company original programming Television controversies in the United States Television series by Rocket Science Laboratories