Married by America

Did You Know?

• Fox sent out a press release for Married by America on October 30, 2002.
• Fox president of alternative entertainment Mike Darnell said the series was based on the concept of an arranged marriage.
• The series was produced by Rocket Science Laboratories, which also produced Joe Millionaire and Temptation Island.

Format

Five single people agreed to be paired with strangers chosen by America through family members and phone-in votes. The newly minted couples met and became engaged on the spot. The five couples were Matt and Cortez, Jennifer and Xavier, Stephen and Denise, Jill and Kevin, and Billie Jean and Tony. They 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. The final two couples could decide whether to wed; neither opted to marry.

Controversies

WRAZ, a Fox affiliate in the Raleigh-Durham area, refused to broadcast future episodes after the second episode, stating the series "demeans and exploits the institution of marriage." In the penultimate episode, contestants attended Bachelor and Bachelorette parties featuring strippers; some contestants licked whipped cream off a stripper, and one contestant in underwear was spanked by two strippers. All nudity was pixelated. The Parents Television and Media Council criticized the sexual content.

Over a year after cancellation, the FCC fined Fox $1.2 million for violating decency laws. Blogger Jeff Jarvis revealed the FCC originally claimed 159 complaints but later admitted to 90 from 23 people; Jarvis found all but two were virtually identical, meaning only three people wrote original complaints. The fine was reduced to $91,000 in January 2009, and the lawsuit was dismissed on September 21, 2012.