Who's Your Daddy? (2005 TV series)

Format

The premise placed an adult who had been adopted as an infant in a room with eight men, one of whom was their biological father. If the contestant correctly identified their father, they won $100,000. If they chose incorrectly, the man they selected received the money, though the contestant would still be reunited with their father. The first adoption contestant, T. J. Myers, guessed correctly and won the prize.

Reception

Who's Your Daddy? received mixed reviews from television critics. The special sparked a grassroots campaign among adoptive parents and protests from national adoption organizations. The Fox affiliate WRAZ in Raleigh, North Carolina refused to air it, instead broadcasting a documentary about adoptive families. Further controversy arose when Gawker reported that Myers had appeared in a 1995 softcore pornography film.

Paul Farhi of The Washington Post called the special a "new-low-in-reality-television 'special'" and criticized its title. Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times wrote that despite its provocative title, the show was "fairly bland and hokey -- a daytime soap opera shown at night." Louis Bayard of Salon described it as "too panderingly stupid to get seriously upset about" but cautioned against looking to Fox for definitions of family. The special premiered to 6.3 million viewers, finishing fourth in its time slot with a 2.3/6 rating among adults 18-49.

Did You Know?

• Two episodes of Who's Your Mommy? aired on Fox Reality Channel on May 14, 2005 and November 25, 2005.