The 5th Wheel

Did You Know?

• An uncensored version of the series without pixelated nudity or profanity was made available via pay-per-view and video on demand under the Too Much for TV branding of American PPV provider In Demand.
• The show's closing slogan was originally, '...where strangers become friends, friends become lovers, and lovers become bitter, suicidal exes all on the same show.'
• Reruns aired on Fox Reality but were later removed from its lineup.

Synopsis

Each episode began with two men and two women going on two opposite-sex dates, after which they switched partners. Occasionally, contestants abandoned their original dates to pair up with someone of the same sex. A fifth contestant, either a man or a woman, then joined the group, typically as a more outgoing or sensual counterpart to the initial four. After a series of dates involving all participants, each contestant wrote down the name of the person they wished to date again. The selections were revealed at the end, with the ideal outcome being two couples matching and one person left out. In one episode, a man and a woman chose each other while the other man and two women (including the fifth wheel) all selected one another; during that episode, the three engaged in undressing in a private room, though this was edited out of the broadcast. Contestants could also choose nobody, though this was rarely used and never applied to undesirable women, only to unwanted groups of men. Cameras followed the contestants constantly, and producers added commentary via subtitles, animations, and thought bubbles in a style similar to Pop-Up Video.

Production notes

The series was produced by Renegade Productions, a subdivision of Bobwell Productions/Gold Coast Entertainment, the same company behind Blind Date, which often aired before The 5th Wheel. The 5th Wheel was more provocative and sexual than its sister series, featuring crazier subtitles and superimposed animated jokes that altered the appearance of scenes. The credits listed veteran comedy writers Rob Dames, Vance DeGeneres, Martin Olson, and Archie Gips.