Average Joe (show)

Average Joe (show)

Average Joe (show) (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Average Joe was an American reality television show broadcast on the NBC beginning in 2003. There were a total of four seasons, the first two following the original show premise, and the last two bringing back contestants from prior seasons.

Show Premise

Instead of attempting to make a "dream couple" between two extremely attractive people, Average Joe tried to get 16 (in the sequel, 18) ordinary men to win over the heart of a beauty queen. The men were all extremely average in appearance, with many being overweight or underweight and nerdy, or awkward in their behavior and personalities.

Prior to the show's start, the beauty queen was not aware she was to be dating "average" men. She was instead led to believe her show was going to feature only handsome suitors. (The second series, taped before the first one aired, also contained this element, thus avoiding the problem associated with the second season of Joe Millionaire.) Halfway through the show, these handsome suitors actually appear, to compete with the average Joes.

Throughout the show the beauty went on various dates with the men, both in groups and individually (at her choice). When the attractive suitors show up, there were also competitions between the rival groups of men. At the end of every episode the beauty votes to send a certain number (usually four) of the men home. In the end, she must pick only one to go on an intimate vacation with.

Seasons

Average Joe

The first two Average Joe series was intended to be somewhat of a mockery of traditional set-up shows such as The Bachelor and Joe Millionaire. The show was marketed to have an implied moral subtext, namely that beauty was only skin deep, and that personality could ultimately triumph over looks. However the first two seasons ended in a way that seemed to prove the opposite. In Average Joe, Melana Scantlin chose Jason Peoples, one of the attractive suitors, over Adam Mesh, the last remaining average Joe.

Average Joe: Hawaii

The second season, Average Joe: Hawaii, Larissa Meek chose attractive Gil Hyatt over average Joe Brian Worth. A few days later, on a "honeymoon" between Hyatt and Meek, Larissa revealed she had once dated Fabio, which caused Gil to leave her in disgust. Meek now owns a website design and art company registered and situated in Fort Lauderdale, which is Hyatts hometown, leading many viewers to believe that the two continue to be an item.

Average Joe: Adam Returns

The third season, Average Joe: Adam Returns, featured the return of rejected contestant Adam Mesh, this time as the object of the affections of 19 female contestants. The women in this situation were a mixture of fairly attractive and average, with the busload of "babes" arriving later sent home immediately by Adam. In the final episode, Adam chose saleswoman Samantha Trenk over schoolteacher Rachel Goetz.

Average Joe: The Joes Strike Back

The fourth season entitled Average Joe: The Joes Strike Back started airing on June 28, 2005. The name is an obvious reference to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. In this season, one rejected Joe from each week received a complete makeover and the opportunity at another chance with the show's beauty Anna Chudoba. In the end, Anna chose Average Joe Nathan Griffin over model/bartender Rocky Fain, breaking the 'Joes' losing streak. A contestant on Average Joe: Hawaii, Alfred LaPonza 'Fredo', along with two other men, sued NBC claiming the network used ideas of theirs on the show.

Syndication and Other Spinoffs

GSN had acquired the first two series in 2004, but the network no longer airs the show. Episodes can now be seen on the Fox Reality Channel.

A role-reversal version of the show, with a series of ordinary women who were to compete for the love of a very handsome man, to be entitled "Plain Jane", was announced as being in the works, but such a show never materialized.