| Joe Millionaire | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality |
| Directed by |
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| Presented by | Alex McLeod |
| Composer | David Vanacore |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 28 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Fox |
| Release | January 6 (2003-01-06) – November 24, 2003 (2003-11-24) |
| Release | January 6 (2022-01-06) – March 10, 2022 (2022-03-10) |
Joe Millionaire is an Americanreality television series broadcast by theFox Broadcasting Company (Fox). The series premiered on January 6, 2003, and concluded with the finale of its second season on November 24, 2003. Both seasons followed a group of single women in competition for the affection of abachelor. The women were under the belief that the bachelor was amillionaire; however, he was actually aworking classaverage Joe. If the final remaining woman still accepted the bachelor after learning about the ruse, the two split a $1,000,000 reward. The series was hosted by American television presenterAlex McLeod.
The first season ofJoe Millionaire experienced high success in ratings, with its season finale being the highest-rated entertainment program (excludingSuper Bowllead-out programs) aired on network television since 2000. The second season, titledThe Next Joe Millionaire, experienced disappointing ratings throughout its run. In 2005,Joe Millionaire andThe Next Joe Millionaire were among several television programs cited in aclass-action lawsuit filed by theWriters Guild of America concerning labor law violations.[1]
In November 2021, Fox announced a revival entitledJoe Millionaire: For Richer or Poorer, which aired from January 6 to March 10, 2022. The revival featured two bachelors, one a working-class man and the other a secret millionaire.
The women were not aware that the bachelor, Evan Marriott, was in fact a working-classconstruction worker.The Smoking Gun later discovered that Marriott had also been an underwear model.[2] A theme throughout the first season was Marriott's attempt to ascertain which of the twenty contestants were sincere and which ones were simply seeking a wealthy mate. Season 1 was helmed by showrunner and co-executive producer Liz Bronstein, whose vision of the show as a spoof ofThe Bachelor and comedic send-up of reality shows was widely praised.[citation needed]
The show made a minor star out ofPaul Hogan, the manservant whose role developed, in the words of the network, "into the glue that held the show together".[3] Hogan was not actually the host of the program:Alex McLeod was the program's host, although she appeared only briefly on each episode for an estimated total of five minutes during the six-episode season.[4]
Runner-upSarah Kozer received notoriety when the media reported during the course of the show that she had appeared inbondage videos while she was attending law school.[5] A scene from the show implied that Kozer and Marriott engaged in a sex act while out for a walk together. Marriott and Kozer claim no sex acts occurred. In theVH1 programVH1 News Presents: Reality TV Secrets Revealed she alleges that her statement, "let's go somewhere quiet" was in fact spoken while she was receiving a back massage from another female contestant and that the producers dubbed it in during post-editing and added suggestive sound effects and subtitles. The show's editors corroborated this fact later in an interview forRadar magazine.
Zora Andrich was the last woman to be chosen by Marriott, and they split a bonus prize of $1 million. Their relationship did not last.[6]
Joe Millionaire was filmed primarily at theChâteau de la Bourdaisière in the countryside of the commune of Montlouis-sur-Loire in theIndre-et-Loiredépartement in France. Marriott is said to have made upwards of $2.5 million between Fox Networks payout, personal appearances, and commercials. In 2004, he hosted the less popularGame Show Network showFake A Date. Marriott went back to contracting in Orange County, California, and started his own business.[7][8] In hiring a bachelor, Marriott explained that Fox "needed a guy that was in construction but didn't have kids, hadn't been in jail, wasn't on drugs."[9]
The series was highly successful for Fox; the two-hour season finale was seen by at least 34.6 million viewers, which made it one of Fox's highest-rated entertainment programs to date. Fox stated that, excludingSuper Bowl lead-outs, it was the highest-rated entertainment program on television since thefirst season finale ofSurvivor in 2000.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16]
The second season, released in 2003, was set inNorthern andCentral Italy, primarily at the Villa Oliva inTuscany. Marriott was replaced by 24-year-old David Smith fromMidland, Texas, who, viewers were told, had earned only $11,000 the previous year as acowboy on therodeo circuit. Needing to find contestants who were unaware of the first show, the producers went to Europe and cast 14 English-speaking European women from the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Sweden. During casting, the women were told by Fox casting agents that the show they were going to appear on would involve a group of European women interacting with American men on an island somewhere. There was also a new "hostess", a then-unknownSamantha Harris. The butler was, once again, played byPaul Hogan.[citation needed]
However, the second season of the show was much less popular than the first;[17] Fox's head of entertainmentSandy Grushow stated that "our instincts told us from the very beginning thatJoe Millionaire was a one-time stunt and I think we got greedy." He added, "We tried to sneak it by the American public a second time and we got called on it."[18]
The show's climax occurred when one of the contestants, Linda Kazdová, from theCzech Republic, was brought back to the show after eliminating herself and was later selected by Smith as the winner. But this failed to significantly boost the show’s ratings.
Instead of sharing a million dollars, as Andrich and Marriott had in the first show, Smith was awarded a ranch in Texas, while Kazdova received $250,000. As with the first installment, the couple's post-show interaction was short-lived, as Smith and Kazdova were separated by distance shortly after the show aired.[19]
The Next Joe Millionaire drew fewer than 7 million viewers a week, with a season finale attracting only 9 million viewers.[20]
In October 2021,Fox Alternative Entertainment announced that a reboot of the series produced bySallyAnn Salsano,Joe Millionaire: For Richer or Poorer, would premiere on January 6, 2022.For Richer or Poorer features women competing over two bachelors: one of the bachelors is a millionaire, but the women do not know which.[11][21]
This season ofJoe Millionaire has two bachelors: Kurt F. Sowers and Steven McBee. Sowers is a 32-year-old construction manager and CEO fromCharlotte, North Carolina and McBee is a 27-year-old farmer and CEO fromGallatin, Missouri.[22] For this season, the butler and host is Martin Andrew.[23]
There are 18 contestants this season.[24]
| Name | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Outcome | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calah Jackson | 28 | Dallas, Texas | Project Manager | Steven's winner | 1 |
| Amanda Pace | 28 | Newport, California | Fashion Designer and Entrepreneur | Kurt's winner | 1 |
| Annie Jorgensen | 25 | New York City, New York | Digital Creative Strategist | Steven's runner-up | 2 |
| Carolyn Moore | 30 | Orlando, Florida | Skincare Company Owner | Kurt's runner-up | 2 |
| Whitney Young | 25 | Lake Oswego, Oregon | Talent Acquisition Executive | Eliminated (Episode 9) | 5 |
| Amber S. | 28 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Realtor | Eliminated (Episode 9) | 6 |
| Breanna Hagen | 27 | Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota | Graduate Admissions Specialist | Eliminated (Episode 7) | 7 |
| Suzan E. | 28 | San Antonio, Texas | Supplier Management Operations | Eliminated (Episode 6) | 8 |
| Jennie K. | 29 | San Diego, California | Attorney | Eliminated (Episode 5) | 9 |
| Suzette James | 31 | Los Angeles, California | Realtor | Eliminated (Episode 4) | 10–12 |
| Katy Johnson | 33 | Los Angeles, California | Travel Blogger | Eliminated (Episode 4) | 10–12 |
| Andreea M. | 31 | Newport, Rhode Island | Restaurateur | Eliminated (Episode 4) | 10–12 |
| Sara S. | 22 | Houston, Texas | Influencer and Model | Eliminated (Episode 3) | 13 |
| Rachel Vinson | 30 | Los Angeles, California | Attorney | Quit (Episode 3) | 14 |
| Doris Cano | 32 | Bethpage, New York | Dance Company Owner | Eliminated (Episode 2) | 15 |
| Monica Aksamit | 31 | Brooklyn, New York | Olympic fencing medalist | Eliminated (Episode 1) | 16–17 |
| Brookell B. | 30 | Los Angeles, California | Model | Eliminated (Episode 1) | 16–17 |
| Caroline Campbell | 23 | Nashville, Tennessee | Recruiter | Eliminated (Episode 1) | 18 |
A short-lived British version calledJoe Millionaire UK[25] ran onE4 from November 27, 2003, until January 1, 2004, hosted by Rebecca De Young while the bachelor, in general, was Dominic Lijertwood.
| No. | Title | Air date | Timeslot (ET) | Rating/share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Beginning" | January 6, 2003 | Monday 9:00 p.m. | 10.1/22 | 18.61 | [26][27] |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | January 13, 2003 | 9.4/21 | 17.53 | [28][29] | |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | January 20, 2003 | 10.0/22 | 18.82 | [30][31] | |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | January 27, 2003 | 11.0/25 | 20.34 | [32][33] | |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | February 3, 2003 | 10.8/24 | 20.60 | [34][35] | |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | February 10, 2003 | 12.9/28 | 24.06 | [36][37] | |
| 7 | "The Last Episode" | February 17, 2003 | Monday 8:00 p.m. | 14.9/33 | 29.28 | [38][39] |
| 8 | "The Last Episode, Part 2" | February 17, 2003 | Monday 9:00 p.m. | 20.4/40 | 40.03 | [38][39] |
| 9 | "The Aftermath" | February 24, 2003 | 10.2/23 | 19.50 | [40][41] |
| No. | Title | Air date | Timeslot (ET) | Rating/share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Season 2 Premiere" | October 20, 2003 | Monday 8:00 p.m. | 3.2/9 | 6.76 | [42][43] |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | October 27, 2003 | 2.5/7 | 5.92 | [44][45] | |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | October 28, 2003 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.8/8 | 6.50 | [44][45] |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | November 3, 2003 | Monday 8:00 p.m. | 2.6/7 | 5.92 | [46][47] |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | November 10, 2003 | 2.4/6 | 5.41 | [48][49] | |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | November 10, 2003 | Monday 9:00 p.m. | 2.9/7 | 6.40 | [48][49] |
| 7 | "Episode 7" | November 17, 2003 | Monday 8:00 p.m. | 2.2/6 | 4.88 | [50][51] |
| 8 | "Episode 8" | November 17, 2003 | Monday 9:00 p.m. | 3.1/7 | 6.88 | [50][51] |
| 9 | "Episode 9" | November 24, 2003 | Monday 8:00 p.m. | 3.5/9 | 7.60 | [52][53] |
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "2 Joes Are Better Than 1" | January 6, 2022 | 0.4/3 | 1.73 | — | — | — | — | [54] |
| 2 | "Admit It, You're a Gold Digger!" | January 13, 2022 | 0.4/3 | 1.61 | — | — | — | — | [55] |
| 3 | "Movie Night Meltdown" | January 20, 2022 | 0.3/2 | 1.65 | 0.1 | 0.28 | 0.4 | 1.94 | [56][57][a] |
| 4 | "Campfire, Cuddles, S'more Drama" | January 27, 2022 | 0.3/3 | 1.58 | 0.1 | 0.26 | 0.4 | 1.84 | [58][59][a] |
| 5 | "Pool Party Paradise" | February 3, 2022 | 0.3/2 | 1.68 | — | — | — | — | [60] |
| 6 | "Ready, set, JOE!" | February 10, 2022 | 0.3/2 | 1.42 | — | — | — | — | [61] |
| 7 | "Your Daughters are Double Dipping" | February 17, 2022 | 0.3/3 | 1.63 | — | — | — | — | [62] |
| 8 | "Meet the Joes' Families..." | February 24, 2022 | 0.3/2 | 1.44 | 0.1 | 0.33 | 0.4 | 1.77 | [63][64][a] |
| 9 | "You're the Joe for Me" | March 3, 2022 | 0.3/2 | 1.36 | 0.1 | 0.31 | 0.3 | 1.67 | [65][66][a] |
| 10 | "Dates, Decisions, and Dollar Amount Revealed" | March 10, 2022 | 0.4/3 | 1.76 | 0.1 | 0.35 | 0.4 | 2.12 | [67][68] |
