23 million Americans watched a woman marry a man she had barely met (Picture: Fox)
In 2000, 50 women took part in a televised beauty pageant to win a marriage on the spot with a millionaire bachelor.
Groom, real estate developer Rick Rockwell, 42, eventually selected emergency room nurse Darva Conger, 34, as his bride after less than two hours on Who Wants To Marry A Multi-Millionaire?.
After barely speaking more than a few words to each other, Rockwell and Conger tied the knot live on air, watched by 23 million people, and were swiftly sent on a lavish Caribbean honeymoon.
But just hours later their marriage was over after troubling revelations came to light, which also exposed the dark, and exploitative, underbelly of reality TV shows.
Rockwell was not entirely the man he had claimed to be. He had concealed crucial events from his past from Conger: he had previously been subject to a restraining order from a former partner and accused of violent and threatening behaviour.
Rockwell and Conger married live on air on Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire (Picture: AP)
Rockwell chose Conger out of a line-up of 50 women (Picture: Fox)
The two-hour special was condemned for being misogynistic (Picture: Fox)
There were cries of outrage when Who Wants To Marry A Multi-Millionaire? – which arguably kickstarted the dating reality phenomenon still going strong today with the likes of Love Island and MAFS- aired on US network Fox.
The misogynistic mess of a premise was condemned by feminist groups and appalled some viewers-yet they appeared to put their morals to one side for one evening as millions tuned in. In fact, it was a ratings smash for the right-wing channel.
But it wasn’t long after the episode’s broadcast that US vine The Smoking Gun revealed Rockwell’s troubling background. Documents showed he had a restraining order filed against him by an ex-girlfriend in 1991. She alleged he hit her and threatened her life.
The truth about Rockwell’s past sparked concern about Fox’s background checks for TV contestants: how did it slip under the net? They responded by immediately launching an investigation into their screening process for contributors.
It was revealed Rockwell had been subject to a restraining order from a former partner (Picture: AP)
Rockwell did not disclose his restraining order to Conger (Picture: Getty/Andrew Shawaf)
Fox later revealed an external law firm found no negligence from the broadcaster nor the production company Next Entertainment.
They ruled they took the necessary precautions as they hired a private investigator to probe into Rockwell’s past. However, they were unable to find evidence of the 1991 restraining order because the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act prevents access to information more than seven years old.
A month after Conger and Rockwell married on the show, Conger filed for annulment, stating that her wedding was a fraud and that her husband had been misrepresented as she was unaware of the restraining order.
She said in legal documents seen by the BBC they never consummated their marriage and ‘barely saw each other’ on their honeymoon. The courts granted the annulment the following month.
Rockwell said their marriage was over after a matter of hours (Picture: Getty/Andrew Shawaf)
Other questions were also raised about Rockwell’s finances, only compounded by the fact he was living in a modest home which had a discarded toilet in the back garden. Certainly not your usual abode for a multi-millionaire.
Fox later clarified that Rockwell had $750,000 (£607,000) in liquid assets and a net worth of slightly more than $2 million (£1.6m).
It also emerged that Rick Rockwell was not his original name: he was born Richard Balkey. Further doubt was cast on his claims of having a stand-up comedy career.
Amid the fallout from Who Wants To Marry A Multi-Millionaire?, Fox cancelled the show, despite it shaping up to be a lucrative franchise. It also axed a repeat of Conger and Rockwell’s episode.
Conger expressed deep regret for her participation on the show (Picture: AP)
But Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire? lives on, even if its producer Mike Fleiss admitted it was ‘irresponsible.’ He dressed up the format to be more ‘relatable and romantic’ (in his words) and is better known today as The Bachelor.
Mike told Huffington Post: ‘I’m all about studying the ratings, and that show was incredible. It set the world on fire. I realise that there was an irresponsible quality to it in that we were marrying off strangers essentially. So, I said, “How can I create a show that has the power of “Multi-Millionaire,” but do it in a more responsible, relatable romantic fashion?’
As for Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?’s one and only former couple? Conger dabbled in a media career including posing for Playboy magazine and featuring on TV show Celebrity Boxing. She re-married in 2003 but divorced in 2009.
Rockwell also capitalised on his TV fame by touring the US on a comedy tour he called The Annulment Tour and appearing on an episode of The Norm Show.
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