The Littlest Groom
GenreReality television
Directed byScott Messick
Presented byDani Behr
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
  • Eric Schotz
  • Bill Paolantonio
Running time60 minutes
Production companyLMNO Entertainment
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseFebruary 16 (2004-02-16) –
February 23, 2004 (2004-02-23)

The Littlest Groom is an American reality television special broadcast by the Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox). The two-part special premiered on February 16, 2004, and concluded on February 23, 2004. The special followed Glen Foster, a 23-year-old little person, in search of love among a group of 12 women. Similar to Foster, the women were all little people; Foster narrowed the women down through a series of one-on-one dates and group activities. After eliminating several of the women from the competition, Foster's dating pool was expanded to include several average-height women. At the end of the special, Foster was required to make a choice over who he felt most compatible with between the remaining two women in the competition. The special was hosted by English television presenter Dani Behr.

The Littlest Groom was a part of Fox's intent to capitalize on a rising interest in little people-themed reality television shows. The special, however, was met with negative reception from television critics, who generally deemed the special to be exploitative of little people. Conversely, advocacy groups, such as Little People of America, praised the special for promoting a positive portrayal of little people. The Littlest Groom averaged 9.9 million viewers for the two parts of the special, which was modest for the network. Since its conclusion, Fox has expressed interest in making a sequel to the special.

Production

American television presenter Mark L. Walberg was initially asked to serve as the special's host. Walberg explained, "I think [the network is] going to make fun of little people, and while I’ll secretly watch, I don’t feel comfortable hosting it."[1]

Reception

The show was subjected to considerable negative criticism from media critics and the general public,[2][3] due to its purportedly exploitative “latter-day freak show” dimension[4] or “carnival-like” quality.[5] Nonetheless, at least one of the little women who appeared on the show explicitly rejected this interpretation,[6] as did Foster himself.[7][8]

Similarly, Matt Roloff, then-president of the advocacy group Little People of America, commented on the potential for The Littlest Groom to provide a positive media representation of little people as individuals “just being themselves". “[H]iding us behind closed doors or in funny costumes”, he observed, “will never give us the exposure needed to desensitize society to us”.[9][10][11][12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The real reality". Entertainment Weekly. August 1, 2008. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  2. ↑ "The Littlest Groom". Ruthless Reviews. March 7, 2006. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  3. ↑ "The Littlest Groom". The Most Obnoxious Reality TV Offenders. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  4. ↑ Robert McRuer. Crip Theory: Cultural Signs of Queerness and Disability (New York University Press, 2006), p. 58. Note that, after outlining this conventional interpretation, McRuer foregrounds the ways in which we can “read the show against the grain” (60) to identify signs of resistance to it; see Crip Theory, pp. 58-63.
  5. ↑ Michelle Brophy-Baermann. “True Love on TV: A Gendered Analysis of Reality-Romance Television”. Poroi, 4.2 (2005): art. 2, para. 3
  6. ↑ "SPU Student Brings Her Interest in People to the Set of TV's "The Littlest Groom"". Response (Seattle Pacific University) 26.6 (2004). Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  7. ↑ "New reality show 'Littlest Groom' raises concerns about exploitation". Boston.com. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  8. ↑ "Fox escorts 'Littlest Groom' down the reality-TV aisle. Bachelor says he didn't feel exploited". Today. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  9. ↑ "Dwarf-date show sparks controversy—Some criticize, but show has support from little-people group". CNN. Retrieved 2013-05-05. For an excellent overview of the historical backdrop to this controversy, see: Betty M. Adelson Adelson, Betty (2005). "Dwarfs: The Changing Lives of Archetypal 'Curiosities'—and Echoes of the Past". Disability Studies Quarterly. Disability Studies Quarterly, 25.3 (2005). 25 (3). doi:10.18061/dsq.v25i3.576.
  10. ↑ "The Littlest Groom". Reality TV World.com. 2007-01-21. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  11. ↑ "FOX to air 'The Littlest Groom' reality miniseries on February 16 & 23". Reality TV World. 2004-01-28. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  12. ↑ "The Littlest Groom—Top 10 Skanky Reality Shows". TIME. 2009-06-02. Archived from the original on June 11, 2009. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
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