People Shocked By 'Race-Swap' Series And Call It 'Worst Reality Show Ever'

Social media users are struggling to comprehend the existence of a reality TV show that saw participants 'swap' races.

Titled Black. White., the series was produced by Ice Cube and aired on FX for a short time in 2006. I'm sure you won't be surprised to learn it was very short-lived.

The old series was thrust into the spotlight recently after a social media user stumbled across it and shared a clip from the show on Twitter, writing: "Accidentally came across the worst reality show to ever be conceived."

Prepare to be baffled by the advert for the series below:

In a similar vein to the more successful series Wife Swap, the series featured two families who set out to experience life in each other's shoes. Rather than swapping houses and husbands, though, Black. White. saw the families living under the same roof while 'swapping' races.

In the clip shared online, the Sparks, a Black family, were made over to look white, while a white family, the Wurgels, received Black makeup and wigs in an attempt to live a life similar to that of their fellow participants.

In an article written about the series at the time, The Guardian described how Ms Wurgel's boyfriend, Bruno Marcotulli, repeatedly used the N-word and claimed he 'looked forward' to having someone use the term towards him.

After wearing Black make-up for a few days, the boyfriend is said to have told Mr Sparks, who was Black, that his problems with race were in his mind, telling him: "I'm trying to enlighten you to the fact that you've got to approach life in a certain way and not expect you're being mistreated because you're Black."

The series has been slammed after it resurfaced online this weekend, with one person saying they need 'everyone involved' in the show to be 'held responsible'.

Another commented: "I should have just scrolled past this. I don’t wanna live in a world where this is real."

Other social media users have drawn attention to the fact the show actually won an Emmy in 2006 for 'Outstanding Makeup for a Series (Non-Prosthetic)'. Sharing a screenshot of the award, one person wrote: "Apparently, if you do blackface well enough, you can win an Emmy…"

The Guardian reports the producers of the series made efforts at the time to ensure viewers would not find the show offensive, including putting on a special screening for the NAACP. Oprah Winfrey is also said to have been a fan of the show and invited the participants of the series on to her show to share their experiences.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact Stop Hate UK by visiting their website www.stophateuk.org.

Topics: Viral, Twitter, Film and TV, Entertainment, US News

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.