Reality shows like Survivor and Big Brother have been downright nasty to their cast of wanna-be actors, but the cruelty found on these shows cannot even compare to that of Nothing But The Truth, Space Cadets and The Swan.
On Nothing But The Truth contestants were questioned while hooked up to a lie detector, then asked to truthfully answer painfully awkward questions like "have you ever fantasized about your girlfriend's best friend?".
So what's the rub? The contestant's family, friends, and partners are sitting there watching the whole thing.
Space Cadets wasn't cruel because it made contestants squirm in their seats, it just ruined the young casts' lives by convincing them they were chosen to become some of the first members of the public to fly into space.
They were convinced they'd been flown to Russia and then launched into space, apparently unaware that there's zero gravity in space.
And, last and certainly least in terms of human decency, is the controversial show The Swan, which was truly the worst makeover show ever made.
The premise is simple- give the female cast a bunch of unnecessary plastic surgery to make them live up to some standard of beauty dreamed up by a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon.