Look away, Meghan! Prince Harry's reality TV doppelgänger is back in the spotlight.
In an unexpected turn of events, the people of 2021 are now getting into 2014's widely-panned dating competition show, 'I Wanna Marry "Harry."'
Ever see it? It was 'Joe Millionaire' meets 'The Bachelor' meets 'The Crown' (in all the worst possible ways) featuring a Prince Harry lookalike who fools 12 American girls into competing for his fake-royal affections.
In the end he's meant to reveal his true identity, testing whether the winner really loves him for what's inside - a 23 year old construction worker named Matt Hicks - or if they were just after his (again, fake) crown. How was this even legal??
People Think It Would Never Get Made Today
The show's recent resurgence online might be thanks to this YouTuber posting his analysis of it last month, or maybe because after a year of staying at home, everyone's already binge-watched their way through Netflix. Why rewatch Bridgerton when you can gawk at real ladies who actually believe they're courting a prince?
One thing its viewers all agree on is that the 'I Wanna Marry "Harry"' premise is peak reality TV- and definitely not something that could happen again.
"I refused to believe that it was actually a real TV show so I googled it...I have no words left," writes Twitter user @ronkelawal. "I want to scrub it from my memory. Is "I Wanna Marry Harry" the worst reality show concept of all time?"
Popular Tweets are showing just how far the show went to mislead the contestants, including having someone pose as a therapist to tell the women they were mentally unstable if they didn't believe the Harry knockoff was the real deal.
Even Tweets from THE ACTUAL "HARRY" from back in the day show he didn't think it would last.
Fans Want A Full Exposé Of How It Happened
From the little available about the show's run, it's very clear that it was bonkers from the very beginning. Former contestants have told Refinery29 that they were "completely brainwashed" by the producers.
"You're secluded from your friends and family, you have no access to any sort of media outlet, and you are in this castle [being told that] if you're questioning if this is Prince Harry or not, you're crazy."
Add a manipulative butler named "Kingsley," photos that edited Matt's face into real shots of the royal family, and FOX pulling the show from the air before it even finished the season, and you've got a recipe for one amazing documentary subject.
If/until that happens, we can share one more BTS fact that is certain. Before getting cast, THE FAKE HARRY WASN'T EVEN A REDHEAD! What a time to be alive.