The early 2000s were a breeding ground for bad reality competition series.

From shows like Kid Nation, CBS's weird Lord of the Flies style social experiment that took 40 kids to live by themselves in a ghost town to the

Swan a horrifying concept where women spent months undergoing a physical

transformation and then were made to compete in the beauty pageant.

On each episode of Wundere's podcast, The Big Flop, comedians join host Meisha Brown to

Chronicle one of the biggest pop culture fails of all time and try to answer the age old question.

Who thought this was a good idea?

Recently the big flop looked at a show that changed the face of reality TV forever.

Based on the fairy tale of the ugly duckling, the premise of the

Swan was a competition between women who were hoping to transform their physical appearance. The problem,

the dream opportunity quickly became a viewing nightmare.

The women weren't just given a new wardrobe and makeup.

They were isolated for weeks, berated, operated on, and then were ranked by a panel of judges.

Unsurprisingly, it all led to trauma for the contestants and terrible reviews.

You're about to hear a preview of the Big Flop,

so while you're listening, follow the Big Flop on the

Wondery app or wherever you get your podcast. Under the bright lights of a full auditorium, broadcast on national television,

three glamorous pageant contestants,

Cindy, Beth, and Rachel, stand in sparkly dresses

before a panel of high-profile judges.

The three contestants have worked really hard to get here.

Except instead of years of training and modeling, these women have taken a different path.

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