Parents' Guide to

A Wicked Offer

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

People trade ethics for cash on greed-driven game show.

TV CW Reality TV 2015
A Wicked Offer Poster Image

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What's the Story?

A WICKED OFFER is a reality series that shows how far people are willing to stretch their ethical boundaries in order to win a substantial sum of cash. Host Matthew J. O'Connor presents people with offers to win some money. The catch? The offers presented require them to convince people to do things they normally wouldn't do, or do something that will potentially have a negative impact on those closest to them. Once an offer is accepted, contestants will sign a contract and then have 24 hours to complete the task. Throughout it all, the money-based motive behind what folks are doing cannot be revealed. When the challenge is over, O'Connor determines if they've met the parameters of the contract, and if they get the money. But before it's over, they're given the chance to make some more.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This unpleasant, ethically-challenged show is designed to show how far people will go to win some money, even if they know that it will embarrass or hurt other people in the process. Some challenges, which range from a contestant convincing a conservative family member to pose nude to telling parents that they're becoming pot vendors, also seem designed to create maximum negative impact.

Regardless of what you may think about the choices being made here, the show's overall messages are questionable at best. But as the folks featured here try to convince themselves that the ends justify the means, it may get you thinking about how far you would be willing -- or not willing -- to go if promised something you really want or need.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about greed. Why are so many people driven by it? Can greed ever be a good thing? Do you consider the people featured on this show greedy? Or are they motivated by other things to make the choices they make?

  • How far would you go to win some money? Would you risk making someone else uncomfortable or hurting someone you care about to get it, even if those risks were temporary? Would the money be enough of a justification to do it?

TV Details

  • Premiere date: August 5, 2015
  • Network: CW
  • Genre: Reality TV
  • TV rating: TV-14
  • Last updated: February 26, 2022

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