Bridezillas
| Bridezillas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Reality |
| Narrated by | Mindy Burbano Jamie Zimmer |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 10 |
| No. of episodes | 185 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Production company | September Films |
| Original release | |
| Network | WE tv |
| Release | June 1, 2004 – October 11, 2013 |
| Related | |
| Marriage Boot Camp | |
Bridezillas is an American reality television series that airs on WE tv and debuted on June 1, 2004. It chronicles the lives of women engaged to be married, casting their busy schedules in an emphatic and sometimes humorous fashion.
The word "bridezilla" is a portmanteau combining bride with the fictional rampaging beast "Godzilla" to indicate a difficult bride.
Format
A typical episode presents the stories of two brides-to-be, splitting time between both brides. The story begins as the bride and groom are introduced, and they describe how they first met and fell in love. The bride then explains what she has envisioned for her wedding. The remainder of the story shows the events leading up to the wedding, centering primarily on the bride's interactions with members of her family, her groom's family, members of the wedding party and even the wedding's various service providers (wedding planners, caterers, etc.). The interactions are generally negative, exposing the featured bride-to-be as uncontrollable, bullying, emotional and using whatever means necessary to get what she wants. The story ends with the wedding, the reception and a final concluding interview with the now-wedded couple.
Episodes are intended to run in sequence, as a single bride's story is told over two episodes. For example, the start of Bride B's story will be presented in tandem with the conclusion of Bride A's story. On the next sequential episode, Bride B's story concludes while Bride C's story begins.
Production
Bridezillas was created by Catherine Scheinman, an executive at MetroTV, a New York themed cable channel owned by Cablevision. It was co-produced by MetroTV and September Films in 2001 and the first two seasons aired on MetroTV. Fox aired a one-hour Bridezillas special culled from Season 1 in January 2004. In the summer of 2004, the show began airing on WE tv. Since the second season, it has been the highest-rated original program on WE tv.[1]
In the first season, the majority of the subjects were young, white, wealthy residents of New York. In subsequent seasons, the show has included a more diverse range of subjects, including older, African-American, and working class couples; couples from California, Texas, and Wisconsin. While the show is predominantly about female brides, the third season featured the show's first male bride — referred to as "Gayzilla" - Jon Taylor Carter, who was planning a wedding for himself and his partner, Isaac in Massachusetts. (The first US state to legalize same sex marriage.)
While the first season was in production, the show was tentatively titled Manhattan Brides. It was only after taping was finished that the name was changed to Bridezillas and the footage was edited to emphasize the bad behavior of the subjects. One bride, Julia Swinton-Williamson, sued the producers for misleading her about the nature of the project.[2]
In March 2013, WE tv renewed the series for a 22-episode tenth and final season plus a spinoff titled Marriage Boot Camp, which follows five couples who were featured on Bridezillas that have come together under one roof to save their marriage.[3][4]
Episodes of the series will be offered in broadcast syndication beginning September 16, 2013, mainly from the fifth, sixth and seventh seasons.[5]
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Original airing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | ||
| 1 | 8 | June 7, 2004 | July 26, 2004 |
| 2 | 8 | June 1, 2005 | July 20, 2005 |
| 3 | 18 | June 12, 2006 | October 9, 2006 |
| 4 | 18 | June 17, 2007 | October 14, 2007 |
| 5 | 22 | June 1, 2008 | October 26, 2008 |
| 6 | 22 | June 7, 2009 | November 1, 2009 |
| 7 | 23 | June 6, 2010 | November 7, 2010 |
| 8 | 22 | June 12, 2011 | November 6, 2011 |
| 9 | 22 | June 17, 2012 | November 4, 2012 |
| 10 | 22 | May 31, 2013 | October 11, 2013 |
References
- ^ WE GO BRIDAL Block Gains Record Growth, Reaching Over 2.5 Million Total Viewers
- ^ Traister, Rebecca (June 18, 2004). "Bridezilla bites back!". Salon Magazine. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 28, 2013). "WE TV Renews 'Bridezillas' & 'David Tutera', Orders 'Bridezillas' Spinoff Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
- ^ "WE tv Introduces the World Premiere of "Marriage Boot Camp: Bridezillas" Followed by the 10th and Final Season of WE tv's Original Hit Series "Bridezillas"". The Futon Critic. April 17, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
- ^ "Deluxe Syndication page for Bridezillas" (Press release). Rohrs Media Group. Retrieved 4 September 2013.