Monkey On Your Back
One of the most-cited WTF pitches by insiders who deal with unscripted TV, this has become the stuff of legend. And like most legends, the details are a bit different depending on who’s doing the retelling. What everyone seems to agree on is that — as the title implies — it involved an actual monkey attaching itself to a contestant. According to some who’ve heard of the pitch, the show would revolve around an Amazing Race–style competition in which players would schlep cross-country with a simian pal (very BJ and the Bear). Others insist the format was about addiction, with a monkey meant to take the place of a player’s particular vice.