In order to win the reward, Coy was required to convince her family and friends that she was engaged to and planned to elope with Steven Williams, an ill-mannered 29-year-old man.

Coy was under the impression that Williams was another contestant competing for a monetary reward, however, he was actually Steven Bailey, an actor hired to thwart her attempt to win the competition.

In 2005, My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance was one of several television programs cited in a class-action lawsuit filed by the Writers Guild of America concerning labor law violations.

In the first episode, things get complicated as the fake fiance is revealed to be the very annoying and unattractive man who fits the show's title.

[9] Coy's employer, Pope John XXIII Catholic School Community, claimed the series went against its mission statement.

In the second season, Christopher, a heterosexual, had to convince his family that he turned homosexual and wanted to marry his newly found boyfriend in Spain.

My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance inspired the NBC reality television series $25 Million Dollar Hoax.

[13] On August 23, 2005, My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance was one of several television programs cited in a class-action lawsuit filed by the Writers Guild of America.