I remember on one flight all the EXIT seats were taken by members of a professional basketball team (notoriously tall). Some others were in the bulkhead row. All of them looked as comfortable as those of us crammed into the regular seats.

I'm on the west coast of America and haven't flown anything but Alaska Airlines in recent years. They don't charge for seat assignment. I had no idea that any did. In fact, when one gets a boarding pass from a machine one is given the chance to change seat selection.