Culture Shock
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HARNESS OF PAIN
California
couple Jill Mouser and Marcus Russell flew to New Mexico to
compete for $75,000 in a stunt that rigged Mouser up in a
"harness of pain," with Russell manning the reins.
The couple claims the excruciating pain Mouser endured was
beyond what they'd signed up for.
Asked for: Unspecified damages (the suit)
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Scare Tactics
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ALIEN ABDUCTION
Kara Blanc thought she was headed to a Hollywood party when
the car she was riding in stalled and aliens appeared and abducted
her companions, actually incognito actors from Scare Tactics.
She ran screaming into the desert, and claims the incident left
her with permanent physical and emotional scars.
Demand: Unspecified (the suit)
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Liza and David
(working title) |
GEST WORK
A few months into production of a reality show about Liza Minelli
and her husband David Gest, VH1 pulled the plug, claiming Gest
was too difficult to work with. The couple fought back.
They wanted: $23 million (the suit)
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Big Brother
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OUT OF THE HOUSE
After Big Brother boarder Justin Sebik brought a knife to housemate
Krista Stegall's throat (for which he was subsequently booted
out), Stegall sued CBS for failing to screen contestants properly
(in spite of having a criminal record herself) and for not paying
for her counseling.
Asked for: Unspecified damages
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Temptation Island
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OFF THE ISLAND
Ytossie
Patterson and Taheed Wilson claim their banishment from the
island for neglecting to tell the show's producer's they had
a child was an unfair ploy for ratings which caused them emotional
distress and strained their relationship.
Wanted: Unspecified damages
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Are You Hot?
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HEAT OVER 'HOT'
Shock jock Howard Stern claimed "Are You Hot?" is a
blatant rip-off of a segment from his radio show, which he was
planning to reinvent for a pay-per-view broadcast until ABC
picked up the idea and ran with it, preventing him from pursuing
his idea.
Sought: $100 million, but settled for undisclosed amount (the suit)
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Bumfights
(video series)
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THEY WANTED A FIGHT
Homeless men Rufus Hannah and Donald Brennan, who were coerced
with liquor into performing drunken acts for "Bumfights,"
sued the producers for profiting from their degradation and
taking advantage of their neediness.
Sought: Unspecified damages |
Castaway
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OUT TO SEA
When "Castaway," the British predecessor of "Survivor," aired boarder Ron Cropsey
wasn't happy with how he saw himself depicted
and sued the show for creating a bad image of him.
Wanted: Unspecified damages
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Survivor
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TIT FOR TAT
After Stacey Stillman was voted off "Survivor", she claimed
the show's producers convinced two castaways she'd made an alliance
to change their votes in order to get rid of her. CBS and Castaway
Productions sued Stillman back for admitting to try to rig the
vote in the first place.
She wanted: Lost prize money and $75,000 expenses (the suit)
They wanted: $5 million (the suit)
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Band on the Run
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DRUNKEN MAKEOUT
Although Diana Lynn Daly signed a consent form for VH1 to use
footage of her making out in a bathroom stall with a band member,
she later claimed the agreement was void because she was drunk
at the time.
Amount: Unspecified
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Big Brother
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BACK TO 1984
Marvin Rosenblum, owner of the movie and television copyrights to George Orwell's novel "1984" claimed no one from Orwell Productions, the company responsible for "Big Brother," ever asked him permission for the not-so-subtle
references to the story in the show or in the production company's
name.
Amount: Unspecified
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I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here
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GET THE SHOW OUT OF HERE
"Survivor" creators at CBS argued Fox's "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me
out of Here" was too similar and sued the show's producer's
for copyright infringement.
Wanted but lost: The show temporarily off the air
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The Osbournes
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FAMILY FEUD
Gary Binkow claims he discussed an idea for a "real-life
docu-sitcom" about Ozzy and family with Miramax more than
once and even registered the treatment with the Writer's Guild,
then never heard of it again until he saw the show on MTV.
Wanted: To be declared show's owner
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Boot Camp |
GIVE IT THE BOOT
CBS sued Fox over "Boot Camp," claiming it shared too many similarities with "Survivor," but later dropped its suit.
Amount: Unspecified
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Survivor |
DIDGERIDON'T
Record label Indigenous Australia sued
"Survivor" producers for using the label's music, including that of David Hudson, known as King of the Didgeridoo, without paying the musicians, and also for allegedly promising
them a record deal and not delivering.
Do want: AU$1 million
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Punk'd
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ROOM SERVICE
While vacationing in Las Vegas, James and Laurie Ann Ryan were shocked to discover a dead body in their hotel
room. Police and EMS workers arrived, followed shortly by show
host Ashton Kutcher, who delivered the punchline, but the family
was not amused.
One fake dead body: $10 million (the suit)
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Behind the Mirror
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MIRROR IMAGE
The producers of Big Brother claimed the Russian show, "Za Steklom"
whose name translates as "Behind the Mirror," was too much like
the trapped-in-a-house-with-cameras hilarity of their own show.
Amount: Unspecified
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The Chair
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LICENSE TO TORTURE
ABC claimed Fox's show, "The Chair," was a rip-off
of its own torture-yourself-for-money reality show, "The
Chamber." Fox countersued with similar claims. The two shows aired three days apart to poor ratings, and both were cancelled.
Amount: Unspecified
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American Idol
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GOLDEN 'IDOL'
Fifty-year-old university professor Drew Cummings claimed "American
Idol" producers discriminated against him because of his age
when they rejected him during an audition.
Asked for, for ageism: Unspecified
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Jackass |
TOILET HUMOR
As a participant in MTV's "Jackass," Wendy Linden says she got
more than she signed up for when "Jackass" sidekick Dave England
rode a toilet bowl into a lectern she was standing behind, knocking
her to the cement ground.
Amount: Unspecified (the suit)
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American Idol |
MY 'IDOL'
Harry Keane claimed he conceptualized the present format
of "American Idol," but that it was picked up without
him and branded as "Pop Idols" in Britain and as "American
Idol" in the U.S.
Wanted, but denied: The show temporarily off the air
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Jackass
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MR. ASS TO YOU
Bob Craft, of Montana, changed his name to Mr. Jack Ass in 1997
for an anti-drunk-driving awareness publicity program. He claims
the MTV show, in which people perform dangerous stunts, has
injured his reputation and defamed the character he created.
Ass-ked for: $10 million (the suit)
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Top Model
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MODEL BEHAVIOR
Santa Barbara documentary production agency McCourry and Robin sued CBS and UPN claiming they lifted the agency's idea for a reality show about the search for a new fashion model. The plaintiffs said they dreamed up a show called "Fashion Obsession," which was turned into "Top Model" starring Tyra Banks.
Beauty mark: $1 million
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