Reality TV Lawsuits

[TexasStooge]

Candid Camera (Pax TV):

X-RAY VISION

Philip Zelnick claims that, when a Candid Camera crew made him climb through a fake airport X-ray machine, he injured his leg and suffered severe emotional distress.
He wants: Unspecified damages

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Culture Shock (CBS):

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)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scare Tactics (Sci-Fi):

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)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liza and David (working title) (VH1):

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)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Big Brother (CBS):

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Temptation Island (Fox):

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Are You Hot? (ABC):

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)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bumfights (video series):

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 (BBC):

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Survivor (CBS):

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)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Band on the Run (VH1):

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Big Brother (CBS):

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here (Fox):

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Osbournes (MTV):

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

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Boot Camp (Fox):

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Survivor (CBS):

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Punk'd (MTV):

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)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Behind the Mirror:

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Chair (Fox):

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

American Idol (Fox):

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jackass (MTV):

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)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

American Idol (Fox):

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jackass (MTV):

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)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Top Model (UPN):

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