Whether the concept for a reality TV show is family-related, competitive, or showcasing a person or group's skill, drama is bound to ensue. Some have questioned whether reality TV is really considered "reality" since many of the moments appear staged. A handful of former reality TV stars have come out against the shows they were formerly on for staging scenes, but it's a concept that will never leave TV screens.
Unfortunately for a few stars, fame and fortune comes at a cost. Lawsuits over big and small issues can erupt, and whether there's merit to the lawsuits or not is beside the point. Shocking lawsuits bring about an even more shocked audience.
Dance Moms was a reality TV series that lasted for eight seasons that portrayed the reality of young competitive dancers and their diehard parents. Abby Lee Miller is the unique owner of the showcased Abby Lee Dance Company and caused a stir for her outbursts towards the kids and their parents.
Due to the severity and drama of each episode of Dance Moms, viewers were craving some behind-the-scenes things to better explain the reality of the show. That came to fruition in 2015 when Miller's co-star, Kelly Hyland, sued her for $5 million for "starting fights," according to Cheat Sheet. The lawsuit was later settled.
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi has had plenty of iconic scenes over the years on Jersey Shore, making her a household name in reality TV. Now that the series is over, Snooki is still a star with multiple businesses of her own. One of those was an online shop called, The Meatball Shop.
With Snooki and her castmate Deena being called "The Meatballs," the two sold merchandise with meatball images and expressions. What the two failed to realize was that The Meatball Shop was already a brand. According to TMZ, the business sued Snooki and Deena for ignoring their cease and desist. Since 2020, there's been no update on the lawsuit but that doesn't take away the fact that the two were sued over meatballs.
The appeal of Dancing With the Stars are the chosen celebrities that dance with professionals for a rating. In 2010, Shannon Doherty and other celebrities a part of that season's roster were sued by a man named Jonathan Lee Riches. According to Page Six, Riches sued the entire cast of Dancing With the Stars that year for "promoting adultery," which is against the Muslim religion.
The suit continued saying that dirty dancing was "forbidden in Islam and we are being forced to watch the defendants enjoy themselves on television while billions of people in the world can not afford a TV set.” However, due to Riches being in prison at the time, he had a history of frivolous lawsuits, which led to the judge shooting down the suit.
Paris Hilton is an actress, socialite, designer, model, and reality TV star. Her reality TV fandom began with Simple Life but more recently she starred in her own series on Netflix, Cooking with Paris.
Aside from her last name, Paris is known for her catchphrase, "That's Hot." Due to how often she used it, "That's Hot" was coined Paris's catchphrase. In 2007, Hallmark used Paris's face and catchphrase as the center of one of their greeting cards. Paris sued Hallmark for $500,000, but the case was settled without its terms being released, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
It's clear that Teresa Giudice has had her fair share of big fights on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, but there was one in particular that launched a lawsuit. Most Bravo fans know that Housewives do not have the ability to contractually sue other Housewives, but that doesn't mean bystanders can't sue the Housewives.
In 2011, two men sued Teresa Giudice and others after she instigated a brawl between them and some of the husbands and family members of the New Jersey Housewives. According to the LA Times, the two men were promised $25,000 each if they did not follow through with the lawsuit—which they agreed to—but the shocking allegations still follow the cast.
MTV's The Hills was the successful spinoff to Laguna Beach. Over time, the reality show gained some unpopular opinions for staging scenarios or faking relationships. That didn't stop the show from being a success, however.
In 2009, there was one person who found the show more realistic than they were anticipating for reality TV. Cameron Huston (castmate Stephanie Pratt's ex-boyfriend) planned on suing the network for being "too real," according to AV Club. Apparently, producers told Huston to send a sketchy text to Spencer about his then-fiance Heidi to stir up drama and that Spencer was "in" on the supposed text. As it turns out, Spencer was unaware of the text, took it seriously, and got physical with Huston. Huston was then in legal talks with MTV for setting him up but as of 2016 nothing came from the lawsuit.
After starting in 2004, Project Runway is currently on season 19. Supermodel Heidi Klum helped create the fashion reality TV show, which shows a group of designers going head to head every week for a chance at fame. The show did incredibly well and inspired multiple spinoffs in various countries.
Shortly after Project Runway aired, Cynthia Rodriguez and Elizabeth Zweibach filed a suit against Klum for stealing the idea from their copyrighted show, American Runway (which was never picked up by a network). According to The Daily Mail, the judge tossed out the case because "There were enough differences between the two concepts." Klum has since said she had never known of American Runway and that the idea was her own.
Tyra Banks's America's Next Top Model had some incredible photoshoots and models come out of the show. Banks also solidified herself as more than a model, but a fashion industry icon. But like all celebrities, life in the fast lane isn't always easy.
Season 14 and 17's contestant, Angelea Preston, shockingly sued Tyra Banks and others because she never received her "grand prize" after winning season 17 along with other missing payments after she was disqualified, according to Entertainment Weekly. She also claimed the show didn't offer sufficient medical treatment for her when she had an anxiety attack on the show. Banks never responded to the suit but The CW felt "Confident that her lawsuit has no merit.” In 2020, The Cheat Sheet showed there was no update of the case as it appears it was thrown out.
Thanks to Lisa Vanderpump, Bravo fans got some great seasons of Vanderpump Rules. Vanderpump Rules is the spinoff of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills that follows former Housewife, Lisa Vanderpump, as she runs her restaurant SUR.
Fans have grown to love the show's cast and now look at Lisa as a major restauranteur in West Hollywood. But it looks like Lisa should separate herself from her show for a little because in March 2021 she was shockingly sued for not paying her employees at Pump properly. The Sun reported, "Ernest Bennick filed a class-action lawsuit against Pump" for failing "to pay overtime wages” for four years. Lisa and her husband denied any wrongdoing and there hasn't been an update since.
In 2018, the Kitchen Nightmares Facebook page posted a video from Gordon Ramsay's time at New Orleans' Oceana Grill vomiting after smelling a bin of shrimp. Nola Eater reported that the clip was from seven years prior and was misleading to future customers of the restaurant as they have since made changes.
The parent company of Oceana Grill filed a lawsuit against Gordon twice; once for trying to stop the airing of the episode back in 2011 and again when the show released clips of the episode on Facebook.
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