well-loved Captain Sig Hansen is walking off the show with the Hillstrand brothers. What can Discovery do except sue the pants off these men off the street (not actors with agents, lawyers, managers, SAG benefits and other protections), just like they did to Jon? When one reality show star is having a dispute with the network holding him captive, maybe you don't raise an eyebrow. But when three more stars are now having massive, million-dollar problems with the same network? Ya think Discovery might bear some responsibility?
Earlier this month we posted about the news that the Deadliest Catch Hillstrand brothers were being sued by Discovery for a whopping $3 million. The dispute is allegedly over the brothers failing to complete a spin-off series, but few details have emerged since then.
What is clear is that Discovery cares about one thing--money. Anyone who stands in their way is hauled into court. Be careful what you wish for--perhaps if Discovery bullies their employees enough, no one will want to sign their lives away to them anymore.
http://www.seattlepi.com/tv/427538_catch28.html
42 sediments (sic) from readers:
OMG! This is shocking. I love the Hansens! Deadliest Catch will not be the same, no doubt about it.
Way to ruin everything with your greed and bullying, Discovery channel.
I wonder what Discovery would do if all its reality stars staged a walk out. Certainly the kids are the biggest victims in this, but adults can be bullied, lied to, taken advantage of, and blackmailed too. It's never right for a giant corporation to bully no matter how in the right they think they are. Just like you teach your fifth grade boy it's never okay to beat up on other kids, but it sure is not okay to beat up on a kindergartener. I'm not by any means suggesting their intelligence level is lower, just that it's a case of someone in a much greater position of power picking on someone who is not.
Bet Discovery's lawyers are busy this week between this and dealing with Jon. Hi Matt!
Sounds to me Captain Sig Hansen quit just in time -- the boats were leaving for this year's king crab season this week.
Stay strong guys. David can fight and win against Goliath.
Admin said...
Bet Discovery's lawyers are busy this week between this and dealing with Jon. Hi Matt!
Do tell, Admin - Matt who?
Hansen, Hillstrands appear to be off 'Deadliest Catch'
"Hansen, the captain of the F/V Northwestern and a popular star on the cable show, said he and the Discovery Channel have not reached an agreement for the upcoming season. He added he plans to go fishing on Oct. 15 with or without a camera crew from the cable channel.
Hansen added Capts. Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand, who also appear on the show, have not reached an agreement for the next season either. The three have banded together in action, he said."
http://www.seattlepi.com/tv/427538_catch28.html
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Story developing, but more info is reaching the internet.
Re-posting my original comment from first Deadliest Catch thread:
Something is fishy here, and I'm wondering if the "Deadliest Catch" captains wised up and realized they're worth more than Discovery had paid them previously (which was said to be just fuel and food expenses).
This might be Discovery's pre-emptive strike to prevent all the captains from renegotiating on their current contract or trying to pull the same stunt and walk away from season 7 production a la Friends negotiation tactics. (Or, some just had it and don't want the cameras anymore.)
If this is about negotiating for more money (not just the spin-off litigation), I totally understand where the captains are coming from.
Originally, it has been said that the captains were compensated for their appearances on the show through food and fuel expenses.
This is one of Discovery's top, highly-rated series, consistently outperforming with higher average ratings than any of Kate Gosselin's shows. If I were one of the captains, I would be OUTRAGED to know that Discovery is willing to dish out $250,000 on some fake, lazy-working so-called "mom" who gets to travel around the country, while I work hard like any good blue-collar worker, risking my life every season to catch crab AND deliver a high-quality "realist" reality tv program.
The captains deserve a raise in salary (equal if not greater than Kate Gosselin). It doesn't matter that they are already paid from crabbing alone, without these men and their real-life stories, "Deadliest Catch" wouldn't be the show it is today.
Sig Hansen and the Hillstrand brothers may not be on board the next season of "Deadliest Catch."
Hansen, the captain of the F/V Northwestern and a popular star on the cable show, said he and the Discovery Channel have not reached an agreement for the upcoming season. He added he plans to go fishing on Oct. 15 with or without a camera crew from the cable channel.
Hansen added Capts. Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand, who also appear on the show, have not reached an agreement for the next season either. The three have banded together in action, he said.
Discovery sued the Hillstrands recently for $3 million in damages over a spinoff series, "Hillstranded." The network maintains the brothers abandoned production on the series. Hansen stated his support for the Hillstrands shortly thereafter.
"We have been through a lot over the past year and unfortunately given the current situation with Discovery we are unable to continue participating in 'Deadliest Catch,'" the three crab fishermen said in a joint written statement first obtained by the Hollywood Reporter. "It has been a fantastic ride, and we wish the best to all of the amazing and supportive 'Catch' fans we have met over the years."
The Ballard-born Hansen and his family members have been braving the dangerous Bering Sea and crab fishing for decades.
Thanks to the hit cable show, Hansen has been riding a growing wave of popularity for the past six years during which he marketed a variety of merchandise and penned a memoir titled "North by Northwestern: A Seafaring Family on Deadly Alaskan Waters. "
http://www.seattlepi.com/tv/427538_catch28.html
Matt is a Discovery lawyer I've had a few "chats" with. Greenhorn passed the Bar even after I did, ha. Sorry I can't say more, but the blog is still running strong is it not? That's your answer.
The problem with Jon and now the problem with the DC captains is really exposing how underdeveloped entertainment law is when it comes to reality show stars.
Most of them are indeed people off the street. It is not a reflection of their intelligence that they do not have the same protections as actors--lawyers, managers, entourage, agents, SAG. That's the POINT of reality they are supposed to be just real people, not actors with all the baggage. And yet when things go south, this exposes the sheer lack of protections they have.
When Tom Cruise has a dispute about his pay or anything else on set, he has a team of lawyers to handle it for him and go up against the big guy and be just fine. But reality show contestents not only are quite outmatched by this kind of thing, they don't have this same team, not to mention the show is in theory their life, and a lot more is at stake when they walk off set. It's not just another movie they can kiss goodbye, it's their life.
And to hear these people were not paid is disgusting. Discovery is cha-chinging all the way to the bank and doing these shows for as cheap as they possibly can and filming as much as they possibly can. I want to know what their profit margin is....for every 100 dollars made what do they keep, $99.99? In any other scenerio there would be outrage. You need to pay people fairly, whether they are doctors, lawyers, teachers, fishermen, or reality stars. When executives make millions while no one else gets a raise, everyone cries foul. So why is Discovery allowed to make hundreds of millions of dollars while these people actually rowing the ship get screwed?
It would be interesting if part of the dispute is about how other reality stars get paid more, such as Kate. Maybe the boys are realizing what they really deserve.
From tvbythenumbers.com, 9/28/2010:
Discovery Communications Marks Ratings Highs and Milestones in 3Q10
(New York, N.Y.) Led by numerous successes in 3Q10, Discovery Communications (DCI) portfolio of networks are up +12% in P25-54 primetime delivery vs.3Q09, while non-DCI cable and broadcast are down -2% and -1%, respectively.*
Individual network claims are referenced below.
All Primetime Data based on 3Q10 vs. 3Q09 and Among All Ad-Supported Cable Unless Otherwise Noted
DISCOVERY CHANNEL
* Best 3Q ever in M25-54 (426k).
* Most watched Shark Week in history among P2+, P/W18-49, averaging 2.1M P2+, a 10% increase vs. the prior highest rated Shark Week in 2008.
* #4 network in M18-49, and top ten in M25-54 (#5), P25-54 (#7), P18-49 (#7) and M18-34 (#8).
* Top 3 non-sports programs in all of cable in 3Q in P/M25-54 and P18-49: premieres of Deadliest Catch (#1), Deadliest Catch: Captain Phil Tribute (#2) and After the Catch (#3).
* Fueled by new series Dual Survival, Man, Woman, Wild and Beyond Survival with Les Stroud, the network posted delivery gains in all key demos, including P2+, +9% (1256k v 1157k); P25-54, +9% (685k v 629k); P18-34, +13% (319k v 282k); M25-54, +6% (426k v 402k) and M18-34, +7% (194k v 181k).
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If Discovery is low-balling them in contract negotiations, this is a slap in the face to all the captains and crew.
Without these men, Discovery wouldn't have these ratings high and milestones.
It's sickening to see a company, bow to someone's every whim and fully support/stand by her i.e. Kate Gosselin, yet not do the same to these men who've helped propel Discovery to the top recently.
If Kate was really paid $250,000/episode x 9, then she got $2.25 million dollars for her dismal Kate Plus 8 series.
What about the production company? When they are negotiating with Discovery, do they get salary raises for creating an Emmy-nominated show? If so, then how is it fair that the captains/crew do not get raises as well.
If they are really paid only through food and fuel expenses, then the captains and a five-men crew really get nothing from doing this show. For Discovery, it's just a drop in the bucket compared to their profit margin.
And payment in fuel and food or whatever is PAYMENT and INCOME.
Therefore, every damn dime is taxable. So they end up actually having to shell money out to Uncle Sam at the end of each tax season.
Any other company, when the company is doing amazing everyone benefits, trickle down economics. Everyone from sales to lawyers to janitors at the company gets a raise. When Discovery took off and did amazing, they just seemed to look for more and more ways to screw their scars.
Seriously they are making MILLIONS....would it kill them to throw a few million at their top stars? It's NOTHING to a huge company like this. Greedy, greedy bastards.
What the hell is going on at the Discovery Channel?
Deadliest Catch has been a gold mine for them and now they are trying to screw the talent. Wow, that's good thinking. Idiots.
These fishermen are NOT like Jon Gosselin. These guys have earning power and businesses to fall back on so Discovery doesn't have much leverage there.
I'm glad Sig is taking a stand and supporting the Hillstrands. The Hansens and the F/V Northwestern are the heart and soul of Deadliest Catch. You can't replace them. Same goes for the Hillstrands. They are the bad asses of the Bering Sea.
First it was the F/V Maverick. Then the F/V Rollo. Then captain Phil passes away. Now the Hillstrands and Hansens are going to jump ship. I think Deadliest Catch has jumped the shark.
Sounds to me, and this is only my opinion, like Discovery is trying to "strongarm" and "bully," not only its stars, but also our Administrator for getting a bit too close to the truth. When I began my career as a Legal Assistant, I worked for a pipsqueak bully of an attorney with a Napoleon complex who told me he didn't want me playing bridge over the weekend with my friends or in the evenings because he felt it interfered with my work. There are some areas in a person's private life that those in positions of authority just have no business or right to encroach upon, despite their bravado bullying tactics.
Discovery is getting what they deserve. They created a Frankenstein monster- and now, the monster is biting them in the butt.
Captain Sig Hansen, you are a man of integrity,
and I applaud you.
Discovery needs to grow a heart!
As for my house, we are Discovery free, and will continue to be, until they go back to their original format.
STOP EXPLOITING PEOPLE- ESPECIALLY CHILDREN!!!!
I want to start by saying that I LOVE Deadliest Catch and have watched it since the beginning. I understand what everyone is saying but the fuel and food expenses for those ships is huge! They've discussed the cost of the fuel and the food many time on the show...I don't remember the exact figures but it was up there. Multiply that times the number of ships and it ads up. What I want to know is how are the other participants compensated? All of the men who are at the rail risking their lives as well (I know it's their job whether the cameras roll or not but it's more dangerous with the camera crew there getting in the way). I'm not saying that the captains shouldn't be compensated more, or that I agree with Discovery...
This is bad news. There really isn't any point in watching the show if the Hansen's and Hillstrands aren't on it (the Harris family is still worth watching though). I really cannot stand Keith Colburn and his crew. They're mean spirited.
Well, my father used to always live by the adage that nothing lasts forever and change is inevitable. So is the case for DC.
I wonder who will be the next to walk away from Discovery, Mike Rowe and Dirty Jobs? Bear Grylls? The Myth Buster guys?
Signing in to follow by email. Thanks for a great blog!
Honestly, I do not blame these men for quitting - they all hated having the cameras in their face. Then to see their friend of decades being milked as a ratings ploy - I applaud them for walking away.
It sickened my stomach to know they did that to the Captain and his family... just horrendously invasive and heartless.
Plus, if all the captains did only receive fuel/food that was a pittance to what TLC raked in with ratings, advertising and DVD sales.
Knowing that the captains then had to repay in taxes for that stuff...? What a ripoff.
I do hope the captains and crew have great and safe crabbing season...preferably one without cameras in their faces.
WOW. All the guys I know love this show and really respect these men. Way to piss off a lot of people, Discovery.
LisaNH...Dirty Jobs cannot go anywhere. I LOVE that show, & it's the only one I watch that the Discovery Channel produces or whatever. Mike Rowe is fantastic. Hopefully, DC doesn't screw him over either.
cherier1 said... WOW. All the guys I know love this show and really respect these men. Way to piss off a lot of people, Discovery.
_____________________________________
YES!!! What Cherier1 said! (Okay, this is probably not the best thread to post this on, but I just got home and while I was having coffee at a book shop, I looked at "Life & Style," and there is a really damning article in there about Kate and Steve, and I have to tell you guys that you HAVE to see the way Steve is looking at her in the big pic...leaves no room for doubt at all! Also, and this is hilarious, they photoshopped a pic of Kate in Mexico walking toward the camera in her bikini, and you can see the OBVIOUS photoshopping...black lines drawn all around her legs (which are a totally different color from the rest of her body) and black lines around her arms. If you are gonna photoshop, at least do it right. It's hysterical.)
The hubris of this company/corporation/network blows my mind.
I loved watching "D.C." and the truckers on hauling on ice, logging shows on Discovery. But, I'm going back to network TV, probably CBS drama where the actors are paid along with the crew. Discovery/TLC = Exploitation of Human Beings, if they can rip the little guy off for $$$ and get away with it, the happier the suits at D/TLC are.
Good Luck Captains! Thank you for sharing your lives, but you all deserve more pay for having the cameras in your faces. I pay enough to my dish provider that you shouldn't have a raise like Kate G. RIP Cap't Phil.
(God forgive me but the day Discovery building was attacked by that man and the head honcho stepped up and spoke in his sweaty shirt--all I could think was---"you ought to sweat you money grubbing, people exploiting pig!" I knew then it was time to stop watching anything provided by Discovery and reality in general.)
With this and other horrible things that are happening to these so called Reality Stars, I can almost guarantee you there will be changes in rules and laws before these people sign up. They should have managers and lawyers that can protect them from networks doing this from now on. Disc/TLC stepped on Jons' toes and shoved him out of the way and they will continue to do so to whoever signs up unless they are very careful to read and understand these contracts that these networks make these people sign. I think these people are so eager to sign cause of the money and they don't need to work outside the house 60hours a week just to get by.
Without Captain's Harris, Hansen and the Hillstrand brothers - there is no Deadliest Catch.
Sure, Discovery can air a show without them, but I certainly won't watch. The show became so popular because of the captains and their crews. Viewers tuned in to see their personal stories play out and became attached to them.
Good job Discovery. Your greed is finally reaping it's just reward - the captains are quitting and your loyal viewers are seeing you for what you really are!
Administrator said...
Matt is a Discovery lawyer I've had a few "chats" with. Greenhorn passed the Bar even after I did, ha. Sorry I can't say more, but the blog is still running strong is it not? That's your answer.
Thanks Admin and please convey this reader's thanks to Matt for the "chats" he had with you.
This is a different subject but Utah is launching an investigation into the Multiple Wives thing. They including TLC may end up in big trouble. Why did not know any better?
Also a different subject but same deal - remember when Deadliest Catch had this rookie guy come on board and he wouldn't work and the guys had to work short handed. The same guy robbed a bank and got caught soon thereafter. Do you think that was for drama maybe by TLC/Discovery?
So many people sign up on Discovery to do reality shows. Why only a small handful do not want to fulfill their contracts?? I'm not saying Discovery is right or wrong, but if they were totally wrong I would think more of their stars would try to get out of the contracts. Everybody knows to go to a lawyer when you have to sign ANYTHING. I do not feel sorry for these guys, Jon included. Somehow others manage to live up to their side of the bargin. Why can't these captains and Jon?
Heather
Heather, I don't think it's any coincidence the people with disputes with Discovery are from two of their biggest shows--Jon and Kate and Deadlist Catch. Sure you're fine if you signed a contract with Discovery and you only went a few years then moved on, but these shows have all been going on more than FIVE YEARS and eventually it looks like the stars finally realized they are getting screwed. How could they possibly foresee that five years ago their shows would be this huge??? Jon and Kate signed up for ONE SPECIAL thinking that's all it was a documentary. Then it ballooned into this mess. Dumb as they are, I don't know how they could have expected that.
Not everyone knows to get a lawyer when you sign a contract nor do you always NEED a lawyer. Have you ever signed a lease? Have you ever signed with an employer to be their employee? Ever done something like sky-diving where you sign a waiver? Have a cell phone? Guess what, you signed a contract for that too, and a very restrive one typically. We sign contracts all the time without thinking we need a lawyer. Usually it's fine, but when it goes south you can be very screwed. It would be sad if we have become such a litigious society that we have to run to a lawyer every time we sign anything because we cannot trust anyone to be fair. These people were giving Discovery the benefit of the doubt and expecting them to be fair--what is wrong with expecting the good in people? Little did they know Discovery would rape them. For all we know Discovery isn't interested in signing on with anyone who wants to get a lawyer, they'll pass them on by because it's not worth the hassle. They are seeking out vulnerable, unsophisticated to the TV business people (not DUMB people, do not twist my words please) who are in a position where they are desperate for money and will sign anything. It's wrong.
It occured to be today that this situation with reality stars has many parallels to illegal immigrants and those who hire them.
People in a position of money in power, especially in places like Texas, Arizona, and California, hire people under the table, illegally, for reduced wages, taking advantage of desperate people who often don't know any better or don't care since $10 in Mexico goes so much further than it does here. It's a case of the big and rich taking advantage of the poor and unsophisticated.
I agree with the poster who is going back to network TV.
I tried to watch the Latino family and I will be damned if she didn't leave all those kids crying to go get a mani pedi. I was like oh no you didn't just do that. And then she had to have some time for herself and went out with the girls leaving 6 crying babies at home. Which that is all well and good but in reality, would she do that if the cameras weren't there -doubtful.
All I really wanted was to watch her very carefully as she cooked up another one of those fabulous Mexican one pan dinners with the broiled lemon slices around it (like a little mini cooking show) and watch the kids enjoy it.
But no, mani-pedis - flashback - visions of horror, the kids - the kids.
TLC is nothing if not predictable.
Reality TV started out real but got lost along the way.
These people were giving Discovery the benefit of the doubt and expecting them to be fair--what is wrong with expecting the good in people?
------------------
EXPECT them to be fair? Who would do that? Nobody can be that naive. We're not talking about signing a contract for a cell phone or cable television. This is Discovery, and given their history and the powerful entity that it is, there is absolutely no reason that anyone with any smarts whatsoever would enter into any kind of a transaction with them.
I don't care if years ago they were only a blip on the television screen. If presented with a contract from them, you get an attorney. No ifs, ands, of buts.
EXPECT them to be fair? Who would do that? Nobody can be that naive.
&&&&
Well, the facts are people were naive. Jon and Kate for one. It has been confirmed many times they did NOT have a lawyer when they signed their first contract. TLC five years ago was just a tiny little cable network that aired birth videos all day. What's naive is expecting everyone to view the world in a way such that everyone should know to get a lawyer. People have different perspectives on things, some people are more optimistic than others, some people think they can handle things without an attorney, some people think they're not signing anything that will last more than a year or two so who cares, it does not make them stupid or naive.
We have no idea what was said in the original negotiations, for all we know Discovery assured them a lawyer has already been over the contract and they have nothing to worry about, for all we know Discovery said if you get a lawyer you can kiss us goodbye, for all we know Discovery misrepresented the contract. Jon and Kate were parents with eight kids desperate for a way to pay for diapers and formula. Exactly how would they afford an attorney? You can't pull just any attorney, you need a contract attorney and preferably an entertainment lawyer, and they're looking at a minimum of probably $350 an hour for that and finding someone from probably Philadelphia or even LA.
What I think needs to happen is reality shows need to be forbidden from negotiationg contracts without the other side having legal representative.
Like it or not, there are many desperate people out there who will do anything for some quick cash and can't afford an attorney to cover themselves. It's not naive, it's desperate. Preying on desperate people is wrong.
For all we know Discovery isn't interested in signing on with anyone who wants to get a lawyer, they'll pass them on by because it's not worth the hassle. They are seeking out vulnerable, unsophisticated to the TV business people (not DUMB people, do not twist my words please) who are in a position where they are desperate for money and will sign anything.
____
I think this happened with American Idol. One guy in a roomful of KIDS (I mean what they're 18, 19, 20?) stood up and said we need a lawyer to look this over and everybody got scared. It was after the field had been narrowed down, but before the elimination voting shows.
I'll try to find the article.
heather (NOT Heather)
Found it. Not quite how I remembered it they did have a lawyer (WINK WINK).
Here's the link:
http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/realityrocks/253976/ex-idol-contestant-says-show-is-rigged/
Ex-Idol Contestant Says Show Is Rigged
Excerpt:
"They pay for our lawyers to negotiate against their lawyer (which is BS)," he said. "They make us COLLECTIVELY choose the lawyer, then they act like it's in our best interest. Craziest stuff I've ever seen. I have a son to feed. I HAD to ask questions and know what I was signing. Plus I write my own songs and I needed to know details...Some folks were like, 'Just shut up and sign on the dotted line.' I know better than that...I wasn't complaining...I was asking basic legal questions. There's a huge difference between the two."
heather
Have to post this excerpt, too:
Ju'Not also theorized that he was not selected for the top 13 because he refused to let the show's producers exploit his sympathetic "back story" of being from "the hood." Said Ju'Not: "They wanted me to put that out to the world and expose my personal business for ratings. I wouldn't do it."
While Ju'Not made it clear he believes Kris Allen is indeed talented and deserved to win this season, he also maintained that Kris's victory was fixed. "The producers know who they want and they slant it to reflect that. They fix it in a way that makes you surprised but it's still manipulated," he typed. "Think about it...ADAM, ADAM, ADAM, then...Kris....SURPRISE SMITHCHES!!!!
"What I mean is that people think AI is a talent show," he elaborated. "No. It's a reality show with writers!! We're all actors. All these shows have writers that guide the public opinion. The Hills, Real World. All of them." He even bluntly questioned the validity of the public's votes, saying,
"Do you think a billion-dollar enterprise is subject to the whim of the public?"
_____
GEE, ya think??
heather
I can't find this comment now but it's been put forth more than once, if they signed a contract to do the show they should have to honor it.
Contract law just isn't that simple or law school students wouldn't struggle with it so much. There is no such thing in law as if you sign a contract you have to honor it. The law in general WILL protect those who seek to take advantage of others in contracts, there is a whole area of law called "equity" which basically means, to break it down very VERY simply, despite the black and white contract law, is the contract fair? If no, it might not be upheld in a court of law.
Specifically there is something called undue influence, which surprisingly wikipedia explains as well as I can: Undue influence is an equitable doctrine that involves one person taking advantage of a position of power over another person. It is where free will to bargain is not possible. If undue influence is proved in a contract, in U.S. law, the contract is voidable by the innocent party, and the remedy is rescission.
Discovery is walking a fine line making contracts with people like the Gosselins and like the fisherman when they are clearly and indisputably in a much greater position of power, when there's a lot of question whether lawyers were even used, and if lawyers were used who paid their bills (giant conflict of interest if TLC is writing the checks), whether they were misled, misrepresented, bullied, and so on, to sign.
So no, just because the fisherman signed on doesn't mean it was a proper, equitable contract they should have to follow.
As a matter of public policy and just plain fairness, we should not force people to honor contracts they signed that were inherently unfair, and we should not, as a matter of public policy, blame the victim for being too unsophisticated to get a lawyer and give companies like TLC free passes to stomp all over them because the victim was dumb. I'm glad I live in a country whose legal system respects equitable doctrines and shows a bit of mercy.
I stated that wrongly, what I mean is the law actually protects people FROM those who take advantage of them in contract law.
All this side look I haven't seen the contract, I don't know what happened when they signed. The point is this brings to light the uncertain practices going on here between reality show contenstants and huge networks.
Have to post this excerpt, too:
Ju'Not also theorized that he was not selected for the top 13 because he refused to let the show's producers exploit his sympathetic "back story" of being from "the hood." Said Ju'Not: "They wanted me to put that out to the world and expose my personal business for ratings. I wouldn't do it."
While Ju'Not made it clear he believes Kris Allen is indeed talented and deserved to win this season, he also maintained that Kris's victory was fixed. "The producers know who they want and they slant it to reflect that. They fix it in a way that makes you surprised but it's still manipulated," he typed. "Think about it...ADAM, ADAM, ADAM, then...Kris....SURPRISE SMITHCHES!!!!
"What I mean is that people think AI is a talent show," he elaborated. "No. It's a reality show with writers!! We're all actors. All these shows have writers that guide the public opinion. The Hills, Real World. All of them." He even bluntly questioned the validity of the public's votes, saying,
"Do you think a billion-dollar enterprise is subject to the whim of the public?"
_____
GEE, ya think??
heather
I agree with the poster who is going back to network TV.
I tried to watch the Latino family and I will be damned if she didn't leave all those kids crying to go get a mani pedi. I was like oh no you didn't just do that. And then she had to have some time for herself and went out with the girls leaving 6 crying babies at home. Which that is all well and good but in reality, would she do that if the cameras weren't there -doubtful.
All I really wanted was to watch her very carefully as she cooked up another one of those fabulous Mexican one pan dinners with the broiled lemon slices around it (like a little mini cooking show) and watch the kids enjoy it.
But no, mani-pedis - flashback - visions of horror, the kids - the kids.
TLC is nothing if not predictable.
Reality TV started out real but got lost along the way.
I loved watching "D.C." and the truckers on hauling on ice, logging shows on Discovery. But, I'm going back to network TV, probably CBS drama where the actors are paid along with the crew. Discovery/TLC = Exploitation of Human Beings, if they can rip the little guy off for $$$ and get away with it, the happier the suits at D/TLC are.
Good Luck Captains! Thank you for sharing your lives, but you all deserve more pay for having the cameras in your faces. I pay enough to my dish provider that you shouldn't have a raise like Kate G. RIP Cap't Phil.
(God forgive me but the day Discovery building was attacked by that man and the head honcho stepped up and spoke in his sweaty shirt--all I could think was---"you ought to sweat you money grubbing, people exploiting pig!" I knew then it was time to stop watching anything provided by Discovery and reality in general.)
LisaNH...Dirty Jobs cannot go anywhere. I LOVE that show, & it's the only one I watch that the Discovery Channel produces or whatever. Mike Rowe is fantastic. Hopefully, DC doesn't screw him over either.
Discovery is getting what they deserve. They created a Frankenstein monster- and now, the monster is biting them in the butt.
Captain Sig Hansen, you are a man of integrity,
and I applaud you.
Discovery needs to grow a heart!
As for my house, we are Discovery free, and will continue to be, until they go back to their original format.
STOP EXPLOITING PEOPLE- ESPECIALLY CHILDREN!!!!
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