E!’s ‘Reality Hell’ is sued by an unwitting ‘contestant’
A woman who claims she was duped into believing she was a contestant on a “Making the Band”-type series is suing E! and others involved in “Reality Hell,” a show that tricks people into thinking they are participating in reality shows.
The woman suffered “mental and emotional anguish, fright, horror, nervousness, grief, anxiety, worry, shock, humiliation, shame, embarrassment and fear” when she learned there was no “girl band” show and that the other contestants were actors, according to a suit filed Thursday in L.A. Superior Court.
Malena Brush is seeking unspecified financial damages from the network, a casting agency and others. The show has not yet aired, according to the suit. Her lawyer wrote in the suit that Brush was “instructed . . . to engage in humiliating activities” for a “behind-the-scenes backstory.”
An E! spokeswoman declined to comment, citing a network policy not to comment on litigation. Sam Rhima Casting, a casting agency named in the suit, did not return messages.
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Harriet Ryan
