Show busts bad behavior

From an unfaithful husband to an angry hotel waiter who smears more than butter on an ear of corn before serving it to a guest, Newport Beach psychologist Robert Puff and his associate, Elizabeth Lozano, explain the human emotions behind it all on the new television series “Busted and Disgusted.”

“Most people do these types of things because of pain,” Puff said. “Because they’ve been hurt, they in turn hurt others. Instead of resolving their pain, they continue the cycle of pain with their actions.”

The first of 10 episodes of the show, from the creators of late-night cable television staples “Busted on the Job” and “Busted Everywhere,” will make its debut at 6 p.m. Wednesday on the Fox Reality Channel.

Producers obtained surveillance footage from police, private investigators and employers from around the world, catching people in compromising positions.

On the show, Lozano and Puff try to put inappropriate behavior caught on tape, like infidelity and vengeful acts, into perspective by applying what they know about psychology. Producers showed Lozano and Puff clips from the show and filmed their explanations for nasty behavior caught on tape.

There are clips of surveillance videos showing disgruntled workers lashing out by urinating into the office water cooler and coffee pot and a homeless man who gets revenge when a business won’t let him use a public bathroom by drawing a frowning face on the wall with his own excrement.

“This man was expressing himself and how he felt with his poo,” Puff said. “He didn’t draw a smiley face, he drew a sad face.”

An ongoing theme in the show is the use of bodily functions as a tool for revenge.

“I think it’s because it’s something that comes from the darkest part of us,” Puff said.

Lozano viewed clips of surveillance footage catching people cheating on their significant others for the show. The motivations behind infidelity can be complex, she said.

“It’s something that could stem from pain or anger at their spouse, seeking revenge,” she said. “There also could be sexual addiction that comes into play, or it could be a behavior that they learned from their parents and it’s the only way they know how to cope.”

Puff is the author of the book “Anger Work: How to Express your Anger and Still be Kind.” Lozano is a marriage and family intern. At their practice, Newport Beach Healthy Living, 2436 W. Coast Hwy., Suite 103, they counsel patients on everything from depression to relationship issues.

“These people on the show, they’re empty people,” Puff said. “We try to fill people up here.”

Reporter BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.