Written by Tea with Lexi
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Is Reality TV Dangerous?
Most reality tv is ‘scripted’ in a vague way. Although the cast don’t have a set of lines to go by, they are however told when and where to shoot… and apparently more. We the viewers only see 45 minutes on average, out of days of footage. They cut up and strategically put together scenes for our pure entertainment. It works, we the audience eat that shit up. Most viewers get attached and root for their favorite person as well as love to hate on whoever for whatever. There’s always that one person right? Some audience members take it too seriously… and sometimes too far.
As of late I’ve been noticing more and more reality stars come forward about their experiences during and after filming. Depending on the type of show, some cast members mention the way the producers and directors were/handling situations behind the scenes. Others have mentioned the hate they’ve received both online and face to face since returning from a show. I’ve also seen family members that have taken over all social media accounts while their loved on went on a contestant show (such as Love Island) and posted screen shots of death threats from overly invested fans.
Overtime hearing and reading so many similar stories from stars on different shows I became curious. I immediately thought about Hollywood. A whistle blown on the many accounts of r@p3, human trafficking and more. And I wondered, is this happening to reality stars as well? What exactly is goes on behind the scenes? So I did some “research” and what I found shocked me. What you’re about to read involves sexual and mental abuse. If this triggers you, I urge your not to continue on.
The Victims of Reality Television…
TLC: Jacob Roloff – Little People Big World
Jacob Roloff was 9 years old when the reality show premiered on TCL in 2006. If you haven’t heard of LPBW, the show is about a family that endures pressures of being little while living in an average sized world. Jacob Roloff was the youngest of 3 siblings, twins Zach, Jeremy, and Molly. As a young child you’d think that being on a show with your family you wouldn’t have to worry about being in an unsafe environment… Unfortunately Jacob learned the hard way that predators can be anywhere, especially in show business.
Pedophilia and Grooming
Chris Cardamone, a former executive senior producer of the show (for 134 episodes) was introduced to the Roloff family in 2007. Thus starting Jacobs on going nightmare. Chris became immediately obsessed with Jacob, seeing him as an easy target for manipulation. Thinking he could get away with anything because of his position, he did just that. The exact details of Jacobs trauma are unknown, he mentioned crude text messages sent by the executive producer and being pulled away to secluded areas. Jacob was molested and groomed from ages 10 to 13. All the while Cardamone was going through a court case for his previous pedophilia acts.
Regardless of the charges against the producer he was still employed by TLC. In September of 2008 an investigation was opened on Cardamone for child sex crimes. He was arrested in October and sent to the San Jose main jail where he was held on bond for $200,000. “According to court papers obtained by The Sun, Chris was charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 with force, two counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14, and one count of cruelty to child with possible injury or death.” ;The Sun. Later on November 12, 2008 his bond was posted.
Having the audacity to plead not guilty to all charges on May 26, 2009 he caved and accepted a plea deal on December 7, 2010 that would only place him behind bars for 73 days and four years of monitored probation and reduce the charges against him. Cardamone was only held accountable for the charges of “cruelty to child with possible injury or death“.
Jacob Roloff’s Justice
In 2020 Jacob Roloff came forward to the public about his long-term grooming and molestation by the senior producer of the show. Though he talked about the trauma he went through and named names, has not pressed any charges against Cardamone. When asked in an interview by a fan for the reasoning Jacob made this statement, “Unfortunately, and I think this is important for others to know, too, it is extremely difficult to pursue any legal action because of a system built to make it that way. He won’t receive any repercussions except for perhaps socially from my post, a cruel world and a joke of legal system! Just emphasizes that we should, in general, believe victims.”
TLC claims they had no idea about the abuse, even though he was under investigation then convicted for being a pedophile… That’s believable…
Mtv: Gianna Hammer – Are You The One?
Mtv being an extremely large network has had quite a lot of backlash from stories coming out about being mistreated and manipulated by the shows producers. This is the story of Gianna Hammer from Season 5 of ‘Are You The One?‘.
The reality tv star (then 21) went onto the show in 2016 for season 5 in hopes of finding her perfect match. What she didn’t expect was to be manipulated and drugged by the crew, assaulted by a castmate and to have the whole thing covered up by the network.
Quick Backstory
Any reality tv contestant that has to take any type of medication is required to inform the show so it can be managed by an onsite doctor and distributed when instructed. It is their job to be aware of all side effects to the user and all interactions the medications might have with what is being consumed on the show. Such as alcohol that is heavily provided to the contestants during filming. To avoid any interactions with alcohol, the contestants were given their medication early in the morning. With that being said, Gianna suffered from depression and took medication for it. When combined with alcohol she would be incapacitated and unconscious.
Mtv’s Cover Up: Drugged & Assaulted
One night a fight had broken out between Gianna and a few castmates while heavily under the influence of alcohol. The crew stepped in and pulled her upstairs into a private area with two other castmates to calm her and the situation down. Fully aware of her medical condition one of the crew members offered her one of her antidepressant pills. She drunkenly declined, fully aware of the effects, then informed the crew member about what it will do to her. Being told that it would be ok and it would help calm her down, it was pushed at her still. She eventually caved in and took the pill.
Not long after ingesting it, Gianna started to feel off. Dizzy and in and out of consciousness she decided to go to bed. And so did an un-named castmate who was also heavily intoxicated. He followed her to bed, got on top of her trying to kiss her and touch her. Even though she is mumbling the word “no” over and over he doesn’t listen. Luckily a few cast members witnessed this after overhearing her say no, they pulled him off of her before he was able to do anything more.
MTv’s Cover Up
The next day she was approached by the production team and was asked about what she remembered from last night and if she was ok. Not remembering much she tells them she is fine and feels good. They then asked her if she would like the male cast member to be booted from the show. Not really aware of what happened she didn’t know how to answer. The producer then goes on to pressure her into letting him stay and just sleep on the couch because it cost a lot of money to bring him here. For them to send him home would be a waste since he has a perfect match on the show. She agreed to their terms and was then made to sign an NDA during filming as well as the witnessing castmates.
After returning home, she was left with questions about the events on the show. Since filming was over the NDA was no longer applicable. Gianna reached out to the other contestants for answers. When events of the night were relayed to her, she was horrified. In 2017 she emailed an Mtv rep with proof of assault along with witness testimonies. These claims were denied after a 7 month internal investigation and she did not personally hear back from Mtv.
Feeling silenced by Lighthearted and Mtv, in early 2021 Gianna made a series of TikToks explaining the horrific events. You can view them on her page or start watching the below video.
Reality Tv & Hollywood- One In The Same
For some reason the the entertainment business has always victimized their talent. For reasons we can only guess and assume. Power, money, status, because they can, etc. Hollywood has been one of the biggest offenders. Reality Tv is no different, there are many claims of abuse. These were just two examples of the dangers of working on a reality show.
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