Past shows included contestants
eating spiders and worms
Posted on 01/07/2005 10:59:21 AM PST by yankeedame
Last Updated: Thursday, 6 January, 2005, 10:12 GMT
US show sued for rat-eating stunt
Past shows included contestants
eating spiders and worms
A US TV network is being sued for $2.5m (£1.3m) by a viewer who says he was disgusted by watching contestants eat dead rats in a stunt show.
Austin Aitken is taking action against NBC over its programme Fear Factor.
He said watching the show caused his blood pressure to rise so high that he became dizzy and light-headed.
The legal assistant said NBC was "sending the wrong message to viewers that cash can make or have people do just about anything beyond reasoning".
The hand-written, four-page lawsuit said: "To have the individuals on the show eat and drink dead rats was crazy and from a viewer's point of view made me throw-up as well as another in the house at the same time."
Mr Aitken, who lives in Cleveland, said that after becoming light-headed, he ran towards the bedroom and knocked his head in a doorway.
A spokesman for NBC said it had no comment on the lawsuit, but confirmed the stunt show did feature a rat-eating scene in New York's Times Square on 8 November.
Past shows have featured viewers eating spiders and live worms.
The programme has been screened in the UK on Sky One.
Yes, it's pretty bad. But if no one were watching these shows then they wouldn't be on TV.
Who needs common sense if you can make a buck by being stupid? /sarcasm off.
As a teenager, you've got more sense than this guy, and though you wouldn't think that should be a big deal...stupidity is rampant and it pays!! So pat yourself on the back for having more brains and honesty. :) A lot of adults like this guy are seriously lacking what you have.
I love watching Fear Factor. I watched The View and almost threw up. Starr Jones is repulsive.
You're right. Doesn't speak well for the American viewer. however.
Now, now....don't be too hasty! This is a gold mine! We can all sue every time a network has a feature on any DemocRAT!
They had to eat this large bowl of extremely spicy Hungarian soup and one of the guys loses it and pukes into the bowl.
In order to finish the race the bowl had to be empty so he ate his own puke.
Guess I'll sue 'cause I got kinda queasy myself...I changed the channel too.
Yeah, I know. :-(
I'm going to sue C-SPAN for showing Boxer on the floor of the Senate.
ping to self for later pingout.
I would like to sue them for getting ambushed by the gross commercials for this show. We have pretty much stopped watching NBC, but we still come across the commercials while channel surfing.
The legal assistant said NBC was "sending the wrong message to viewers that cash can make or have people do just about anything beyond reasoning". <<<
LOL! What makes him think that's the wrong message? Some people WILL do just about anything for money - that's the whole idea.
How about the guy that sucked an oyster through a nostril, spit it out and had his buddy eat it.
Clearly the show was in bad taste!
I would, however, like to force that cocky producer to eat the same disgusting stuff as well.
Rats couldn't be any worse than "Crunchy Frog".
Can I sue them? anyone want to join me?
Maybe the fat bastard forgot to change the batteries in his remote.
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