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Stacey Stillman Sues Survivor Producer & CBS Over Her "Orchestrated" Ouster From Survivor 1 2/06/01
Man, is this woman EVER going to fade away, talk about trying to make the most of your 15 minutes... and they wonder where folks get their opinions of lawyers from...
USA Today reported today that Stacey Stillman, the former contestant on Survivor I, filed suit against Survivor's producer, Mark Burnett, claiming he engineered her ouster and "orchestrated" the show's outcome. In a 14-page lawsuit filed in San Francisco County Superior Court, Stacey Stillman — a practicing attorney — says producer Mark Burnett "improperly abused his relationships with the contestants." She says he persuaded two of them, Sean Kenniff and Dirk Been, to vote her off the show instead of Rudy Boesch in the series' third episode, "thereby rigging the contest." CBS also is named as a defendant.

Stillman alleges that Burnett wanted to keep Boesch, 72, in the cast, fearing criticism if the first three contestants to be removed also were the oldest. Boesch became one of four finalists for the $1 million prize, which was won by Richard Hatch.

"By picking and choosing who stays and who goes, that affects the alliances that form, and ultimately the outcome," Stillman told USA TODAY.

She says CBS violated federal law against game-show rigging that was expanded in the wake of the 1950s scandal over the NBC quiz show Twenty-One.

CBS denies the charges, which were first detailed last year by author Peter Lance in a book that said producers manipulated the show.

Asked whether Burnett influenced his vote, Kenniff said, "That never happened. He did say, 'Vote your conscience,' but I didn't feel that was coercion." A spokesman for Been declined to comment.

Stillman is seeking unspecified damages for prize money and lost wages, out-of-pocket costs and payment of CBS' profits from the show to a fund to be shared by viewers. She delayed the lawsuit, first asking CBS "to put me on a (reality) show that wasn't manipulated," and later sought a $5 million settlement. Both requests were rejected, a network executive says.

Source: USA Today

• RE: Stacey Sues!!!!-article-,tsamesh, 11:45 AM, 02-06-01
• RE: Stacey Sues!!!!-article-,Cherberrie, 12:51 PM, 02-06-01
  • RE: Stacey Sues!!!!-article-,Dalton, 03:08 PM, 02-06-01
    • RE: Stacey Sues!!!!-article-,Minstrel, 11:29 PM, 02-06-01
• RE: Stacey Sues!!!!-article-,boltupright, 08:17 AM, 02-07-01
  • RE: Stacey Sues!!!!-article-,Cherberrie, 08:40 AM, 02-07-01
    • RE: Stacey Sues!!!!-article-,castaway, 10:27 AM, 02-07-01
      • RE: Stacey Sues!!!!-article-,MDSkinner, 10:52 AM, 02-07-01
        • RE: Stacey Sues!!!!-article-,Dalton, 12:24 PM, 02-07-01
  • RE: Stacey Sues!!!!-article-,SurvivorBlows, 11:33 AM, 02-07-01
• RE: That's Entertainment!,moonbaby, 11:49 AM, 02-07-01
  • RE: That's Entertainment!,LiveFreeOrDie, 03:18 PM, 02-07-01

Wow, I disliked her while she was on the show and this article proves my judgement of her was correct. She's a cranky, self-absorbed **tch.

I wonder if CBS will think twice now before they put another attorney on their reality show!

>I wonder if CBS will think
>twice now before they put
>another attorney on their reality
>show!

Ain't it the truth, Cheri? LMAO.
CBS & MB had contracts up the whazoo
with S1 contestants controlling what
they could do/say after it was over.

Stacy was taught "contracts are written
to be broken"; its that Scorpion Chinese
Fable theory already explained here. No,
actually its called Law School (BT/DT).

BTW, I checked usatoday.com this a.m. --- There is
a Poll "Do you think S1 was rigged?" below
the "Stacy Sues" article.
Just over 3000 have voted and it's 65% "YES".
Gotta love it that for ole MB!!!

Dalton

Well, it looks as if Dirk and Sean are her only hope and Sean isn't supporting her claim now, is he? MB could set challenges where the less physical would be at disadvantages, but that's not a true fix as in "Twenty One." The case may get settled before a court date, but then it could go to court and be found lacking evidence and thrown out or Stacey loses. Just what would happen if CBS counter sued? Where, if any, is there any more proof?

Of course the show was rigged. I say, you go Stacy. I hated you on the show, but more power to you if you can expose this game show for what it really is...a fraud.

Some examples of how this show had to be fixed stand out claerly to me. In Survivor 1 when Burnett wanted to create some sexual tension between Sean & Jenna, he conveniently arranged it so those two would be sen out to the spit to negotiate the merger.

Jenna not getting her video tapes. Uh huh, that was orchestrated to create all kinds of sympathy for poor Jenna. I never did believe the BS about her tapes being lost etc.

But the real example was the reward challenge that Sean won. Oh they just conveneintly had his dad waiting in Malaysia for him. Yeah right. And then that lame explanation of how they had every contestants relative standing by in L.A to fly to Malaysia depending on who won the reward challenge.

So I hope Stacy does nail their asses. It will be far more entertaining than the actual show.

>So I hope Stacy does nail their asses. It will be
>far more entertaining than the actual show.

Maybe the courtroom will be open to the public! Or, better yet, maybe they will videotape the trial. ABC could run the trial in the Friends slot -- I wonder what that would do to the S2 ratings?

As much as I love watching this series & hated Stacey in SI, I have to admit I too believe there is some truth to her claims that the show has been manipulated by MB to the point of fraud.. I saw her on TV this morning & some of her arguments were not that hard to believe. MB is in this to make MONEY & the more dramatic a show he can present, the more viewers will flock to it. I'm sure some of these contestants are shocked at how they are portrayed in the final cutting. Dare I say even the villianous Jerri might not be as bad as we are perceiving her? Maybe she really believed Kel WAS eating jerky... hmmm... ok, she's still a bitch, but I'll be interested to see just what comes to light with this lawsuit of Stacey's. If it's possible for David to fight Goliath in the real world that is... & I'll still love watching the show!

Even if they do feel that MB somehow influenced the voting, does he not have that right?

It is his show, he is the producer. It seems to me that he can do what he wants, and that includes urging the show in an interesting direction. He can not force anyone to vote in any way, because in the end it is completely up to the individual.
For that reason the show is real, no matter what MB has done to persuade the contestants. It is his show, he can do what he wants, and no matter what that is he can not take away these people's right to think for themselves.

To me, even if Stacie's allegations are found to be true, she will not get anything out of the deal. It is his show to do as he pleases, she lost and now she is upset.

It is like the Super Bowl. All of the press the week before was for the Ravens players(Ray Lewis in particular) but in the end no matter what the press said and did, the players had to get out there and play the game. If the Ravens were not the better team they would not have beaten the Giants. I think that this show can be looked at in the same way, and Stacy was not the better player. If she would have been, it would not have mattered what MB told the others. This is just my opinion, please flame away if you disagree.

Just adding some facts for the mulling -----

Stacy didn't claim the whole show was rigged
or that MB dictated the votes or who left when.

But what Stacy IS claiming in her suit is
that on this one morning of the TC -- Mark
Burnett took SEAN K. and DIRK B. aside and
explained the show's "problem" thus:
Two OLD (as in over 50) contestants -- B.B. &
greyhair woman who brought the uke --
had been the first voted out in succession.

MB, CBS, et.al DID NOT WANT RUDY voted off next.

Rudy was the only "old" guy left and CBS would lose
alot of the 40-65yr. demigraphics IF Survivor
appeared to be "killing off the oldsters"
so some 30yr. old hunk/hunkette could win the
bucks. Based on this "help me made the show a
success" trickery MB suggested SEAN and DIRK
vote Stacy off "for the greater good". And
Stacy wasn't sooo popular at the time anyway.

Now here are the responses to Stacy's basic
charge ----
1) Dr. Idiot SEAN K. who CBS hired to play a Dr. for
three days on one of its daytime soaps (He STANK!!)
.... and who NOW has a contract with another TV
network to be some kind of TV doctor expert...
said in his non-denial denial: "MB came to
me, but he only told me to vote my conscience.
I don't think he was trying to influence me."
Well, after SEAN dumped the female he owed lunch to
in favor of Dicque joing him on the yacht; what conscience??

2) DIRK BEEN, (who we all remember as the Bible
toting, straight-arrow type) has in no way ever
sought his 15 minutes of commercial whoredom since
leaving S1. DIRK B. through a spokesman had only
this to say about Stacy's allegations: "NO COMMENT."

This "no comment" response by Dirk is a red flag
in any lawsuit. If a solid, square, bible toting,
good guy like DIRK doesn't come right out and say:
"This never happened!!" Something is askew/wrong here.

RUDY was asked about Stacy's action on some interview yesterday. And since Mark Burnett has already HIRED RUDY
as the Host for some Survivor/Military Combat contestants
show in future production....RUDY said "Nah, he didn't
think anything like that happened; at least *I* was never
approached by MB."
And face it folks Rudy has a right to be proud of his standing in the final four. He is not about to give any credence to a theory that MB schemed to "keep the old geyser in the game" --- it would negate his own skill and merit!!!

The case will proceed and eventaully CBS/MB will settle
with Stacy for an undisclosed amount after she signs a
waiver to never release the details of the matter. JMO.

Dalton

>Survivor 1 when Burnett wanted
>to create some sexual tension
>between Sean & Jenna, he
>conveniently arranged it so those
>two would be sen out
>to the spit to negotiate
>the merger.

How does this rig the voting? ..yes, say he did pick who gets to be the ambassodor -- so what? In The Mole they picked Steven to be The Man in the Iron Mask -- how is this any different?

>Jenna not getting her video tapes.
>Uh huh, that was orchestrated
>to create all kinds of
>sympathy for poor Jenna. I
>never did believe the BS
>about her tapes being lost
>etc.

You're beginning to stretch here -- even Jenna admits her mother didn't send the tape until it was too late... something lame about going away with the kids. All you can accuse MB of doing here is not showing her the tape when it later arrived -- and why would he, the event had passed and she had not won.

>But the real example was the
>reward challenge that Sean won.
>Oh they just conveneintly had
>his dad waiting in Malaysia
>for him. Yeah right. And
>then that lame explanation of
>how they had every contestants
>relative standing by in L.A
>to fly to Malaysia depending
>on who won the reward
>challenge.

Man, I'd so tired of folks mentioning this -- exactly WHAT is so hard to believe about this? ...that a multi-million dollar show wouldn't have sprung for 7 or 8 $300-400 airplane tickets to LA and a night in a hotel to have a person on stand-by for each player?? The few grand that it would have cost them to do it is pocket change...

Mark Burnett is interested in one thing only: what makes a watchable/profitable tv show. And no doubt this season's show will bend to his influence as well. I'm not defending his manipulation of so called "reality tv." I am saying that he is the man in charge and ultimately it is his show, so this news is not surprising.

It would be very strange for me if this were true -- I only started watching S1 when I heard that "the lawyer" was voted off. That made me curious; I remember thinking, "Wow! Gotta check that out."

So, it's funny. I hope, hope, hope that Stacey is wrong -- because I hate feeling manipulated.

Not that MB doesn't try to manipulate us enough already. It just seems like usually it's a lot cheesier. But this is some serious S if true.