LARGETONY Blog

Have you heard about the guy who is sueing NBC because of what he saw on “Fear Factor?”

Watching contestants eat dead rats on NBC’s gross-out stunt show “Fear Factor” so disgusted a Cleveland man that he has sued NBC for $2.5 million, saying he could not stomach what he saw.

In a handwritten four-page lawsuit filed in federal court in Cleveland on Tuesday, paralegal Austin Aitken said, “To have the individuals on the show eat (yes) and drink dead rats was crazy and from a viewer’s point of view made me throw-up as well an another in the house at the same time.”

If a judge does not throw this on out, the judicial system has officially spun out of control. How does this guy think he can get away with this? Why does he thinks he deserves 2 dollars, let alone 2.5 million. What did he expect to see on “Fear Factor?” Had he never seen it before? Never heard anyone talk about it? OK…maybe he hadn’t. But even so, if you see something you don’t like, turn off the TV!! For God’s sake, at least close your eyes.

I’ll tell you a secret about me. I can’t deal with blood and gore in movies and television. It really makes me squeamish. I turn into a big six foot three 190 lb girl when someone gets shot, stabbed, sliced up, or whatever on film. I can’t watch it. I can deal with gunshots okay, except when you see the actual penetration , or holes blow open in someone. I used to love that show about prison called “OZ” that was on HBO. Somebody was killed virtually every week in some horrific manner. Necks sliced with wire, heads bashed in with dumbells, all kinds of stuff. Yet with the high body count I don’t think I ever actually saw an actual killing. I could watch right up until the moment of impact, and I could watch the blood run from the crushed skull afterwards. I just couldn’t watch the actual impact. That brief split-second moment was more that I could take. But did I sue HBO??? No. I closed my fucking eyes!

His suit added, “NBC is sending the wrong message to its TV watchers that cash can make or have people do just about anything beyond reasoning (sic) and in most cases against their will.”

NBC isn’t sending a wrong message. They are sending a message that is TRUE. People will do just about anything for money. That’s what the premise of the show is. NBC may be exploiting the fact that people will do anything for a buck. But only the contestants are responsible for their actions. People will eat or try anything for a buck. NBC will show people eating or trying anything for a buck to make their own bucks. And this news item is proof that people will sue for anything to make a buck.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 9th, 2005 at 10:37 pm and is filed under observations, rants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.