# New Reality Show: The Un-Millionaire **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 3, 2002, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-reality-show-the-un-millionaire/140276 "2002-12-03T21:15:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-reality-show-the-un-millionaire/140276/21 "2002-12-09T16:14:37Z")
-Snort-gasp-cough.- It would seem that after nice, quiet weekend, my brain refuses to work properly. In a truly indescribable feat of circuitous thinking, I somehow came up with Alex Summers, a.k.a. Havock from the X-Men, when thinking of game show hosts named Alex. What I was actually looking for, for an unthinkable reason, was Summers. I was thinking Mark Summers. I am confused. [sub]Goes back to humming the Battle Hymn of the Republic while gnawing on a frozen prawn.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-reality-show-the-un-millionaire/140276/22 "2002-12-09T17:04:34Z")
This program sounds stupid on so many levels. I’ve not watched any of the “reality” shows, nor will I waste my time with this one. If I want to witness reality, I’ll go out into the world and talk to people. I hesitate to ask what’s next for this genre… ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-reality-show-the-un-millionaire/140276/23 "2002-12-09T17:13:11Z")
Cf. **JaxBeachBoy** ’s post. I think the _real_ secret will be that he actually does have a lot of dough. $19k a year for a construction worker? That doesn’t sound right. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-reality-show-the-un-millionaire/140276/24 "2002-12-09T17:26:41Z")
In some regions, construction work is seasonal. Also, he might not be a very good construction worker. Also, I’m a member of the smug set. ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-reality-show-the-un-millionaire/140276/25 "2002-12-09T17:45:06Z")
Why must everyone take the term “reality show” literally? It’s a TV show and just because it’s not _actually_ real, people are smug about watching it? What if they called it something else? Most people who watch these shows know very well that they aren’t based in reality and merely enjoy watching train wrecks, which all of these shows are. Media whore morons who will humiliate themselves on TV is yummy brain candy. And this will be soooo satisfying seeing these (most likely) golddigging women, who want a man and/or an acting career, be made fools of. Ah, good times… ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-reality-show-the-un-millionaire/140276/26 "2002-12-09T17:52:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JuanitaTech \* > \*\*Hopefully Katie and Matt will cover it and I won’t have to watch it and I can remain the smuggest (most smug…?). \*\* All excuses for being smug fly out the window once you admit to watching Katie and Matt, i’m afraid. Just out of interest, does anyone know whether the women (or at least the “winner”) would have grounds to sue FOX for misrepresentation? I mean, if we look at this show as what it is - essentially a game show set up by FOX with 25 (or whatever) contestants, and a prize, then is not FOX misrepresenting the “prize” that it is offering to the winner? I’m sure FOX’ lawyers have thought of this, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-reality-show-the-un-millionaire/140276/27 "2002-12-09T18:01:15Z")
I laughed my head off when I heard about this, last night. I haven’t watched the “reality shows” or date-setup-shows, but I would be seriously tempted to watch this for laughs. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-reality-show-the-un-millionaire/140276/28 "2002-12-09T21:29:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ftg \* > \*\*Cf. **JaxBeachBoy** ’s post. I think the _real_ secret will be that he actually does have a lot of dough. $19k a year for a construction worker? That doesn’t sound right. \*\* Maybe he’s the guy who runs and grabs wood and tools for the REAL construction workers…they make about $8 an hour around here. ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-reality-show-the-un-millionaire/140276/29 "2002-12-09T22:08:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mhendo \* > \*\*All excuses for being smug fly out the window once you admit to watching Katie and Matt, i’m afraid. > > Just out of interest, does anyone know whether the women (or at least the “winner”) would have grounds to sue FOX for misrepresentation? I mean, if we look at this show as what it is - essentially a game show set up by FOX with 25 (or whatever) contestants, and a prize, then is not FOX misrepresenting the “prize” that it is offering to the winner? I’m sure FOX’ lawyers have thought of this, though. \*\* They aren’t really awarding a “prize”, if other similiar shows patterns are followed. They’re just setting up a format by which the guy whittles down the pool of women and eventually picks one…but there’s no promises about what the guy will do with the woman he picks, clearly. The women know upfront that the guy might end up dumping them a few weeks or even a few minutes after the show’s conclusion, it’s not like their show _Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire_ with the wedding stage already erected. Also, to get any damages from a misrepresentation claim, the girls would have to be relying on the statements by Fox, to their financial detriment. Actual financial loss, not illusory. “Aww, I thought I was gonna be superrich, but I’m not” doesn’t count. If you pay for something, then find out it’s worth far less than represented, you can rescind the contract or get damages equal to the amount by which you overpaid. However, it’s debatable here whether the girls would be obtaining anything tangible, absent a contract for marriage with the guy at the end of the show, and they certainly aren’t paying for it in any case. So, in short, no actual financial loss and therefore no successful lawsuit. ---
**Author:** ![Realhoops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8dc957/32.png) [@Realhoops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Realhoops)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2002, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-reality-show-the-un-millionaire/140276/30 "2002-12-09T22:17:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RexDart \* > > Also, to get any damages from a misrepresentation claim, the girls would have to be relying on the statements by Fox, to their financial detriment. Actual financial loss, not illusory. “Aww, I thought I was gonna be superrich, but I’m not” doesn’t count. If you pay for something, then find out it’s worth far less than represented, you can rescind the contract or get damages equal to the amount by which you overpaid. However, it’s debatable here whether the girls would be obtaining anything tangible, absent a contract for marriage with the guy at the end of the show, and they certainly aren’t paying for it in any case. So, in short, no actual financial loss and therefore no successful lawsuit. I’m not sure this is exactly correct. I think you are accurate in indicating that the “contestant” would have to demonstrate some “detriment” but I’m not sure I’d agree it has to be “financial detriment.” Although I don’t have time to present any citations for you right now, I’m fairly confident that in many jurisdictions you can recover for non-financial detriment, such as psychological or physical detriment. Not to say that there would be a successful suit in this case anyway, as I’m sure the FOX lawyers have covered every possible or imaginable contingency in the waivers these people are signing. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2002, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-reality-show-the-un-millionaire/140276/31 "2002-12-10T00:18:45Z")
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