Cheaters

Cheaters
Genre	Reality
Created by	Bobby Goldstein
Written by	Bobby Goldstein Josh Botana Kenneth Smith
Directed by	Kenneth Smith
Presented by	Tommy Habeeb (2000–2002) Joey Greco (2002–present)
Narrated by	Robert Magruder
Opening theme	"Broken Hearted" by Bill Mason and Bobby Goldstein
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	12
No. of episodes	264
Production
Editor(s)	Jeremy Hechler Israel Cavazos Tim Wilkins Matt Phillips Andrew Phillips
Running time	60 mins. (weekly episodes) 30 mins. (strip version)
Broadcast
Original channel	The CW Plus
First shown in	November 26, 1999
Original run	October 21, 2000 – present
External links
Website

Cheaters is a weekly syndicated hidden camera reality television series that documents people who are suspected of committing adultery, or cheating, on their partners. Investigations are headed by the "Cheaters Detective Agency". The show is hosted by Joey Greco.^[1]

It airs on Saturday nights on The CW Plus and also airs on G4TV. The CW Plus airs two episodes: one one-hour long episode followed by one-thirty minute episode. A short 10-minute version of the show called Cheaters: Amazing Confrontations is available through on-demand services.

This has been rated TV-14 according to the TV guidances of the USA due to strong language, sexual, and potentially violent situations. However, all uncensored pay-per-view episodes of Cheaters are rated TV-MA.

The official Cheaters Facebook Page can be found at: www.facebook.com/cheaterstvshow. The official Twitter handle for Cheaters is: @CheatersTV.

Episode structure

The show is taped mostly in North Texas around the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex as well as, to a lesser extent, the Greater Houston area. As of late September 2011, Cheaters has started airing its twelfth season of first-run episodes. A typical 30-minute Cheaters episode depicts a single complainant's case. A weekend edition of the show is also available, which runs 60 minutes and includes two separate cases.

The show's complainants can be either married or long-term significant others, and have included both opposite-sex and same-sex couples. It begins with a brief interview of the complainant, detailing how the complainant met their partner and what has led them to believe that the partner is cheating.

Next, narrator Robert Magruder describes the progress of the investigation of the partner (referred to as "the suspect" during the episode), including surveillance footage of the suspect's actions with their alleged paramour (dubbed "the companion") recorded by the show's private investigators.

When the investigation turns up enough evidence of the suspect's infidelity, the show enters its second segment, "the confrontation." The host meets with the complainant and shows them the evidence that has been collected; graphic footage from the investigators—for example, the suspect and their companion engaged in a sexual act—is shown uncensored to the complainant but is shown digitally blurred during the episode.

This meeting takes place at a time when the suspect and their companion are being observed together elsewhere; the intent is to allow the complainant to catch the suspect in the act of infidelity. The host, the complainant, and a large group seek out and confront the alleged cheater. The confrontation often takes place in public, with the complainant and host both attempting to get an explanation out of the suspect for their behavior.

The final segment, "the conclusion," presents parting thoughts from the complainant, the suspect and their companion as they depart the scene of the confrontation. Next, updates from previous cases, including interviews from suspects and their companions, are presented. Lastly, the narrator describes what became of the complainant, the suspect and the companion after the show.

History

Cheaters logo (Season 1)

The show, created by Bobby Goldstein, an attorney in Dallas, Texas, made its debut in 2000. The original host of the show was actor Tommy Habeeb aka "Tommy Grand" (2000-2002). 2004 brought syndication reruns of previous seasons, edited into a half-hour Monday-through-Friday strip format with new intros by Joey Greco as host. In 2006, G4 began showing the strip version with faster-paced editing and music due to complaints that the show seemed boring and contrived^{[citation needed]}, as well as a different voiceover artist, for weekly airings on its Midnight Spank block.^[2] Since December 9, 2009, G4 has now moved this show to the new "Junk Food TV" block.

Controversy

In 2002, the Houston Press tracked down several individuals who said they were paid $400 per show by one of the detectives of the agency to act on the show, and were paid $50 per referral to refer other actors.^[3] One performer was quoted saying, "What [the show's private detective] told me was that some of the episodes are real, but... they would do these ringer episodes to supplement the show." The show's private investigator denies that he staged anyone's scenario and further added that he does not need to do so based on the number of inquiries the agency receives.^[4] The producers of Cheaters currently have a legal disclaimer at the end of each episode, reiterating the reality of the show, though a Federal Communications Commission representative confirmed to the Houston Press that, "there's no law or regulation against presenting acted-out scenarios as reality on television."^[5]

On December 16, 2005, four employees of the show were indicted on charges of restraining a woman. The charges were against the host Joey Greco, director Hunter Carson and two security guards. On November 9, 2006, the four were acquitted.^[6] In another episode, Greco was detained at the scene of a bachelor party while helping a man confront his cheating fiancée. After Greco explained the situation about the couple to police, he was given a short talk about disturbing the peace and released with his copy of a written warning.

On November 3, 2009, Inside Edition ran a news story reiterating the claim that the show was staged, citing several additional actors that said they were paid to appear on the show.^[7] One of them appeared in the Greco stabbing episode and claimed that it was staged. Despite the episode depicting a male being placed under arrest for stabbing Greco, Inside Edition found that no actual arrest matching that description was made by the Rowlett, Texas police department, where the episode took place. Physician–patient privilege would prevent the hospital that treated Greco from releasing records to Inside Edition. Nothing prevents the producers of Cheaters from voluntarily displaying the records, yet they have not done so. Despite the lack of records, Goldstein denied in an interview that the episode was staged. A follow-up on the story, which aired on Inside Edition the following week (November 9, 2009), showed Joey Greco being interviewed by investigative reporter Matt Meagher about the accusations in the earlier report. Greco declined to respond to Meagher's questions, citing that he cannot legally comment further on the incidents.

On August 8, 2010 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission press release reports that Bobby Goldstein Productions, Inc., and Cheaters II, Ltd. (Civil Action No. 3:08-CV-1912-P) paid $50,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit. The suit was brought on the behalf of two female office assistants who were the target of frequent sexual jokes and comments, unwanted physical advances, and propositions for sex. The alleged perpetrators included members of upper management. Says attorney Robert A. Canino, a regional attorney from the EEOC Dallas District Office, “[j]ust because the creator of Cheaters promotes a TV show business which thrives on featuring sexual transgressions, it is no justification for engaging in sexual improprieties which violate the employment rights of his female employees behind the scenes.”^[8]

Notable incidents

The show's cameras have captured a number of unusual incidents. In one of the most cited examples, host Joey Greco was stabbed by an angry suspect who was confronted on a boat.^[9][10][11] Greco recovered and came back to the show shortly afterwards. Jack E. Jett served as a fill-in host briefly after the stabbing incident (and hosted the episode with the incident itself), and several episodes were recorded where Greco hosted, but other personnel led confrontations. The stabbing incident was later replayed when Greco appeared on The Maury Povich Show, and was ranked #2 by E! Entertainment's 101 Craziest TV Moments program. During other episodes Greco and his team have been attacked by angry suspects brandishing unusual weapons, including a semi-automatic paintball gun, a replica katana and even a weed whacker.

DVD releases

Visual Entertainment of Canada has released several best-of collections of Cheaters on DVD in Region 1.^[12]

Cheaters Spy Shop

In late September 2011, Cheaters Spy Shop was launched and promoted in the new episodes beginning with Season 12. The online store sells many items private investigators use, like hidden cameras and GPS trackers.^[13]

In other media

Some people have unexpectedly captured Cheaters confrontations in public places through their video cameras and uploaded them to a video sharing website such as YouTube. The show has been parodied and referenced in several films and television shows, such as Janky Promoters (2009), " George Lopez, TV: The Movie, Talkshow with Spike Feresten, Unhitched, and The Jay Leno Show.^[14][15]

References

External links

• Official website
• Cheaters at the Internet Movie Database
• Cheaters at TV.com
• Cheaters Spy Shop
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube