Reality Show Director Arrested in Florida

Posted: 2008-04-14 15:19:17

APOPKA, Fla. (April 14) - Police charged an aspiring reality show director with blocking four women - half of a cast billed as ordinary girls hoping to become "princesses" - from leaving the central Florida house where the show was being shot.

www.paupertoprincess.com

Marc Brilleman, 33, identified as the chief operating officer, director and writer of "Pauper to Princess," was arrested Saturday on a charge of false imprisonment.

According to the show's Web site, its concept was to build the eight women's self-esteem and help them grow physically, mentally and spiritually. As with many reality shows, the women lived in a house while the program was taped. Producers were trying to sell the show to a TV network.

Four of the women told investigators Brilleman blocked and locked a door when they tried to leave the house, where they had been since February and had been able to leave on weekends, said Jerome Miller, a commander for Apopka police northwest of Orlando.

Brilleman initially denied stopping the women when questioned by police, then said "they could not leave because they were being disciplined," Miller said. Brilleman also told them they could not leave because they were under contract, the police report said.

According to the report, the women were also upset that they had not been paid for the past five weeks of filming.

Miller said the case would be forwarded to state prosecutors.

Brilleman posted a $3,000 bond and was released several hours after his arrest. Police do not believe he has a criminal record. Miller said Brilleman is from South Africa, but his immigration status is unclear.

Calls to the telephone number listed on the show's Web site rang unanswered and e-mails sent to company executives were not answered. Brilleman does not have a listed telephone number and it was not known if he had a lawyer.

Jim Johnson, the show's executive producer, told the Orlando Sentinel the women who asked to leave were allowed to do so.

"Nobody was being held against their will at any time," Johnson said. "This show was an honorable show. We took them to the opera, we took them to fashion shows, we took them to modeling training and we took them to etiquette training."

Johnson did say the producers took the women's cell phones away, but he said that was done according to the contract the women signed. Even though the contract said the women had to remain in the house for 13 weeks, the producers had been letting the women leave on recent weekends, he told the newspaper.

Diane Waizmann, whose 23-year-old daughter Alisha was among the contestants, told The Associated Press on Monday that her daughter was not available.

Only five women were left in the house when Brilleman was arrested, Johnson told the newspaper. Two were given permission to leave and one was eliminated as part of the show's competition.

The company producing the show, Dream House Productions Inc., was registered with the Florida Secretary of State's Office on Jan. 17.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

2008-04-14 14:50:01

Read Related Blogs and Articles

Bookmark

Recent Comments

Post Your Own

1 - 15 of 20

20 comments

Spyderweb7 09:16:45 AM Apr 15 2008

Report This!

some women are so stupid and jump too soon at the chance to be on TV without doing any research on where or who they go to, they could have been put on a plane to another country where they would end up slaves, if it sounds too good to be true then most likely DUH!!!

Maryr821 09:08:55 AM Apr 15 2008

Report This!

"Reality" TV shows suck.

trk7552000 07:53:24 AM Apr 15 2008

Report This!

he had plenty of ***** to eat

Crostitcher9 04:05:46 AM Apr 15 2008

Report This!

Just shows you the extremes that people will go to get the perfect reactions usually it is one or two of them that are feeling abused during these shows.. But when half your cast turns on you then you have no control.. Beware to other (Mark Burnett wannabees) You could face kidnapping just for ratings.. I find them as dirty as the PAPARAZZI but they feed off of desperate people who will behave and do anything that are not part of reality and they are usually in a cage and seperate setting that gives them no connection to there love ones.. We used to call that Stockholm syndrome but now they use it as reality and these people dont know when the pack will turn on them... There is always only one winner and is that person a winner really HATCH proved live got harder not easier because he looked stupid and ridiculous... I would never want that reality in my life and abuse, the real world is hard enough to be abused for ratings and strangers that really dont matter abusing my person and ME

l8d8agin 10:49:08 PM Apr 14 2008

Report This!

Reading the aritcle reminds me a little of Phil Spector. At least this guy was stopped BEFORE something bad happened.

lexysf 08:02:15 PM Apr 14 2008

Report This!

Sounds like a 'wanna-be' producer, who thought he would become rich, didn't have enough $$$, to his promised expenses, to the woman who were subjects of his proposed show. Period. he paniced, and yes... his action became a sort of 'kidnapping, held againest will action.' it is not reported of any sexual nature of the filming, or prostitution with the woman, just a remake of a famous Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle roles, which Disney has made hundreds of millions of dollars, repackaging over the decades.

jrdjmom 07:43:41 PM Apr 14 2008

Report This!

I know these people and they were just trying to do a show and did not hold anyone prisoner. It is sad they spent all the money they had to produce this show now it won't be produced. Everyone knew what was going on. I am not part of the show but know the people doing it. They struggled hard to get the money to do this and it is sad to see them abused like this. You wonder why no one in Orlando wants to invest in movies, As I said It is sad.

billinin 07:12:12 PM Apr 14 2008

Report This!

very stupid!!!!

littlewhitejeep 06:59:38 PM Apr 14 2008

Report This!

wow

lynnj51 06:59:27 PM Apr 14 2008

Report This!

dum dum dum

littlewhitejeep 06:59:14 PM Apr 14 2008

Report This!

Dont care "LOOSER"

lynnj51 06:50:11 PM Apr 14 2008

Report This!

dum dum dum

stanas999 06:43:08 PM Apr 14 2008

Report This!

Thank goodness I'm rich and don't have time to get bothered by the spiraling ignorance taking over this country.

armirm 06:23:42 PM Apr 14 2008

Report This!

ALL of the so-called "reality" shows go too far . . . They are rediculous, yet legions of idiots apparently watch that make believe tripe as if it's . . . what's the word? Oh, yeah, reality . . . that's the word. Pathetic!

Kent05R 06:00:40 PM Apr 14 2008

Report This!

I can't believe with all the great things to write about this piece of crap article gets into a website at all. Someone please fire the editor who put this in here in the first place.

1 - 15 of 20

20 comments