The Prodigy (TV series)

The Prodigy was an alleged proposed American reality TV show in 2007 that promised $1 million in cash and prizes to the ultimate winner, but was actually a recruiting scheme for an alarm sales company.[1][2]

The show staged casting events at college campuses throughout the country in 2007.[3][4][5][6]

Students were reportedly selected from around the country, perhaps as many as 2000. Many of the students cast in the show later claimed it was an elaborate scam by Utah-based security alarm company Firstline. The "show" was produced by "Actuality Entertainment",[7] and producers promised the students it would air on a major network. Many students never saw any cameras, however. No show never aired.[8][9][10][11][12] Firstline subsequently went into bankruptcy,[13][14] and the state of California launched an investigation of the company's practices which led to its license being revoked.[15][16]

References

  1. Rose, Sontaya (26 February 2008). False Alarms and a Dose of Reality, KFSN-TV (ABC Fresno affiliate)
  2. (3 June 2007). Firstline brings security to masses, Deseret News
  3. (27 April 2007). `Prodigy' auditions fail to draw crowd, The Gazette (Cedar Rapids)
  4. McCann, Jessica (7 March 2007). TV show recruits at A&M: Almost 100 Aggies apply to be the next big reality stars, The Battalion
  5. (30 May 2007). The Prodigy, Opportunity Knocks: Reality TV Recruits Film Graduates of Collins College for Camera Crew, Business Wire (press release about project in May 2007)
  6. (27 April 2007). UI part of `Prodigy' search, The Gazette (Cedar Rapids)
  7. Actuality Entertainment - Television Production (Actuality Entertainment website, providing its story on the "show") (Retrieved March 26, 2012)
  8. Finney, Michael (13 February 2008). Reality show contestants duped into selling, KGO-TV (ABC San Francisco affiliate)
  9. Hokanson, Chris (23 January 2008). Utah based company lures "door-to-door" salesmen, The Battalion
  10. Rose, Sontaya (15 February 2008). False Alarms, KFSN-TV (ABC Fresno affiliate)
  11. (21 July 2007). Pure Bull or Pure Evil?, odd time signatures (author, who write for many publications, writes on experiences of her son in the project) (this source is a blog and should also be considered appropriately, however the material appears to be accurate)
  12. Finney, Michael (28 February 2008). Reality show producer talks to ABC7, KGO-TV (ABC San Francisco affiliate)
  13. Finney, Michael (29 February 2008). Consumers get faulty alarm systems, KGO-TV (ABC San Francisco affiliate)
  14. (29 January 2008). Firstline Security seeks bankruptcy protection, Deseret News (Bloomberg article)
  15. Finney, Michael (14 March 2008). State investigating Firstline Security, KGO-TV (ABC San Francisco affiliate)
  16. Finney, Michael (19 June 2008). Firstline loses license to operate in CA, KGO-TV (ABC San Francisco affiliate)
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