I've mentioned many times here that I enjoy watching Judge Judy. I watch it every day. Yes, every day. I know what you must think of me, but hey, what can I say?
There was a time when I watched a lot of court shows. I can't remember all of their names (Judge Joe Brown and...er...the others) but I watched. Most were variants of the generic court show theme, although a few (Judge Hatchett! That's the other one!) tried to do more than just hear cases.
One show I didn't watch as often as the others was Judge Mathis. I'm not sure what it was about his format, but perhaps I was up to my ears in court shows at the time. I tuned in on occasion.
It turns out one of my classmates was a litigant on Judge Mathis! I was pretty excited to hear about this, because you don't often get the behind the scenes perspective of what happens on a court show (or other reality shows, for that matter).
The one thing I thought was really interesting was that the Judge Mathis show called my classmate, not the other way around, (and these shows always say "If you're in a legal dispute with your dog, call Judge Judy at 1-800-blah blah"). You'd think the shows would get enough callers with cases that the whole season could be covered.
Now, I don't know if what my classmate experienced is typical of appearing on a court show, so this instance may only apply to the Judge Mathis show.
My classmate reports being called by a producer of the show; apparently the producer had been looking through court cases and found something about my classmate's experience interesting.
Once the formalities are ironed out, and it's time to tape, the producers will fly you out to where the show is taped and put you up in a hotel.
The day of the taping, my classmate was interviewed by a producer in order to create a dramatic narrative. You might think what you see on a court show is the natural progression of the case, but apparently that's not so.
And how much does one get paid to be on a show like Judge Mathis? Ready?
$250.00
That's it! But if you're a defendant, the show actually pays for whatever judgment is handed down (if you watch the credits of any court show you'll see the disclaimer about how the litigants are paid from a fund). My classmate won and had her 15 minutes of fame, with an interesting story to tell.
Would YOU ever agree to appear on a court show?
Article comments
1 - Bennett
Good one Scott. That you have the courage to admit to your sick and twisted habit is an inspiration to us all...
Heh!
But seriously, it IS interesting and NO, I would not go on TV to participate in a circus like that for $250.
Ten grand minimum.
We all have our price.
2 - Mark Sahm
It's not embarassing to watch the court shows. It's embarrasing to walk away and 2 hours later, have no idea what you watched because most of those shows are from the same cookiecutter.
However, since you derived a post out of the topic, all is not lost.
3 - Ramses
I think that ANY individual who would agree to go on TV to air their dirty laundry has got to have a bit of a problem upstairs to begin with.
First off, your case will be convoluted and contrived by the producers upon your arrival; they will coach you to interrupt, be arrogant and to try to piss off the Judge. Why? Because it makes for good TV; the purposes of the show and it's producers is NOT justice -- their priority is RATINGS and ENTERTAINMENT in that order. So, you're an idiot if you're going on the show in search of 'justice'. If justice is what you really seek, may I suggest you take your case to a REAL court that holds jurisdiction in your area.
YES, the 'litigants' (I call them CONTESTANTS) are paid to appear and YES, the 'judgements' are paid out of a fund.
So, unless you feel you will benefit from a "free trip" to the city where the show is being taped, my advice is to just watch it on TV at home. Yes, they will fly you round-trip, however, the flights are the most inconvenient and you'd never book yourself on one; you will only spend one night in a hotel that is not a flop-house, but more like a Motel 6 or other discount chain motel. You will receive a food voucher for approximately $35.00 that can only be used at a national chain restaurant that the producers have an advertising deal with or they give the restaurant a "plug" in the closing credits. You can change your flight if you choose to spend more time in the city of the taping, but YOU have to pay the airline's surcharge for changing the itinerary and if any of you have ever flown before, you know this can be expensive. The show will only pay for one night's lodging. If you do decide to pay the airline surcharge to change your tickets to spend more time in the city where the show is taped, you forfeit the show-provided ground transportation to the airport. Be advised that they don't always use the most convenient airport in the area; your flight may be out of a smaller airport that is out in the boonies someplace and that you will be responsible for getting yourself there, wherever THAT is.
So think before you consider being on one of these shows.
Not to mention your business will be all out in the street once the episode airs!!!!!
4 - uglay
shut up Ramses