A "Dating Naked," contestant has reportedly filed a lawsuit against VH1's parent company Viacom, with claims that the network failed to blur out her genitals during an episode.
The New York Post reported 28-year-old Jessie Nizewitz, who appeared in a July 31 episode of the reality series, has filed a $10 million lawsuit against Viacom and production companies - Firelight Entertainment and Lighthearted Entertainment - for allegedly flashing her private area during a playful wrestling match with a male contestant on the beach.
Nizewitz, who is an inspiring model from Long Island, New York, said she was assured by producers that all of her private areas would be blurred out during the episode. She claims after the uncensored footage aired, she was insulted and embarrassed on social media.
The images were reportedly shared on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr after airing on VH1.
"Although I went on this show knowing that I would be nude while taping it, I was told that my private parts would be blurred for TV," Nizewitz said in a statement. "If you watch an episode, you will see that the blur actually makes it less revealing than a bikini would. Obviously, I did not expect the world to see my private parts, this is not what I anticipated or what any other contestants on the show anticipated."
Nizewitz told the New York Post that she felt "lied to, manipulated and used," along with feeling "horrified." She also claims that the man she was dating stopped calling her after the episode aired.
"I immediately started getting text messages," she told the Post. "Everyone saw it. One of the messages read, 'So your money shot is on cable TV.' My grandma saw it. I saw her this week and she didn't have much to say to me. She's probably mad. My parents are just annoyed."
According to Entertainment Weekly, the lawsuit stated, "Plaintiff...was shocked, horrified and outraged to observe this intrusion into her privacy for all to see. Immediately Plaintiff became subject to ridicule by those watching. Plaintiff has suffered and continues to suffer extreme emotional distress, mental anguish, humiliation and embarrassment...Defendants knew or reasonably should have known that broadcasting an individual's vagina and anus on national cable television would cause substantial and severe emotional distress."
"Dating Naked," which premiered on July 17, follows one male and one female who go out on several dates fully nude. At the end of the episode, both contestants choose whether they would like to see one another again.
The show typically censors the private parts of both contestants, but typically bares their buttocks. "Dating Naked" has been slammed by Parents Television Council for putting nudity on cable.
