Temptation island participants sue

FAR FROM FANTASY HOLIDAY, REALITY TV CANDIDATES DEMAND WORKERS’ RIGHTS AND RECOGNITION IN COURTROOM BATTLE. PARTICIPANTS in the French version of Temptation Island are suing programme makers

for workers’ rights and benefits as a result of their appearances. Eighty candidates of L’Ile de la Tentation and 40 from other similar shows have taken the production company Glem

(affiliated with TF1) to a conseil des prud’hommes to rule on the case. They claim that their participation be recognised as an official work contract with all the rights attached. The

hearing takes place at the conseil des prud’hommes in Boulogne-Billancourt in the Hauts-de-Seine. The candidates were selected for the 2002-2003 series (L’Ile de la Tentation is in its

seventh season on TF1) and say that the rules that they signed amounted to a work contract. L’Ile de la Tentation sees couples split up to spend twelve days on an exotic holiday surrounded

by attractive singles. Their solicitor Jérémie Assous has already won a similar case in February where he successfully argued that three participants on a reality show were workers. A court

accepted Mr Assous’ argument that demands from the production company for candidates to be on permanent standby for filming, with wake-up hours and times they needed to be on screen, all

amounted to working practices. Production company Glem was fined for “undeclared work” and ordered to pay €27,000 to each contestant.