Posted on 09/20/2005 6:03:41 PM PDT by wagglebee
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Texas woman has sued ABC's popular reality show "Extreme Makeover" for more than $1 million claiming among other things that an abrupt cancellation of her appearance on the program led to her sister's death.
Deleese Williams of Conroe, Texas, claims she came to Los Angeles to be a contestant on the show after undergoing a series of medical exams to determine if her crooked teeth and droopy eyes could be fixed and her small breasts enhanced, according the suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The suit starts with the blunt description: "Deleese Williams is considered ugly" and says one doctor promised her "a Hollywood smile like Cindy Crawford."
To prepare for the show, the producers sent a crew to Texas in January 2004 to interview Williams and her family.
The suit claims the "Extreme Makeover" crew manipulated Williams' sister, Kellie, into making cruel statements about Williams' looks.
The night before Williams was to begin her makeover, the show's producers told her it would take too long for work on her jaw to heal. They canceled her appearance and sent Williams home where Kellie, distraught over what she had said about her sister, eventually killed herself, according to the suit.
"Sometimes Deleese blames herself for Kellie's death," the suit said.
An ABC spokeswoman was not immediately available to comment.
I think Reality TV is ugly!
I don't understand what happened. Did they ever make a commitment to her? Was any contract signed?
Posted a couple times already.
If that is considered ugly I feel really sorry for normal looking people!
Of course. I'm sure the producers protected themselves in the fine print. The money they save will be used for next season's show, "Downs Sydrome Kids Get Tricked For Laughs."
The more I look at that pic, the harder it is to blame Bill.
You know how the song goes: "If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty woman your wife..."
If ugliness makes you kill yourself I would have done a swan dive out of my crib.
I happen to find this woman extremely unattractive.
ABC announced her operation on air the week previous.
ABC should settle this, only a million and the publicity would be worse once someone like Greta gets hold of it.
Have you run that by some producers yet? You might get a taker.
These shows have got to end sometime soon. I just don't see the attraction, I think I watched 2 episodes of The amazing race to see what all the buzz was about when the guy kept demeaning/verbally abusing his fiancee.
Couldn't happen to a better network, 'cept maybe NBC, CBS, or CNN.
You're not supposed to look at the face.
folks cannot sue every time they simply don't get what they wanted.
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