Real Housewives of Toronto alum Kara Alloway has exposed the brutal contracts reality stars sign before appearing on TV – with even their close relatives forced to sign non-disclosure agreements.
Kara, who is married to lawyer Graham Alloway, had no real way of knowing the extent of what she was getting into when she was cast as the ‘villain’ of the series, despite lengthy preparations.
First came the audition stage, with cast-mates encouraged to show how open they’re willing to be with the cameras. Kara then underwent a two-hour psychological assessment and a medical exam, before she was eventually greeted with a participant agreement.
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Speaking exclusively to Daily Star, Kara explained it was hard to say no to producers even when she knew how twisted the edit could get.
(Image: Slice)
“It was season one, which is critical. Second, these are the people who control your edit – you don’t want to p*** them off!”
She explained: “You sign a participant agreement, and my husband signed one as ‘husband of participant’, where he was to be shown in ‘the best light’. I, on the other hand, signed one that said, ‘Everything is on the table’.
“I took it to a lawyer to review, and he said, ‘You’ve got to be a little nuts to sign this!'”
Kara’s hubby also had a dire warning for his wife, with Kara admitting: “My husband said, ‘Literally, in the bacon and egg breakfast, you’re the pig, sorry. No coming back for you’.
“Meaning he’s the chicken, he comes out alive, but the pig doesn’t fare so well in that scenario.”
(Image: Getty Images)
One of the stipulations of Kara’s contract said that if she were to be injured while filming, bosses would call an ambulance – but would keep the cameras rolling.
She explained: “I ended up breaking two ribs. I went on a water toy pulled behind a boat, and the producers were doing a zig-zag on purpose trying to flip me, and I did.
“Another girl fell on top of me and I legitimately broke two ribs. That became a huge plot-line in the show: ‘She’s lying, she didn’t break her ribs’.
“Because I knew the other cast-mates were going in this direction and questioning me, production said, ‘Can we film you getting your CT scan?’
“At this point I knew there was something really wrong because I had, they start with an X Ray and the doctors wanted me to have a CT scan. In Canada because we’re socialised medicine a doctor won’t order a CT scan unless there’s a need for it.
(Image: Getty Images)
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“I did the CT scan, they were filming, and the people in the hospital were like, ‘Are you okay with this?’ They didn’t use any of that footage because the scan showed I had broken two ribs.”
In addition, everyone around Kara – including her family, friends and employees – had to sign lengthy NDAs stating they would not reveal what went on while filming before the show aired.
But despite the edit, and despite becoming the ‘most hated’ cast member, Kara said she wouldn’t change anything about the agreements she signed – only the “animosity” between bosses and her particularly.
And in her debut novel, aptly titled Most Hated, she’s busy dissecting female relationships through the lens of six women participating in a reality TV show.
It’s available to buy in all good bookshops and online.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
