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The Talk Show Scam

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[Blind Gossip] This blind item is about a popular talk show that has been on the air for years. The show films in front of a live studio audience.

Every year, they do a holiday gift giveaway. Sponsors contribute their products in exchange for a promotional mention on the show.

Of course the audience loves it. They scream and cheer – and cry! – as they walk away with literally thousands of dollars of gifts simply for being an audience member.

There is something nefarious going on behind the scenes, though.

It’s a scam, and we’re going to tell you how it works.

We are going to give you a hypothetical example with hypothetical numbers. 

Let’s say The Show begins negotiations with KitchenAid, a manufacturer of household appliances. They tell KitchenAid that they want to include a KitchenAid Stand Mixer (which is a popular holiday gift) as part of their holiday giveaway.

The negotiations between The Show and the manufacturer begin.

Which model of mixer? The low end mixer you can buy on sale for $199 or the high-end mixer that retails for over $500? Will the manufacturer include attachments?

It’s not just about the retail value of the gifts. How long will The Host talk about the mixer? Will they demonstrate the mixer on air by whipping up a batch of Christmas cookies? Will KitchenAid also buy some commercial time during the show to promote their other products?

KitchenAid asks The Show how many audience members there are so they can send the appropriate amount of product. Let’s say The Show tells KitchenAid that there will be 400 audience members that day.

KitchenAid agrees to include some overage to the order just in case any of the boxes are damaged in transit. This is done with the strict instruction that any product that is undistributed to the audience is to be returned in its original packaging to the manufacturer.

Let’s say that KitchenAid ships 420 boxes of $500 mixers. That’s $210,000 worth of  ONE product from ONE sponsor.

Let’s say that all of the mixers arrive in good condition.

Now, what if the audience actually only consists of 300 people the day of the giveaway?

Perhaps the show coordinators innocently gave KitchenAid the wrong number. Perhaps not.

Regardless of whether that error was innocent, The Show sends those 120 extra mixers back to the manufacturer as per their agreement, right?

No.

They might send back a few of the mixers to fool the manufacturer.

The props department is then told to remove the rest of the mixers from their boxes and to throw away the packaging. Now that merchandise can’t be returned.

They split up the bounty.

Keep in mind that there are multiple days of giveaways with multiple sponsors involved, so The Show has a warehouse filled with literally millions of dollars of brand-new, high-end products.

The scam we are talking does not involve one or two items that “fell off a truck.” We are talking about the large-scale, purposeful theft of brand new, high-end merchandise by a popular talk show.

Famous Host: You are a producer of the show. Are you part of this? Are you aware of this? You are now!

Similar: Last Minute Gifts

TV Host:

[Optional] What one material gift are you hoping for this holiday?

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • spookie says

      I ask my in-laws for slippers every year and it’s become a joke for them to find the cutest ones with animal faces on them! I do genuinely want them because i don’t wear shoes in the house and my slippers get so battered and beat up by the end of the year.

  4. SleuthingForFun says

    TV Host: This screams Ellen Degeneres (what a play on her name de generous which is how it is pronounced)

    [Optional] What one material gift are you hoping for this holiday? I self bought Alfred Hitchcock’s 3 movie box set and Midnight Lace w/Doris Day so YAY for ME!

  15. ILUVCA4evr says

    TV Host: Ellen

    [Optional] What one material gift are you hoping for this holiday? I was really hoping for a new Dooney purse. Ended up buying it for myself ahead of time. I’m happy.

  21. stitcher734 says

    Rachael Ray or Martha Stewart? I guess either of these since the blind references baking Christmas cookies; these are the only two I can think of who would cook or bake.

  38. grey.jade says

    Ellen DeGeneres – she is forsure aware of this.
    Can’t answer the optional, because there is nothing I’m hoping for. Just grateful for anything, anyone decides to get me.

    • itstarapagain says

      I’m so sorry for you. I hope your heart eventually heals and it brings you comfort. I hope your wish comes true and you have sloppy puppy kisses for Xmas!

  49. GretaGuesses says

    Ellen’s Twelve Days of Giveaways

    I be Ellen knows all about this. I have read articles saying that she’s really not so nice and friendly when she’s not on camera. Plus, I knew someone who worked at a dry cleaners where several stars brought their clothes. She said that these were the most tight-wad people she’d ever been around. They always wanted freebies.

    Actually, I wouldn’t mind getting one of those $500. mixers! But it would probably end up just being something that took up room

  54. snarkoff says

    This is Oprah or Ellen, and the manufacturers could not care less, because a mention by Oprah or Ellen is worth millions. A couple hundred thousand worth of lost merch is chump change in comparison.

  57. pharmchick says

    Definitely Ellens giveaway- possibly Oprahs if this isnt a recent thing. Thats terrible and if I was a sponsor I would probably want to see a legit seat count before sending so much merch.

    I personally would love a robot vacuum!

  60. Princesspc says

    Wow, if true this is so unethical.
    This could be the Ellen show. What I don’t like is that audience is packed with free loading people who could easily afford this on their own. She should have moved production to a hard hit community like Flint MI and pack the audience with hard working under paid teachers.

  66. Baileygirl says

    I have no idea about the talk show host. The only one I can think of is Ellen. The amount of merchandise amounts to grand theft. I hope the producer knows now and calls the FBI. This is really bad. It is not an innocent crime.
    The only material gift I want this year is a German weather house-the one with the man and woman who come out of the house and predict the weather. I am going for clutter-free gifts this year-food, mani-pedi certificates etc.

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