CBS Sues Fox Over 'Boot Camp'
April 11 -- Is Fox's new reality show Boot Camp just Survivor in uniform? That's what CBS and the producers of Survivor say, as they filed suit late Monday against the Fox Broadcasting Co. The suit charges Boot Camp's producers with violating federal copyright law.
Let's review the oh-so-subtle differences: On Survivor, contestants compete in brutal challenges that end with one luckless player being voted off at a tribal council session every week. Over on Fox, Boot Camp's contestants are subjected to Army-style maneuvers and harassment, ending each week with two people being ejected at a place called "dismissal hill."
CBS Turned Down the Boot
The lawsuit charges that Boot Camp was originally pitched to CBS, with the concept that the show's drill instructors would decide who should stay and who should go each week. After the network turned it down, the lawsuit claims, the military-style reality show was modified, making it even more like Survivor, with fellow contestants giving a thumbs-up or thumbs-down instead.
A CBS insider tells Variety that the outcome of this reality show face-off will set a precedent. "[The lawsuit] is a serious attempt to stop anyone, both now and in the future, from ripping off the family jewels," the source said.
"The only thing missing [from Boot Camp] are the quality and the ratings," another CBS source sniped to the trade paper.
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