Yesterday Howard Stern sued the makers of the reality series Are You Hot? The Search for America's Sexiest People and the network that airs it, claiming that it is a ripoff of the videotaped version of his show that air on E!
The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, names both Telepictures Prods. and ABC as defendants , as well as series creator Mike Fleiss and co-executive producer and show runner Scott Einziger.
Einziger used to be the producer of Stern's television show. Stern's former head writer, Jackie Martling, also was hired for Are You Hot, but is not named in the suit.
Stern is seeking more than $10 million in damages and alleges unfair business practices, unfair competition and misappropriation of trade secrets.
Stern has as segment on his show called "The Evaluators," in which he and his guests decided if a contestant was hot enough to be a playmate in Playboy magazine.
Similarities go beyond staff - both shows have a single male host and a panel of three blunt and harsh judges who use a laser pointer to highlight body parts during the critiquing process.
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