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The 30-year-old singer who stunned judges on Season 20 of "American Idol" has filed a lawsuit against the show, ABC, and related production and entertainment companies, saying she was made a "laughing stock" and claims her wages were stolen.
Vamos' attorneys are accusing the hit TV show of exploiting "starry-eyed" performers, asking them to be available during filming for up to 15 hours a day, according to the suit filed Friday, Feb. 3 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
“American Idol’s producers seem to feel they can break labor laws and exploit ambitious young performers simply because they may be eager for a shot at becoming the next Jennifer Hudson or Carrie Underwood,” says Vamos’s attorney, Chantal Payton, principal managing partner of Los Angeles-based Payton Employment Law, PC.
“Vamos and other performers who create content for American Idol have rights as employees, but the producers have chosen to ignore those rights. They treated them as so-called volunteers, when in reality they are employees who should be paid.”
The lawsuit also accuses the producers of the show of baiting contestants into certain personas or wearing certain outfits in order to create a more interesting show, without the performer ever getting financial compensation.
In Vamos' case, those were her high-pitched voice and child-like outfit contrasted by her deep and soulful singing.
The character Vamos portrayed was outlined by the producers, who instructed her on how to dress and act, and went as far as telling the singer to go home and get her carrot purse which she was eventually asked by judges to be put down, court papers say.
Despite all of of that, Vamos made it to the next round.
“Reality TV isn’t always real. There’s a lot that happens behind the scenes,” Vamos said. “Myself and hundreds of people worked about a week with no pay. I think a lot of reality TV participants aren’t aware that they have rights.”
The contestants were also reportedly made to sign "work-for-hire" agreements for the show, as well as paperwork acknowledging that they were not an employee, at the same time.
The class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of Vamos and other unpaid or underpaid performers on Idol over the past four years.
The Baltimore native continues to rise in social media popularity despite the show, with over 80,000 followers on the popular video app, TikTok, and has been hired for voice work in Hollywood.
The class action may cover hundreds of former contestants.
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