Controversial Russian Reality Show Is Actually a Hoax

Game 2: Winter, a controversial Russian reality TV show project set in Siberia that warned its prospective participants about possible bodily harm, has turned out to be a hoax.

Yevgeny Pyatkovsky, the project's originator, made the announcement in a video address on a website created for the project.

"It's a fake I launched for my market research," he said without explaining the nature of the research. He added that the project, in which he "didn't invest a single kopek," worked as a free ad for himself and his future projects. A kopek is a Russian monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a ruble.

According to Pyatkovsky, the project's website attracted nearly 2 million visitors. "A large number of people believed in the project," he said. "It was discussed in many countries of the world."

He also boasted: "The clever idea and a well-written press release attracted attention of The Telegraph, The Sun, New York Post and other international media with millions of readers. This is a real advertisement, not the crap you see on television on a regular basis."

Read the rest of the article at The Hollywood Reporter.

A real reality show, Bachelor in Paradise, has been at the center of a real controversy this summer.