TV show contestant speaks out after losing $10,000 for fake singing competition

A unwitting contestant on Nathan Fielder’s show The Rehearsal has revealed that she lost $10,000 (£7,600) because of the comedy series.

Fielder, 42, is a comic director and producer who has become known for his high-cost docu-comedy series The Rehearsal, which first launched in 2022.

The series stars Fielder as a fictionalised version of himself who creates scenarios where ordinary people will rehearse difficult life events using sets and actors to recreate real-life situations, without the participants realising they are in a fake scenario.

However, one contestant has claimed that they lost out on a huge sum when offered the chance to appear in a singing competition, just to be duped by the show.

Lana Love, who had previously appeared on The Voice, explained that she thought she was singing up for a new HBO singing competition titled Wings of Voice that would give her the opportunity to kickstart her career.

Love told Variety: ‘I signed up to be a singer, not a lab rat.’

Love revealed that she wasn’t allowed to discuss the show as she signed a non-disclosure agreement.

‘I’m legally not allowed to have this conversation with you right now, because I signed an NDA,’ she said, but argued that HBO didn’t have ‘ground to stand on’ when it comes to retaliation.

She claimed she spent $5,500 on travelling across LA and New York three times for auditions, she added that she also lost money on accommodation, hair and makeup and $4,000 in cancelled singing lessons.

‘I’ve been through a lot in my time. I put in my 10,000 hours, and I felt like there wasn’t a basic human respect for people who have devoted their lives to art,’ she said.

‘I was at square one again, after 15 years professionally in this business.’

The New York-based singer-songwriter detailed the experience, which carried on for months in her interview and revealed that she eventually worked out the competition was fake and part of Fielder’s series.

She revealed that she tried to let other contestants know that they were being duped, but quickly realised that some still considered the gig an opportunity despite Wings of Voice not being a real show.

The episode aired on HBO on April 27 and was the second episode in the second series.

The episode was titled Star Potential, and the synopsis reads: ‘Nathan creates Wings of Voice, a fake singing competition show to test airline co-pilots by asking them to judge and reject auditioning contestants.’

The reaction to the series from viewers has been overwhelmingly positive, and the season has received a 97% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes.

Joel Keller for The Decider said in his review: ‘We have to give Nathan Fielder credit for how ambitious he is in the second season of The Rehearsal. What we wonder is if this is going to make for good comedy, given that’s what HBO is paying him to produce.’

‘That Season 2 convinced me it’s an earnest effort to improve people’s lives and a sidesplitting comedy and a moving emotional odyssey for Nathan, well, that’s what makes “The Rehearsal” Season 2 a cut above the vast majority of television,’ said Ben Travers for The Indie Wire.

HBO had nothing to add when reached out for comment.

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