Most Annoying Infomercial Charlatans

[Alexander]

Though it doesn't have an official spokesperson, the "Girls Gone Wild" infomercials are clearly some of the most disgusting and despicable infomercials currently running. Even worse are the videos themselves. They represent the worst aspects of our hedonistic and exhibitionist culture. Everytime I view one of them I come away depressed about the future of our civilization; and the lighting is really bad.

The biggest problem with the "Girls Gone Wild" videos is that they seem to be designed for feebs who don't realize that if they're old enough to buy videos of girls flashing their tits, they're old enough to buy *real* porn!

[BruceH]

There was update about Trudeau on the radio a couple days ago. The guy is clearly a sociopath. Unfortunately, his latest book has sold something like 4 million copies (talk about depressing), apparently tapping into a widespread distrust of the medical profession.

[Dan Gould]

I just found out that the parent company of 4X Made Easy and Wizetrade is suing the operators of the infomercialscams.com and infomercialratings.com websites for, get this, "trademark infringement"!

Their claim is that by using terms like "4X made easy" in their meta-tags for puposes of Google searches, the sites are trying to create in the minds of consumers that there is a connection between the two companies.

Unbelievable! Yeah, the company is trying to associate itself with a scam artist that gets the worst reviews on the website. Here is the text of the suit; over here is a copy of one of the initial "threat" letters that they received.

I cannot imagine that this suit could even go to trial, it is such a blatant attempt to silence a critic. To their credit, Public Citizen has agreed to represent the company.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

One of the funniest things I've ever seen is called "The Farting Tape" where someone went in and superimposed various and sundry farting sounds over Tilton's meanderings.   Absolutely fall down funny.

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Apparently there are several "editions' floating around, but here's one I found....

Robert Tilton farting video

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you gotta see > # 4! < that one is just sublime. this guy that makes them really came into his own (err) on that installment.

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I practically farted watching both of those, I was laughing so hard. Here are editions #1 and #2. The way that the sound effects match up with the language in #2 is especially hysterical.

NUMBER 5 !!!!

"open the windows of heaven!"

[John Tapscott]

Sounds like he's taken advantage (or maybe he needs to) of one of the "colon cleanse" products which are a staple infomercial north of the border (by some phony doctor - Dr. Ho, I think his name is). Just the ads themselves will scare the crap out of you, let me tell you!

[Jazzmoose]

Great stuff!

As to the original poll, can any full length infomercial be as nauseating as the short commercial of Bob with his natural male enhancement?

[Dan Gould]

Great stuff!

As to the original poll, can any full length infomercial be as nauseating as the short commercial of Bob with his natural male enhancement?

That company has been in deep trouble with a bunch of state AGs. Like most of these companies, they sign you up for "autoship," keep billing your credit card and never give any refunds. And the pills don't work.

So I've been told.

[chris olivarez]

That guy who looks somewhat like the actor Richard Thomas who played John Boy on "the Waltons". That guy has a pencil thin moustache and every time I see him the words "snake oil salesman" comes to mind and that dude that sells oxy clean and others thing-now there's someone who properly defines annoying.

[Jazzmoose]

And the pills don't work.

So I've been told.

I'll be damned if I can figure out what they do other than make you grin like a fool. Are they supposed to make it harder? Longer? Grow an extra one?

[Free For All]

Are they supposed to make it harder?

I hope not. It was WAY TOO HARD for me. Apparently.

[Dan Gould]

This seems like the best place to put some great news about Kevin Trudeau:

If you're unaware, the last time the FTC went after him it was over a "coral calcium" supplement he falsely claimed cures cancer among other diseases. The settlement he agreed to was a permanent ban on producing or appearing in infomercials for any product, with the noteworthy exception of books (unfortunately the first amendment applies to scum bag con artists, too). Thus, you had Trudeau writing his brilliant, incisive "(___) they don't want you to know about" series.

Well, the settlement explicitly stated that he could appear in infomercials for books if he does not misrepresent the content of the books. Too bad that after he took on the drug companies and the finance companies, he went after the really big market: Fat (and dumb) people desperate to be less fat (but still dumb).

Well the FTC went after him for claiming that his weight loss regimen is "easy" and that after you finish the four phases you can "eat anything you want". Unfortunately for Trudeau, the reality is that you have to have daily colonics, get injected with HGH, go on a 500 calorie a day diet for up to 50 days and do a shitload of other things that can't possibly be described as "easy". Oh, and when you're "done" (you are never done, the book explicitly says you do stage 4 for the rest of your life) you can't eat "anything" and never gain weight, you continue to eat "organic" only and cannot eat at any "regional" or "national" chain restaurant or buy food from any publicly traded corporation.

Bottom line: The FTC moved for the Judge to find him in civil contempt of the settlement agreement, and the judge agreed. He's now been banned from any infomercial whatsoever for three years, unless its a product for which he is simply acting as a paid spokesman and has no interest in, and entered a judgment against Trudeau in the amount of $37,616,161.00.

What's scary is that if that's what Trudeau has made off of this book, is it unfair to suppose he made a similar amount off the other two books? 37 million is a lovely chunk of change but if this scumbag banked over a hundred million total, what's the real penalty? In the meantime, he's crying poverty and says he can't even pay his lawyers!

Check out this link for not only a consideration of the issues and the law, but scroll to the bottom to see everything that is included in Trudeau's "weight loss cure". Its frightening reading.

There is more from the judge here and here. Quite interesting (for me at least) to read the Judge's findings about the law and how ludicrous Trudeau's defense arguments were.