The Salahis: Love ’em or Hate ’em? NBCU Online Poll Takes Consumers’ Temperature
There’s more evidence that Bravo is carefully calculating its next move when it comes to potential Real Housewives of Washington, D.C. stars Michaele and Tareq Salahi.
NBC Universal, parent company of Bravo, is polling consumers about perceptions of the infamous couple, who have been the subject of a raft of negative publicity since crashing President Obama’s first state dinner Nov. 24.
NBCU’s online survey questions, designed to gauge consumer perceptions of the couple, include:
What are the first words that pop into your head when you think of the White House Gate Crashers story?
How did you feel about the amount and type of coverage the White House Gate Crashers story has received?
Interestingly, questions about the Salahis were preceded by questions about Mayumi and Richard Heene, the Colorado parents who claimed that their 6-year-old son Falcon was adrift in a homemade helium balloon. Media reports have likened the publicity-hungry Salahis to the Heenes in their mutual quest for reality television stardom. The Salahis maintain a very active Facebook page where they uploaded pictures of themselves at the state dinner with various administration officials, including Vice President Joe Biden and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
The Heenes recently pleaded guilty to lying to authorities. They received probation.
The Salahis are the subject of a federal investigation. A Congressional committee voted to subpoena the couple for a Jan. 20 hearing on Capitol Hill. But their lawyer has said that they will invoke their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Additionally, Virginia authorities are investigating the Salahis’ company America’s Polo Cup, which holds a yearly match and gala to raise funds for their charitable organization.
A Bravo executive recently conceded that while the couple has certainly raised the profile of the network’s docu-soap franchise, causing “deep embarrassment” to the White House may just be the kind of publicity that Bravo could do without.
President Obama told Steve Kroft in a Dec. 13 60 Minutes interview that he was angry at the “screwup” that allowed the Salahis to gain entry into the White House and shake his hand in the receiving line. “[I’m] unhappy with everybody who was involved in the process,” Obama said, because “although I chafe at being in the bubble, I also want to make sure my family is safe. It won’t happen again.”
The NBCU consumer survey also included a section asking users to indicate how strongly they agree or disagree with a series of statements regarding the Salahis. These include:
Featuring this couple on a reality show would be rewarding their actions.
If they are on a reality show, I hope no one watches.
They would make great “love to hate” characters on a reality show.
They are train wreck characters who I would love to see more of.
Michaele Salahi is great eye candy.
One of the questions in this section hinted at a heretofore unmentioned scenario:
If a network gave them their own reality show, it would negatively influence my opinion of that network. (Emphasis added.)
(To view a larger version, click here)
TJ Burke commented:
Prosecute them now! I would boycott
Bravo. How disgusting, and absolutely
stupid to reward these criminals.
anonymous commented:
Too bad they stopped the poll because I have to say, I've never wanted to vote on anything so badly in my life - and I worked on Capitol Hill. These two should be in jail. To give them any more exposure would be appalling. I have had a decreasing opinion of Bravo over the last two years but frankly this would be the final straw. Bravo, are you listening? I hope so, because all the votes are right above.
lm commented:
If NBC puts them on the show I think they should be charged and someone held responsible. This is sick and anyone even thinking of giving these people any fame or money for living a life like thy have is disgusting. I am thinking of putting a petition out to boycott bravo for just thinking about it. SHAME ON YOU!
mh commented:
I would hate to give up my Thursday night lineup, but I would delete all NBC channels from the dvr if these two jerks get there own show.
shellee commented:
I would NEVER watch this show....and I believe it would hurt other Bravo shows...I would turn the station off. Ugh, there is NOTHING entertaining about them.
Valerie commented:
I would be absolutely disgusted and would boycott NBC and its affiliates (MSNBC, Bravo, etc.) if they were to provide the Salahis with this kind of venue
X commented:
I would never watch any show that would feature them. What they did was criminal and deserving of federal charges. They must never be rewarded for commiting a federal crime. Shame on nbc and bravo! This was an invasion of our Presidents home!
Eric commented:
If you give these two criminals a show, i am done with NBC and all of your other stations, too
Someone who knows them commented:
Do not do it Bravo. They are L-O-S-E-R-S in every sense of the word. They are not representative of DC - they are wannabes - total con-artist liars. You will lose me and so many other viewers if you reward these skanks with a show. They lie, cheat, leave hard working business owners high and dry and scrambling to make up for losses when they get stiffed by these tools and now they are about to get a few Secret Service members fired.
You are even considering rewarding them with a reality show? That makes you just as shady as these losers.
Disgusted commented:
The next time these people get a chunk of their already far exceeded "15 minutes of fame," should be when they're dead and buried. If NBC gives them their own show, I'll boycott the network.. PERIOD. If I want stupidity on network television beyond that which is already there, I'll tune-in to re-runs of Paris Hilton's "Real World."
Teri in DC commented:
I live in DC and travel in the real society
circles, these people are low class, trailer
park and about as interesting as a wet rag.
If NBC universal and it's partners put these
two nobody's on any show I will never watch
any of your shows again. We should start
a petition.
flaborgasted neighbor commented:
NBC and Comcast and Bravo and all of their other subsidiaries will certainly be turned off at our house if they have a tareq/mikaela component of any kind. Someone from Verizon can come out to my house and rip out comcast right now. America doesn't know the half of what these two scum bags are into. You should see what they've done to their parents. Gate crashing the white house is the least of their terroristic stupidity. Go to Oasis winery and talk to mom and dad who have been left in the wake (and debt) of their idiot children.
Salahis-Liars commented:
How are they any different then balloon boy? I like the way they try to convince people they were invited. The emails never suggested that. It instead stated that she would try and up to some point was never able to get them invited, yet they assumed they were. Losers/Liars/Cheaters anyone else would be put in jail or locked up for a mental check.
True DC tv watcher commented:
They are fake and don't deserve anything. she is so fake, see wannabe Redskin cheerleader article. They don't represent real DC people. Please cut them loose.
Philindc commented:
If you knew these people you'd see what awful scumbags they are..at the end of the day theyre just crappy flim flam artists who have clearly lost the abaility to know truth from reality..what is interesting is everyone talks about Michaele...its really Michelle...when actually its Tareq who the manipulative BSer..hes the dangerous one...who sues their own mom?? I hope they call the show the Real Douches of DC
inventormom commented:
I will never watch Bravo EVER AGAIN if these two self-absorbed TOOLS are rewarded with a show. They are complete and total frauds -- total poseurs - just ask any of the plaintiffs who are suing them for money owed! Don't you people do ANY vetting at all? Or just as much as the RNC did of Palin? Ha ha ha ha ha!!! Look, I can live without the cooking shows, and fashion shows and OCD house flipper show, and rich snot-nosed-kid real estate guys prancing around like it's romper room time. But put those two losers on TV, and you WILL regret it.
kenar commented:
Give these people a show, and as much as it pains me, Bravo and I are breaking up permanently. It's that simple. It's one things to have extroverted people on TV; it comes with the meal in reality, but you encourage this kind of nonsense by allowing people to create their own audition events in the public eye, and I declare your entire brand dead to me. I would miss Top Chef terribly and while I can do without the Housewives franchise, which is tranwreck TV, I am as serious as a heart attack.
copper commented:
I'd say charge them and the person at NBC repsonsible for encouraging them in jail for 2-5 years
jojo commented:
I will boycott any network or cable station that gives them their own show - how pathetic.
CA commented:
These pathetic people have gotten too much attention already. What they did was beyond tacky. TV is already too full of cheap tacky stuff......these two belong in oblivion.....
Billy commented:
I am fan of the Real Housiwivies franchise and would hate to see this ridiculous duo with so much pre-show baggage/over-exposure appear in a DC edition of the show and even less so on a show of their own. There is nothing remotely interesting about them and their appearance on this series would be so offputting that I would not even sample the DC-edition as they've been shoved down out throats all over the dial and don't fit in an ensamble or their own show. Bravo, my gut says the show will tank if you go through with putting these people on it and you must be concerned about it if you are already testing the waters in this fashion.
Bill commented:
Nobody seems to care that these people single-handedly ruined the careers of several brave Secret Service agents. I'd be willing to boycott the whole network if they were included on the show, not just the housewives franchise. Despicable phonies. At least if they are included it could help fuel what appears to be a growing backlash against this pathetic form of television.
MichaeleinPrison commented:
Is Bravo going to follow all the criminal trials and live with the prisoners? Is NBC going to pay all the people that the Salahi's owe money to? Is Bravo going to post their mug shots? Wow! What a role model for young these folks are. Go ahead, reward the wrong behavior. Bravo will not be on in this home.
y52yh commented:
I would watch the REAL housewives of DC, if the Salahis are "NOT" on it. As I said, I want to watch the REAL housewives of DC, not some scumbags, who is broke and just want to fake it through life. WE ALL KNOW they are NOT what they posed themselves to be. Does NBC think WE ARE SOME RUNNY NOSE KIDS, WHO WILL WATCH AN ABSOLUTE LIE ON TV JUST BECAUSE THEY AIR IT? No way, I won't stoop so low.
Train Wrecks commented:
Michaele is NOT hot - if you've seen her up close she's a hag with bad breath but a good makeup job.
NBCU absolutely should NOT give them a slot on RHDC, much less their own show. To reward these petty liars and criminal wannabes would only encourage more bad behavior which the rest of us would have to live with. They're broke and nearly homeless and the best thing that could happen to them would be to have to live in a tent under a bridge for a year.
Real Housewives Fan commented:
LOVE IT! This is amazing. Truth or not - I wont miss this season of DC Housewives!
Howard commented:
NBC I am watching. TV doesn't get any better than this. eye candy and a whole lot more to hear. Can't wait for DC Show!
jv commented:
Don't encourage or reward poor behavior by allowing this show to go on the air. I am disappointed in you "NBC-Universal"