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From: linden@positive.eng.sun.com (Peter van der Linden)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Fantasy Island and no damn urine, either!
Date: 20 Apr 1994 19:30:56 GMT

Just for the record, some of the entertainment on "People's Court" is pure fiction. Here's an example from my Practical Joke archives, posted in 1989 (5 year cycle time between thread revivals! A new record!!)

>From amdcad!ames!pasteur!euler!pealei Thu Feb 9 20:30:07 PST 1989
>Yes, I was on "the People's Court". Just between you and me, the case I
was on was a set-up. A friend of mine who was then a business student at UCLA decided to try to get on the show. We actually DID set up the scene, and I did eat the goldfish, but our sole intent was to appear on the show.

Here's the way it worked

1. We made up the story
2. He went to small claims court in the LA area and filed the suit (luckily he lived in the LA area... a requirement for filing in their small claims system.
3. We decided that it would be very difficult to make up an airtight story, so we bought three goldfish, and he named them (J.R., Lefty, and Lucky Pierre)
4. We had a small party at his apartment, at which time I ate the goldfish
5. The next week we each got a call from the folks at TPC and they interviewed us for the case
6. We had to sign papers saying that we would drop the case from the legal system, and appoint Judge Wapner as an arbitrator. This legally means that we must abide by his decision.
7. The show aired, we told Judge Wapner exactly what had occured, and I lost a partial settlement (the plaintiff had asked for $200.00 per fish for pain and suffering that he didn't get)
8. TPC has a $500.00 fund for each case. For settlements less than $500, they pay the settlement, then split the remainder between the litigants. For cases greater than $500, they pay the settlement and give the loser $25.00. Either way, niether party can lose. In our case, the settlement was $68, so he ended up with $284, and I got $216.
9. We pooled the money and took a trip to Mazatlan and spent it all.

With regards to Doug Lewellen, his hair actually looks more fake in real life than it does on TV! (hard to believe, I know...)

Judge Wapner was extremely pleasant and efficient. He did accuse me of being drunk ..."Two beers!? I've heard that tune before. Did it make you high?"... but he was not harsh or cruel avout it. The thing that really impressed me about JW was that he was so good at sorting through the crap and getting right to the significant issues. He asked very straightforward questions until he had all the necessary facts, then headed to his chambers.

The whole experience was great. There I was at a Hollywood studio, getting filmed for one of my favorite shows. It was quite nerve wracking, but it is an experience I'll never forget.

So, that's my story... But I'm STILL frantically looking for a copy of the Pat Sajak show that aired Thursday night (2-2-89) when Judge Wapner was the guest. If anyone can help PLEASE, PLEASE contact me through email at

> pealei@euler.berkeley.edu

Peter
--
Peter van der Linden floss@least.twice.daily (415) 555-1212

Kibo's a prekilocounterrepotatoinglylike dork