Cheaters is a reality television show that features Private Investigators busting in on cheating spouses and lovers. It has been on air since 1999 and enjoyed considerable success. Every week on the CW Plus and G4TV, host Joey Greco (soon to be replaced by Clark Gables) takes us into the private lives of adulterers. It is scandalous, sexy and at times – jaw-dropping.
The show is successful for a number of reasons. First of all, many of us just love watching a real-life detective at work. The life of a private investigator seems romantic and dangerous to the outside observer. Cheaters allows you to experience part of the adrenaline rush of catching a bad guy “in the act”.
Second, the show portrays a side of life that is foreign to many of us. Of course, not all of us will experience infidelity in our lifetime and certainly the large majority of us that do will not get to exploit the situation on national television.
Lastly, the show Cheaters details intimate accounts of the relationships that are torn apart by cheating. It is disturbing at best, and horrifying at worst. The betrayed parties often display shameless acts of fighting, crying and cussing when they discover the truth about their philandering partner. The philanderer is often caught quite literally, with his or her pants down.
Cheaters features couples that are married or in long-term relationships, are straight or gay. It narrates a history of the couple, including how they met and why one half of the couple thinks the other is cheating. The narrator then goes on to describe the details of the investigation. You get to watch part of the investigation – often being filmed from a P.I. vehicle – from the comfort of your sofa. Evidence gathered via the investigation is presented to the partner who initially suspected the other of cheating.
Finally, the climax of the show is the inevitable meeting between the cheater, the object of his/her adulterous affection, and the angry complainant. The result is often volatile and mostly bleeped out due to crassness. Quite often, the Cheaters staff have to intervene when the situation becomes violent.
Watching cheating spouses get caught in the act and subsequently dumped on television satiates a need for justice. The show holds particular appeal for those who have been in similar situations and not felt vindicated.
The show has a great website too. It offers a blog, an advice column and quizzes that test your compatibility. You can read about celebrity cheaters (Tiger Woods and Jude Law made the page) and even purchase items that help you catch a cheating spouse. The site also links to another site that allows you to browse through and post your own stories of cheating. There are pictures of philanderers posted by scorned lovers, with details of their home town, height, weight, hair color and even occupation. Yikes.
My vote? If you suspect you are being cheated on, and you have solid evidence of it, you might be right. It’s a good idea to calmly confront your spouse with your suspicions. If he or she denies it and you are still uncomfortably suspicious, don’t conduct your own investigation because you feel like an expert after watching Cheaters. Instead of wasting time, trust your case to the largest and most experienced investigators in New York. Give us a call at NAI and have us do the leg work for you.
