5/16/12

Hey, UK Fans!  For the time ever, Joey Greco is coming to you!

Save the date!

June 27th-July 2nd 

Participate in the REALLY TV Twitter TAKEOVER on July 2nd with Joey!! Ask your questions for Joey to @ReallyTVChannel!

If you are interested in booking Joey Greco for a personal appearance, please contact Adam Wilcox Productions via email: enquiries@aw-productions.co.uk

For all other inquiries, please email: marketing@cheaters.com

XO,
Allie

5/15/12

Author:  JIM AVILA, ROXANNA SHERWOOD and MELIA PATRIA | ABC News 

All is fair in love and war, and the spy shop has become America’s new relationship weapon.

Feuding couples are using spy technology, from phone tracking and GPS to hidden cameras and microphones, to secretly record their partner’s movements. Some try to use the evidence in divorce court proceedings to get custody of children.

Divorce attorneys say they’ve seen an increase in the role electronic data and social networking sites play in divorces, according to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Brian, a father in Texas who asked that his last name not be used, said he made a shocking discovery on a recent visitation with his young son. Brian claimed his ex-wife, Allison, stitched a tiny tape recorder into their son’s jeans and was using the boy to spy on him.

“My son told me, ‘Dad, Mom has all these recordings of us inside the house.’ I said, ‘what do you mean?’” Brian said. “‘She has all these recordings and she listens to them at night.’ And I pulled my son close to me and patted him down, and that’s when I found the recorder.”

Brian made a video recording of his own, showing what he said was documentation of the moment he found the recorder his wife had planted. His attorney has since filed a complaint in district court, alleging violation of wiretapping laws. In response, Brian’s ex-wife told ABC News, “The allegation of wiretapping is inaccurate and is in the process of being dismissed through an agreement between he and I.”

Her attorney added, “Brian is a three-time convicted felon. He is currently on parole… His federal lawsuit is nothing more than trying to gain the upper-hand in the family court.”

Brian told ABC News that the charges are old and don’t reflect on his parenting ability.

One of the primary reasons do-it-yourself snooping has become more widespread is because it is relatively cheap and easy. Surveillance equipment can cost less than $300, and spy gear that can’t be found in a store can be bought online. Some recording devices are small enough to be mounted on a keychain, a motel room peephole, eyeglasses, pens or even inside a child’s favorite toy.

“The one thing that’s exchanged between the warring parties is the child, So the child becomes, in effect, some sort of Trojan horse.” said John Kinney, a divorce attorney who has worked on a number of high-tech cases.

Duke Lewton has been on the other end of those devices in a vicious battle over his 7-year-old daughter, whose mother rigged her teddy bear with a microphone and told her to carry it at all times.

“[She] removed a few stitches, placed a recording device inside of the little bear’s head, and then you could access a USB port on the side of the head … and download all of our conversations that we had had through the weekend,” Lewton told ABC News.

Lewton’s wife was fined $10,000 for violating wiretapping laws and the tapes were thrown out of court.

But the law is murky. In 38 states, it is legal to secretly record in a public place. Federal wiretapping laws protect the privacy of your cell phone conversation and your computer, and most of the time, judges don’t allow it.

“The emotions get so heated that people will do almost anything to get an edge,” Kinney said. “If new technology provides avenues for collection [of] whatever evidence that a litigant might think is out there, they’ll stop at nothing to get the evidence that they think they want.”

And it’s not just sparring spouses that are using spy technology. There is pre-nuptial snooping too.

Machell Russell had been living with her boyfriend Marcus Elias for three years when she started to suspect he was being unfaithful.

“He was telling me he needed to work late a lot, you know, and kind of rushing me off the phone when I would call him while I’m away on business,” she said. “And I’m like, ‘That’s weird,’ you know?”

Russell turned to the television show “Cheaters,” which provides spy equipment to suspicious lovers.

“They gave me a clock cam and it looked like a regular alarm clock, and it was from the ‘Cheaters’ spy shop,” she said. “Basically, it has a camera already installed, so when they brought it to me, I just had to place it in my living room and, honey, when they called me to look at that footage, I was like, ‘Wow.’”

All caught on camera, it seemed Russell’s fears that her boyfriend was cheating on her were confirmed. The show indentified the other woman as an intern at the business where Elias worked. Russell later confronted him while she thought he was out with the woman.

Russell’s now ex-boyfriend Marcus Elias told ABC News, “I feel like my privacy and my character was violated by my ex-girlfriend and the show ‘Cheaters.’ People never had the opportunity to see that Michelle cheated on me before I was ambushed on national television, it was never proven that I actually did anything wrong. I wouldn’t wish that scenario on anyone.”

But Russell said she has no regrets about spying.

“I think that it’s a lesson for those who are thinking about cheating, that, hey, you never know. You never know that somebody could be watching, or just behave in your relationship as if there could be a camera around because you just never know,” Russell said.

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5/11/12

Nearly a year and a half after her divorce from NBA San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker was finalized, Eva Longoria is finally opening up about his infidelity and split.

Last night on Lifetime’s new show, The Conversation With Amanda de Cadenet, Longoria, 37, admitted that she doesn’t carry any “baggage” from her failed three-year marriage to Parker, 29.

The Desperate Housewives star said, “I am so secure in who I am. I really am! And I’m not conceited. I just think, “Wow, okay, that’s the life you want to live.’ It wasn’t about who he chose. I mean, I had moments [where I wondered], ‘Am I not sexy enough? Am I not pretty enough? Am I not smart enough?’ But in so many of those questions, I immediately stopped and said, ‘No, don’t start doing that.’ Because you can get stuck in that cycle and you can carry on to other things.”

Longoria discovered Parker’s affair when she found hundreds of text messages to a mutual friend Erin Barry (who denied having an affair) on his cell phone. She confronted Parker after finding the messages to understand why he cheated.

“Even having the conversation, I really wanted to provide a pillow for him to say and express ‘the why.’ Because I really wanted to know why,” she explained. “‘I don’t want to judge you. I’m not going to judge you. I’m not going to be mad in this moment. I’ll be mad later.’”

Longoria stated that Parker’s infidelity “was definitely not about me” and hearing about it “didn’t make me feel better, but it helped me understand.”

“Society usually thinks there’s something wrong with the woman. ‘Oh, he cheated on her, so she must not have been sexually satisfying him. She must have been a ball and chain!’ … Why did he have to have a reason to cheat that had do with me?”

What a great example of being stronger than ever after finding out your partner had been unfaithful!

XO,
Allie

5/8/12

Who Has Affairs?

There have been many surveys conducted asking people their thoughts on monogamy. Every survey has always come up with similar conclusions: People think monogamy is important to marriage and infidelity is wrong.

The point of this is that no one is immune from affairs. People who think that they will never ever cheat in their lifetime, may end up cheating. Most people don’t intend to have an affair and don’t think it will happen to them- but for many, it does.

Why Do People Have Affairs?

When people learn of their partner’s infidelity, the first question that is usually asked is “Why?” They tend to blame themselves, their partner, their relationship, or the other person involved. They see it as a personal failure of the people involved. However, there is a very simple explanation to this question.

There are three different factors that are working together:

1. Forces that pull the individual towards the affair.
2. Forces that push the individual towards the affair.
3. Society

Forces that pull the individual towards the affair include:

-Attraction: sex, companionship, admiration, power
-Novelty
-Excitement, risk or challenge
-Curiosity
-Enhanced self-image
-Falling in love

Forces that push the individual towards the affair include:

-Desire to escape or find relief from a painful relationship
-Boredom
-Desire to fill gaps in an existing relationship
-Desire to punish one’s partner
-Need to prove one’s attractiveness or worth
-Desire for attention

Society:

Unfortunately, affairs are glamorized in all types of entertainment, whether it be the movies, television, novels, or music. Public figures are constantly being caught in affairs. There are (more than) half-naked images of women in many advertising and marketing campaigns, which sends the message to men that living the good life means having a parade of sexy women in their lives. As teenagers, we are conditioned to deceive our parents about our sexual activity. This in turn affects our adult lives. There are a number of reasons as to how societal factors affect people’s relationships.

MAIN POINT: There is no one single reason why people have affairs. It’s a combination of forces that pull the individual towards the affair, forces that push the individual towards the affair and an influence of society that lead an individual to having an affair.

XO,
Allie

Source

Dear Allie,

I’m currently in a relationship with a guy and everything went well in the past few months until all of the sudden he decided that he didn’t want me living in his house anymore and was making some excuse that he wanted his own space. We currently have a 10 week old puppy that we share but it’s difficult for him because with the living situation I’m dealing with, they won’t allow pets and it sucks not being able to see my dog.

I’m having a big feeling that he might be cheating but I can’t convince him because I have no proof. He doesn’t answer my calls frequently when it comes to certain things. He always says he is at work but I think he might be lying to be about that and every time I ask if I can move back in with him, he keeps avoiding the question or doesn’t text me back about it. I have a feeling that he may be sneaking girls in his house behind my back and I just need answers from him. How can I save my relationship by communicating with him without arguing or him not responding back to me? Please help.

ALLIE’S ANSWER

Unfortunately, it sounds like your boyfriend is trying to tell you that he’s moved on from this relationship. He’s already asked you to move out and is avoiding you. I know this is difficult to hear but don’t let this bring you down. Be strong! You don’t want to be in a relationship with someone that doesn’t want to be in a relationship with you. You deserve to be with someone that will treat you right and appreciates you.

XO,
Allie

Photo Credit

5/2/12

Dear Allie,

I am in love with a woman. Let me mention, I’m a female and she has never dated a female before.

When we first started seeing each other, she would express to me how much she was into me. It was too good to be true, I thought to myself. So I asked her to get my name on her body; she did it but still, I was like “this is too good to be true” because she was everything I wanted and more.

To make this quick, I cheated on her and after that, she switched her whole demeanor. All she does is curse me out and gets mad at petty things. She doesn’t clean anymore and rarely cooks; it’s terrible. She hasn’t introduced me to her mom yet. She rarely tells me she loves me. I do everything in my power to please her. When we are on good terms, it’s great. Her excuse to me is she’s afraid of getting hurt again because she felt like she did everything she was supposed to in the beginning and I turned around and cheated so she says it’s going to be the same outcome whether she treats me good or bad. I love her a lot and I really want to be with her but I don’t know what to do.

I admit I cheated a few times only because I feel unwanted. She tells me she just wants to mess around with me and not be in a relationship but she practically lives with me. Deep down, I feel she cares about me. But I’m not 100% sure what to do. She means the world to me. She is also in contact with her ex, which she says they are just cool.

Like I mentioned, overall, she is great. She doesn’t party or go missing. She’s very strong-minded. I’m so confused on what to do. I have cheated a few times like I’ve mentioned and when I did cheat, I did it in our bed.

She seems to be scared that I might hurt her. I don’t know. If she doesn’t want me, why stick around? I don’t have anything financially. All I have is my apartment. If she needed to stay anywhere, she could, no problem. Help me. I’m just so confused.

ALLIE’S ANSWER

You obviously hurt her a lot when you cheated. Her entire demeanor changed, which is to be expected. It sounds like she was falling in love with you and you broke the trust between you two, with your cheating. Trust is like a piece of paper, once it’s crumpled, it can’t ever be perfect again.

It sounds like you need to take some responsibility for your actions and let her know that you are taking responsibility and that you will do whatever it takes to regain her trust. The fact that you say that you only cheated because you felt unwanted is you not taking responsibility for your actions; you’re wanting to blame this on something else. Let’s remember that you chose to do this. There are better ways to deal with your feelings of unwantedness than by cheating on your girlfriend.

On a positive note, the fact that she’s staying around probably means that she sees something in this relationship that she doesn’t want to let go. It’s going to be a long road but if you can slowly regain her trust and she can move forward with forgiveness and put this behind her, your relationship could end up stronger than ever.

XO,
Allie

P.S. Get a new bed, new sheets, new blanket, and some new pillows. Trust me.

Photo Credit

4/30/12

Michael Jackson’s former bodyguard, Matt Fiddes, has revealed that the King and Queen of Pop were involved in a super steamy two-week affair at his Neverland Ranch. The bodyguard alleges that the affair was so torrid that Jackson never got over it and always dreamed of marrying the late Ms. Houston.

Whitney Houston’s Affair With Jermaine Jacskon

The former bodyguard reveals:

“I loved Michael so much but I finally feel it’s time to get everything that horrified and upset me over the years off my chest. I also know this affair will end all the myths that Michael was some kind of child molester – he was a straight man. One of the many stories that has never been told about Michael is that he had an ultra-secret affair with Whitney Houston that he never got over. He was furious when he heard she had also slept with Jermaine but this didn’t stop him holding a candle for her his whole life. They met because they were two of the biggest recording artists on the planet and mixing in the same circles. They instantly connected as kindred spirits because they understood each other’s massive fame. Whitney practically moved in to Michael’s ranch and they had a fling like any other young couple. But Michael said later he had always hoped the relationship had gone further, and I know he dreamed of marrying her.

[At Michael's anniversary concerts at New York's Madison Square Garden in 2001] They were both a mess, to be honest. They shared what would be their final hugs and Michael begged Whitney to get off the drugs that were destroying her life. The two of them whispered that they loved each other as they hugged. The emotion was written all over their faces.”

Unfortunately, since both parties have passed on to a better place, we will never know if this story has any validity but it certainly is a wild allegation!

What do you think? Do you think the King and Queen of Pop had a steamy affair?

XO,
Allie

4/27/12

American Idol alum Jennifer Hudson was shocked at the revelation that William Balfour, who has been accused of murdering Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew, had been cheating on her sister with multiple women!

Balfour allegedly committed these murders in a jealous rage because he thought Julia Hudson was cheating on him.

Witness Diana Grant detailed the affair with Balfour and Ms. Hudson was visibly upset and exchanged heated words with her family according to sources.

The woman explained that Balfour had slept in her apartment the night before the murders occurred. Balfour left suddenly at 6 AM, which is about three hours before the shootings occurred.

She attempted to contact Balfour throughout the day but he did not respond until 4 PM with a promise to call her back. He never called her back and instead ended up being arrested at another mistress’ house. Grant was completely unaware of the other mistress.

What a tragic situation. To think, this awful man allegedly murdered Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew in an infidelity-fueled rage when he was cheating on her with multiple women to begin with!

Our thoughts go out to Jennifer Hudson and her family.

XO,
Allie

4/25/12

Email, social media and texting have made it easier than ever to connect with others. But for people in marriages and committed relationships, a conversation that starts off as innocent communication can easily turn into flirting or emotional cheating (and yes, it is possible to cheat without ever having sex!).

Where is the line drawn between innocent chatting and harmful cheating? Check out an interview below with Malia Karlinsky, GalTime and Sheri Meyers, Psy.D, licensed Marriage and Family Therapist:

GalTime: What is “Emotional Sex?”

Sheri Meyers Psy.D: Emotional sex is an affair of the heart that feels the same as romantic love and can manifest itself in numerous ways-physically, romantically, emotionally, lustfully, verbally, or virtually. Once emotional sex kicks in, fantasy takes over. The brain chemicals activated in emotional sex create the illusion that a “perfect love” exists and “destiny” is knocking. Emotional sex is an insidious form of infidelity that frequently occurs between two people who at first call themselves ‘just friends.’

GT: Who is more likely to get involved in this type of relationship?

SM: Women tend to have emotional affairs. Men tend to have physical and cyber affairs. Having an affair is usually a symptom of an underlying problem in the relationship. Often we feel like something is missing and we may consciously or unconsciously seek that something in someone else.

GT: How do these situations start? When does it cross the line between chatting and cheating?

SM: Emotional sex usually starts innocently. You become Friends with the sexy co-worker and decide to carpool to work together, or you reunite with an ex on Facebook and start to share stories and photos from the past. You know you’re crossing the line when…

SIGNS CHATTING IS BECOMING CHEATING:

- You start sharing more about yourself with your friend than your partner.
- You prefer talking to your ‘friend’ over your primary partner.
- You check for messages CONSTANTLY.
- You think about him or her more than your partner or your kids.
- Thoughts of your friend bring relief and an instant high.

Read More

XO,
Allie

Photo Credit

4/25/12

Author: Pete Vonder Haar, Houston Press

I come to praise Joey Greco, not to bury him.

There are a million reality shows on the naked television. We’re going to watch them all, one at a time.
“To be with another woman, that is French. To get caught, that is American.” – Inspector Andre, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

I know the premise of this weekly exercise is that I’m supposed to check out a reality show I’ve never seen before an review it for your reading pleasure, but we’re talking about a reality TV institution here, and one with which I have a long and sordid history.

That said, I don’t know if I can really call myself a “fan,” as that implies some level of affection. I can tell you I’ve been an off-and-on viewer since the Tommy Habeeb days, and that until its hard drive gave up the ghost recently, the episode where Joey Greco got stabbed was one of the only permanent residents of my DVR.

How, then, do we explain the End Times harbinger that is Cheaters? Very carefully, as it turns out.
The premise of the show is simplicity itself: a man or woman, suspecting their partner of philandering, contacts the steely professional Cheaters investigative team. They, in turn, put the suspected party under surveillance, amassing evidence of their infidelity for presenting to the complainant. A confrontation is “arranged” between the aggrieved party and their wayward lover. Hilarity then ensues, if by “hilarity” you mean emotional breakdowns and the occasional threat of physical violence.

And that’s it. The show is primarily shot in the D/FW area. though there are/were occasional forays into the Houston metroplex. I personally have never recognized any local scenery while watching, but one strip mall Chili’s looks much like the next. And I choose to take the show’s Big D environs as further proof of our city superiority.

I’m not one given to hyperbole, but Cheaters is as great an American institution as baseball and morbid obesity. Who but the good old US of A would so brazenly combine our love of moralistic posturing (the wayward partners are referred to as “suspects” as if they were felons) with salacious, albeit (barely) pixelated footage of sexual transgressions.

And no one embodies this better than host Joey Greco, who puts his Master’s degree in counseling to good use every episode. Thrill as he paternalistically offers his sympathies to those who have been wronged while implacably holding a video camera viewfinder in their faces, the better to shock them with footage of their loved one making the beast with two backs with their roommate.

On a side note, “Joel” Greco used to host a hip-hop fitness show on ESPN called Fitness Pros. If you ask me, Cheaters was a step up.
And in the interest of full disclosure, your very own Houston Press did a piece on the show back in 2002, implying participants may have been paid for their…participation. I know, I know: a “reality” program may have been scripted? Next you’ll tell me the Saints’ Super Bowl win might be tainted. In any event, I don’t know if this holds true in recent years.

Besides, the show also celebrates that other most American of values: equality. Politicians of all stripes like to trumpet how this is the Land of Opportunity, but Cheaters truly cuts across socio-economic boundaries. Admittedly, there’s an emphasis on the lower income end of the spectrum, but that in itself is uplifiting. While other programs or pundits might talk down to the poor, Greco proves week in and week out that lack of a job, dental plan, or fashion sense are no barriers to getting laid.

I mean, look at the guy at the 2:50 mark. He reminds me of the survivalist from the original Highlander: “Come on Marine, this is for real!”

Cheaters is outrageous and off the mark in its laughable attempts to virtually criminalize infidelity. It also holds a grotesque mirror up to ourselves, and has been doing so for 12 seasons. 12 seasons. That sound you just heard was 10,000 Firefly fans chewing off their own tongues simultaneously.

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