A blog about television by TIME’s TV critic James Poniewozik.

The Fine Line Between Casting and Kidnapping

Last week: Reality TV Wants to Heal You.

This week: Reality TV Wants to Heal You, Whether You Like It or Not:

Marc Brilleman, 33, identified as the chief operating officer, director and writer of "Pauper to Princess," was arrested Saturday on a charge of false imprisonment.

According to the show's Web site, its concept was to build the eight women's self-esteem and help them grow physically, mentally and spiritually. As with many reality shows, the women lived in a house while the program was taped. Producers were trying to sell the show to a TV network.

Four of the women told investigators Brilleman blocked and locked a door when they tried to leave the house, where they had been since February and had been able to leave on weekends, said Jerome Miller, a commander for Apopka police northwest of Orlando.

Next pitch: Producer to Prisoner, a reality show in which a man builds his self-esteem and grows physically, mentally and spiritually through a stint in jail.

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