{"id":96021,"date":"2025-05-12T18:43:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T18:43:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/96021\/"},"modified":"2025-05-12T18:43:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T18:43:09","slug":"nathan-fielders-fake-singing-show-contestant-speaks-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/96021\/","title":{"rendered":"Nathan Fielder’s Fake Singing Show Contestant Speaks Out"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWhen Lana Love<\/a> received an email from her old performing arts school about casting for a new HBO singing competition, she jumped at the opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe New York-based singer-songwriter had previously been a contestant on \u201cThe Voice\u201d<\/a> and had an album in the chamber, so she thought the series, dubbed \u201cWings of Voice,\u201d could be the perfect launchpad for her music career. The winner of the show was promised the chance to perform with a Grammy-winning artist, but Love viewed the exposure of being on an HBO series as the real prize.<\/p>\n

\n\tLove flew from her home in New York to Los Angeles three times, on her own dime, for separate auditions and tapings of \u201cWings of Voice,\u201d which was filmed on an HBO soundstage in Hollywood. She waited in line with more than a thousand aspiring singers, performed for judges and made it to the top 50.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut one day before her final taping, Love made a shocking discovery: It was all fake.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWings of Voice\u201d was not a real singing competition. Instead, the show was an elaborate stunt devised by comedic mastermind Nathan Fielder<\/a>, orchestrated solely for the purpose of making a tangential point in his social experiment series on HBO, \u201cThe Rehearsal<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe comedy series helps ordinary people \u201crehearse\u201d for life\u2019s biggest moments with hyper-realistic simulations, and in Season 2, Fielder sets out to prevent aviation disasters. Fielder\u2019s hypothesis is that the No. 1 cause for plane crashes is poor communication between pilots, so in between flight simulations and other role-playing exercises, Fielder hires real pilots to serve as judges on a fake singing show. If a co-pilot can learn how to give direct and honest feedback to an aspiring singer, maybe they can better assert themselves to a dismissive airline captain. The pilots were not aware that \u201cWings of Voice\u201d was a sham, and neither were the singers, many of whom flew across state lines for their shots at stardom.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI signed up to be a singer, not a lab rat,\u201d Love says. Many of the contestants are just now finding out that they were essentially extras in an elaborate bit. Love says she spent $5,500 on travel, lodging and hair and makeup across her three trips to L.A. And as a vocal teacher in New York, she lost out on nearly $4,000 in canceled lessons.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMax Durante<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the back of a coffee shop in Greenwich Village, Love says she is breaking her nondisclosure agreement. \u201cI\u2019m legally not allowed to have this conversation with you right now, because I signed an NDA.\u201d Without expanding further, Love says she is not scared of HBO retaliating against her for speaking out. \u201cThey don\u2019t really have ground to stand on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tNeither HBO, nor representatives for Fielder, were available for comment.<\/p>\n

\n\tLove was first contacted about \u201cWings of Voice\u201d in summer 2024. After she sent a minute-long introduction video, she was told she was \u201chand selected\u201d to audition in L.A. (Love says the casting director had a pool of emails from people who had auditioned for \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent,\u201d which is seemingly confirmed by a Reddit thread<\/a> in the \u201cAGT\u201d forum in which people shared similar \u201cWings of Voice\u201d correspondence and openly wondered whether they were being scammed.)<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen Love arrived in Hollywood, she was presented with a non-union contract and told she would not be allowed onto the studio lot until she signed it. \u201cWe did not have time to really read the contract or send it to a lawyer or team,\u201d Love says. She disclosed that she is a member of the actors\u2019 guild, SAG-AFTRA, and she says producers told her that wouldn\u2019t be a problem. The non-union contracts allowed the thousands of contestants to appear on screen without compensation, which is typical for large-scale competition series. Love didn\u2019t mind; she was primarily concerned with holding onto the rights to her original music. So, she obtained written assurance from her production contact that she would retain ownership of all original material performed on the show. (Variety is not naming the production contact but has confirmed that they are listed in the credits of \u201cThe Rehearsal.\u201d)<\/p>\n

\n\tLove signed the contract and was joined by more than 1,000 other auditioners, she estimates. The production looked just like \u201cThe Voice,\u201d or any other singing competition show. \u201cThe only abnormal thing is that we auditioned for an airline pilot,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd there were no cameras visible in the room. They were all hidden.\u201d In the second episode of this season of \u201cThe Rehearsal,\u201d a variety of contestants performed for a singular, uniformed pilot unknowingly practicing their confrontational skills. Those cut from the competition were then asked to rate their judge between 1 and 10 via a submission box. Love\u2019s audition was not shown.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tLove holds a \u201ccongratulations\u201d slip on the \u201cWings of Voice\u201d set in Hollywood.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Lana Love<\/p>\n

\n\tShe made it through her first audition, so production held her in a waiting room for three to four hours and told her she would next have to perform \u201cOld MacDonald Had a Farm\u201d or \u201cYankee Doodle.\u201d (In the show, Fielder explains that he has the contestants sing public domain songs so he can avoid paying licensing fees.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBut before she could belt out her chosen children\u2019s lullaby, she was suddenly sent home without explanation. Love flew back to New York, and about a month later she received an email congratulating her on making it to the second round. She bought another plane ticket and headed west.<\/p>\n

\n\tBack for the second round, Love was presented with another non-union contract on the spot. This time, it was a licensing agreement that stated artists would retain the rights to their original work. So Love performed two of her own songs, this time for producer Isha the Mad Scientist, who won a Grammy for best reggae album in 2015. Once again, she was told to return home and await further instructions.<\/p>\n

\n\tOne week later, she received those instructions: \u201cYou\u2019ve made it to the next round, and can you come back next week?\u201d Love bought another ticket to L.A. The night before her third taping, she was sent a SAG-AFTRA contract that appeared to contradict what Love was previously told about the rights to her original songs. The contract, reviewed by Variety, read in part: \u201cAll artistic, literary, dramatic, musical, and other materials submitted by the performer, together with the results and proceeds of their services, are considered a work made for hire, with full ownership by the producer. If any material is not considered work-for-hire, it will be assigned to the producer in perpetuity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLove refused to sign the contract.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI went to the producers and said, \u2018This needs to be changed, or I walk. I can\u2019t do this unless you give me an addendum, not just for me but for every songwriter in this room,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cAnd they did within the hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe revised contract, also reviewed by Variety, included an addendum: \u201cFor the avoidance of count, if Performer elects to perform original songs \u2026 any such original songs shall not be considered \u2018Material\u2019 owned by Producer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBecause this was a SAG-AFTRA contract, Love was paid $1,250 for the third taping, which she says included over 10 hours of rehearsal and one day of filming. She says an additional group of contestants were fitted for costumes and told to stand on stage for hours, lip-syncing. Love says they were paid background rates of $180. (In a Season 1 episode of \u201cThe Rehearsal,\u201d Fielder jokes about saving HBO $15,000 by hiring non-speaking extras for a party scene.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tLove wonders whether she should have been compensated for her prior tapings, writing in a note after our interview, \u201cCameras were rolling throughout the entire rehearsal process and in earlier rounds. It\u2019s unclear whether this footage can be used without compensation, considering the show\u2019s deceptive nature.\u201d (Variety has reached out to SAG-AFTRA for comment.)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tLove, middle, sings \u201cAmazing Grace\u201d on Season 2, Episode 4 of \u201cThe Rehearsal.\u201d
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHBO<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the third round of \u201cWings of Voice,\u201d contestants were split into different groups to perform a genre-medley of \u201cAmazing Grace.\u201d Love appears in the center of the pop-punk group, clad in an acid-washed shirt and torn-up black jeans. The segment opens the fourth episode of \u201cThe Rehearsal\u201d before Fielder narrates over the footage, \u201c\u2018Wings of Voice\u2019 no longer had much of a purpose to me, but I had an obligation to these singers to see the competition through.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tStrangely enough, Love also felt an obligation to see it through. The day before her final taping, she put the pieces together. She started noticing cracks in the facade of \u201cWings of Voice,\u201d so she Googled a few of the crew members and found one thing in common: They had each worked on Fielder\u2019s previous projects. Love wasn\u2019t familiar with Fielder, nor had she seen nor interacted with him on set, but she had heard his name whispered among the crew. She began reading about \u201cThe Rehearsal\u201d and Fielder\u2019s previous show, \u201cNathan for You,\u201d realizing he was an expert at devising large-scale comedic set-pieces. Case in point: another contestant recognized the Alligator Lounge, a real bar in Brooklyn that Fielder replicated for the first season of \u201cThe Rehearsal\u201d and then kept in the airport soundstage in Season 2.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tEnraged, Love drafted a letter to the production team.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe understand that this is a staged, fake reality TV show, and we\u2019re aware that Nathan Fielder is the director,\u201d it reads in part. \u201cWe didn\u2019t sign up to be the punchline of a joke. \u2026 Had I known the true nature of this project, I wouldn\u2019t have participated.\u201d Love went on to write that the show \u201cfeels like false advertising.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tShe began telling the other contestants the truth.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI knew there would be no cameras in the dressing room and in the bathrooms,\u201d Love says. \u201cSo I took people in one by one, especially the young women, and said, \u2018I just want you to know this is a fake show. This is not real. This is the man behind it. There are probably hidden cameras, so watch what you say.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tShe told the fellow contestants that she wrote a letter and was planning to \u201cshut this thing down.\u201d One of the girls began crying and begged her not to send it. Love remembers the girl saying, \u201cI don\u2019t care if the show is fake, I still want to do it. It could still be my big break.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI thought to myself, \u2018You can\u2019t expose the show,\u2019\u201d Love says. \u201c\u2018You can\u2019t take away someone else\u2019s dream. You\u2019ll save your piece for another day.\u2019 And that\u2019s why we\u2019re sitting here today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMany of the contestants, now knowing the show was fake, still viewed it as an opportunity to sing in front of a camera. Maybe being the butt of a joke is better than not being included in the joke at all.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut after Sunday\u2019s episode aired, some contestants bonded in a group chat. \u201cWe were just an experiment,\u201d wrote one with a crying emoji, adding, \u201cAll my excitement and happiness was for nothing.\u201d Another replied, \u201cYou did earn that ticket. You did a good job. It\u2019s just as real as it was for \u2018The Voice\u2019 [or] any of those shows.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think about the kids more than anything else,\u201d Love says. \u201cThe 16-year-olds who flew themselves out three times with their families, who did not have the money to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSo, she sucked it up and sang \u201cAmazing Grace\u201d in the style of Fall Out Boy. Ironically, Love was then eliminated by the judges. She found humor in being cut from a competition that never existed in the first place.<\/p>\n

\n\tLove did not send her letter, but she did confront one of the producers, who she says apologized to her and said the project was not intended to be hurtful. She didn\u2019t hear from \u201cWings of Voice\u201d until a few weeks before \u201cThe Rehearsal\u201d debuted, when another producer called her and told her she\u2019d be on the show. \u201cThis is part of \u2018The Rehearsal.\u2019 Did you know that?\u201d she remembers the producer asking. Love is still receiving texts from family and friends who are just now learning the truth.<\/p>\n

\n\tNow eight months removed from the audition process, Love describes her experience as \u201cshocking\u201d and \u201cdisappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019ve been through a lot in my time. I put in my 10,000 hours, and I felt like there wasn\u2019t a basic human respect for people who have devoted their lives to art,\u201d she says. \u201cI was at square one again, after 15 years professionally in this business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tStill, she doesn\u2019t view her time on \u201cWings of Voice\u201d as a loss. She\u2019s immensely proud of going up against HBO to protect artists\u2019 original work. \u201cI advocated for the rights of the artists, and we won,\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s a big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd at the end of the day, she is technically on a singing competition airing on HBO, and she plans to capitalize on the moment despite those feelings of betrayal. \u201cWe still have to go for our dream with our full heart, even if the game is rigged,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFielder gazes at a group of \u201cWings of Voice\u201d contestants.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHBO<\/p>\n

\n\tThe day \u201cThe Rehearsal\u201d Season 2 premiered, Love released a one-minute song<\/a> titled \u201cNathan Fielder,\u201d with lyrics comprised solely of out-of-context comments left under one of the comedian\u2019s old YouTube videos. The chorus goes, \u201cPlease don\u2019t torture kids anymore. Adults are OK to torture.\u201d Does it have a double meaning? \u201cIt might,\u201d Love giggles.<\/p>\n

\n\tShe\u2019s putting out a single<\/a> on May 16 titled \u201cAntidote,\u201d which she wrote after her experience on \u201cWings of Voice.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s about saving yourself and being the antidote in your own life,\u201d she says. She\u2019ll release her full album sometime in the next few months. Love has a distribution deal with Warner Music Group, but she owns all of her music. And as a board member for the United States Intellectual Property Alliance and the Copyright Alliance, she\u2019s continuing to advocate for artists\u2019 rights. On her website, she offers a free guide<\/a> to registering, releasing and monetizing music for independent artists.<\/p>\n

\n\tDespite being deceived and out almost $10,000, Love says she has \u201cno resentment\u201d toward Fielder. \u201cI\u2019m not sure if he\u2019s a psychopath or a genius,\u201d she says. \u201cHe might be showing us our flaws through him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIndeed, Fielder\u2019s work, which often sets real people in the crosshairs, is difficult to criticize, as it\u2019s knowingly manipulative and self-indulgent. To fans, Fielder is television\u2019s greatest anthropologist, his work a thrilling exploration of our worst and weirdest impulses. To critics, his cold, unfeeling on-screen persona allows him to hide behind a shield of irony while he mines his unwitting subjects\u2019 lives for content.<\/p>\n

\n\tStill, Love goes back to a quote from the first-ever episode of \u201cThe Rehearsal,\u201d in which Fielder introduces the premise of the series: \u201cIf you plan for every variable, a happy outcome doesn\u2019t have to be left to chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cPeople are not variables. People are people,\u201d Love says. \u201cTreat them as such.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Lana Love received an email from her old performing arts school about casting for a new HBO…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":96022,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3937],"tags":[77,44971,44972,44973,382,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-96021","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-lana-love","10":"tag-nathan-fielder","11":"tag-the-rehearsal","12":"tag-tv","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114496341461615788","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96021\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}