Tonight on 20/20 ` We strip down and hit the hens' circuit. Women want to be entertained, all right? It's not OK for a guy to just turn up and take his clothes off and roll round on the floor. What does it take to give the girls what they want? You` You're there for, you know, 12, 15 minutes, and you've got six other jobs behind you. You can't muck around. You may have received an email like this recently. Websites that look like real news organisations ` News 8, Channel 9. 20/20 hunts down the marketers messing with your in-box. What do you mean it wasn't your intention to scam everybody? It wasn't my intention` It wasn't my intention` There's nothing on this page that is true. And she's hit the high notes... Toni Braxton. Toni Braxton. Toni Braxton. Toni` Toni` Toni` ...Braxton. ...and some low notes. Divorce, life-threatening illness, career troughs and bankruptcy, twice. But Braxton is back. www.tvnz.co.nz/access-services Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2013 Kia ora, I'm Sonia Wilson and welcome to our first show of the season. Well, it's a growth industry, but not in the way you might think. We're talking male strippers, and according to those involved, it's a business in boom. Intrigued to discover more, 20/20 hit the road over several weekends and went along to numerous hens' gigs for brides-to-be across Auckland to see exactly what all the fuss is about. Here's Hannah Ockelford with the heaving, humping and, at times, humiliating highlights. # What? What? What? What? You're sitting in your hotel room, right? And, um, you've got 11 of your friends around you, and there's this big guy there, all right? Now, how inappropriate would it be if this guy's got a raging erection within his thong, right? And he's climbing all over your best friend. At what level is that going to be OK? These boys appear to break all the rules ` extroverts engaging in antics most of us consider, well, strange. # Only got $20 in my pocket. # I-I-I'm hunting, looking for a come-up. # This is fucking awesome. So it might surprise you to find out there's a rigid code of conduct for Auckland's professional male strippers. Women want to be entertained, all right? It's not OK for a guy to just turn up and take his clothes off and roll round on the floor for` for 10 or 12 minutes. # Imma take your grandpa's style. Imma take your grandpa's style. # No, for real, ask your grandpa. Can I have his hand-me-downs? Ryan's head boy, if you like, amongst a posse of top-notch muscle, all available to entertain and humiliate a bride-to-be. I say to the boys, you know, if there's not screaming, cheering, you're doing something wrong. # This is fucking awesome. # CHEERING, APPLAUSE Allstar Strippers provide entertainment of your choice. People don't blind book, I call it. They don't just send their booking in saying, 'Oh, can you send a stripper?' or 'send a waiter'. They're specific. Posed publicity shots ensure the online business booms. Just mirror me, for example. This is the ultimate form of male bonding, right here ` dudes dressing dudes. Very important part, this. JAZZY MUSIC They've really got to be the best of the best to come and work for me, really. Yeah, just pull those down, bro. Calvins, like, they're a bit 2010. It's all about Bonds now, bro. These are from Thailand. They cost me $2. Don't put that on camera, eh? He's not that cheap, all right? Can afford to spend more than $2 on undies. JAZZY MUSICAL FLOURISH Ryan's been stripping for more than a decade. I was having a low moment in my life, and I thought, 'I need something to boost me back up.' So I went down and knocked on the door. He said, 'Oh, you can come in for an audition next week.' And I did and aced it. What were those first few strips like? What were those first few strips like? Petrifying. Definitely. Definitely very scary. You just don't want to screw it up. And it's that mental` that mental pressure you put on yourself. By 24 this privately educated young man had found his calling. In the beginning I would have done it for free. I would have paid to do it. It was such an ego trip. There's another one before that which is going to be a stag. He's turned the trip into a lifestyle, a successful business and a career. 'I need more. I need twice as many people as I've got now. If I had more people, we would work more.' Is there a stripper shortage? Is there a stripper shortage? Definitely a male stripper shortage. At the moment, in this country, right now, doing what we do, there's four guys. It's Ryan from Allstar Strippers. How's it going? 'I speak mainly to women all day every day, 'and, yeah, I guess I would be a little bit of an authority on what ladies like in men.' According to the expert, the male strip is about what's implied. They want a guy who is going to do everything to them that in their perfect fantasy dreamworld, before the act of having sex with them. Is the performance sexual for you? Is the performance sexual for you? No, never. No, people say that, you know. 'Is it sexual?' Um... It's not, you know. You're` You're trying your hardest to look as good as you can. Your-Your frame, your posture, your face, obviously your attire. Um, you're there for, you know, 12, 15 minutes, and you've got six other jobs behind you. You can't muck around. In fact, there's often barely time for Ryan's guys to criss-cross the city as they hit job after job. It's like the dream job that any guy would want, you know. And then that, over time, begins to wane, and you get built up with this big adrenalin buzz from doing your job, and then it comes crashing down cos you've got to go back to your car on your own and then drive on to the next job. And then you've got to build yourself up, and so by the time the night comes, you're shattered, mentally and physically, because you're just, you know? You've had to suck it up six times and be that guy six times. But tonight a couple of his staff are teaming up ` a 40th birthday prank for an unsuspecting victim. Hey! Aww. He won't be aware of, probably, what's going down. He's probably got a suspicion that there's gonna be a stripper coming, but what his mates have done is they've booked Syren and Midgee together. Midgee, the midget, knows he's a prank ` part two of a double act. I've fucked the zip. I just got this modified yesterday. Oh my God, OK, I can't breathe. WILL.I.AM'S 'SCREAM AND SHOUT' # All eyes on us. # All eyes on us. # All eyes on us. # I want to scream and shout and let it all out. # And scream and shout and let it out. 'He gets away with anything.' He can get away with anything, literally anything. Midgee's stature is, in this job, a bonus. His comedic strip is one of the most popular on Ryan's books. What always gets the most laughs for you? Basically taking the piss out of them. Just, um, making them do so many different actions. If I, like ride 'em on a cowboy ` that sort of stuff. And, yeah, they love it. I mean, it's embarrassing for them, but it gets the crowd amping, and then it creates an atmosphere. Do you have any shame when you do it? Nah. Nah. I've learnt how to live life and just do it. # Bring the action. # Since we're delving into details of adult entertainment, I have to ask... Is Midgee of equal status to a man of normal height? (LAUGHS) Hey, um,... (CLEARS THROAT) I don't really know if I'm one to comment on that. Um, if... Uh... Yes, I would say so, you know what I mean? I don't spend a lot of time comparing groin sizes between my staff, to be honest. But obviously you work in an industry where it must be the topic of conversation. Really, it's not. Really, it's not. It's not? Really, it's not. It's not? It's not. It's really not. It's funny, people are more concern` consumed about body fat than penis size. FAST-PACED BIG BAND MUSIC If you want to stay lean, you know, can't eat potato, can't eat kumara, can't eat pumpkin. Overdosing on protein helps,... This gets quite violent. Stand back. MUSIC CONTINUES (WINCES) ...but most of this muscle is sculpted. (GRUNTS) Seven. One more. Ryan and fellow stripper Mark spend endless hours pumping iron. MUSIC CONTINUES When we look at ourselves in the mirror at the gym, it's not like, 'Ooh, I'm so hot.' It's like, 'Oh, what can I tweak to improve on, you know, when I'm training?' Mark, also a law student, has been entertaining for a year now. For those 12 minutes or whatever, you are, essentially, God in their eyes. You're this Adonis epitome of masculinity. WOMEN SQUEAL Have you been asked to get naked? Have you been asked to get naked? All the time. All the time. And do you? And do you? Yes, frequently. (CHUCKLES) No, it's not in the job description, per se, but, you know, you've gotta put` it's` at the end of the day, it's entertainment. And` And if they want it, you know, they can have it. But having it can be a bit of a toss-up. You're not always, you know,... You're not always, you know,... ...excited? You're not always, you know,... ...excited? Yeah, yeah, ready for it. So, I mean, like, yeah, they're just gonna have to get what they're given, I guess, to an extent. But, um, yeah, a lot of boys have different techniques at-at` um, if they know they're going in to it, and they're gonna get naked, they've got different techniques to, you know, make sure he's standing to attention. People ask me, 'Where do you work?' I say, 'Houses, hotels, boats, buses.' We've even had a guy strip on an aeroplane before. Is there anywhere you won't strip? Uh, I guess probably kindergarten would be a little bit inappropriate. Back to that code of conduct ` the unwritten rules in a seemingly boundary-less industry. Are your guys allowed to touch the ladies inappropriately? Certainly, it wouldn't be appropriate in a cafe or at their workplace or anything like that, but with a skinful of alcohol on a hens' night with 12 of their closest friends cheering everyone on, then things that you couldn't get away with during the day will fly at night-time, yes. The guys can hump, pump and lick, but a kiss will see their professional demise. I've employed them to provide an entertainment service, you know, not a sleazy thing, you know. Catch a guy doing that, and that's it. They're dead to me, dead to this industry. They'll never work in NZ again. Equally frowned upon is a no-show. Ryan's happily ready for action before he'd ever let a lady down. BRUNO MARS' 'LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN' Follow me in? Follow me in? < Yeah. Do I look SWAT-ish? < Totally SWAT, bro. < Totally SWAT, bro. Totally SWAT. # I'm born again every time you spend the night. # Cos your sex takes me to paradise. # Yeah, your sex takes me to paradise. # And it shows, oh, oh, oh. # Yeah, yeah, yeah. # Oh-oh. # It was easy, eh? Yeah, bro. Yeah, bro. Make sure you get the two hundy off her, right? Howdy. KE$HA'S 'DIE YOUNG' After a weekend of wild entertaining, a sunny Sunday afternoon sees the strippers attend their own office party. Cowgirl. How do you entertain the entertainers? (CHUCKLES) You just put them in a room together and just let them go for it, you know. All I need is a mechanical bull and enough alcohol, and anything will happen, you know. This party will go until tomorrow. # Let's make the most of the night like we're gonna die young. # We're gonna die young. Dare I ask, by the time it gets dark, what should you expect in this place? No clothing, probably, at a guess. Um, I think if we walk out the back right now, you'll probably find it's already beginning. There'll be girls in the spa pool at the present second. Everyone just cuts loose and has a good time. # Gonna die young. # I think it's time for us to leave. Things are hotting up. Do other people judge you because of what you do? Do other people judge you because of what you do? All the time. All the time. As soon as I made a commitment to become a male stripper, like, I embraced it. At the end of the day, it's just my job. It doesn't alter my personality at all. It doesn't make me an arsehole. It doesn't make me arrogant. It's just` It's just work, and I love it. Like Channing Tatum said, it's money, women and a good time. Why wouldn't you want that? Mum was a little bit taken aback at first. And then, by the time she died, um, earlier this year, she was my greatest supporter. Had she ever seen you strip? Had she ever seen you strip? No. No. No. No, no, no, and, uh, God, I just couldn't even imagine a world where that happened. Hmm. SLEAZY MUSIC SHRIEKING, LAUGHTER No, a strip's not for the family; it's provocative, stimulating and, at times, bizarre entertainment ` nearly mainstream for a Kiwi hen. This industry's exploded across this country in such a big way over the last five years. It's a very lonely life sometimes, you know, because it's difficult, you know, um, forming attachments and partnerships when you do what you do. But, um, at the same time, it's` it's just freedom ` total freedom. # This is fucking awesome. # Phew. Next on 20/20 ` celebrity sidekicks ` their battle with the bulge and with the boss. This is a Hollywood story starring painfully skinny celebrities... I have to be thin because I'm on TV. ...and their slightly heavier sidekicks, inspired by the boss to shape up. But if you think she's gained five pounds, do you tell her? I fire her. I fire her. (LAUGHS) This is Tiffany before... and after. You've lost almost Kathy's entire bodyweight. I've lost an Olsen twin, I like to say. (LAUGHS) you earn it. That makes saving the cheapest WHIMSICAL MUSIC TINKLING When you save, you don't pay interest; you earn it. That makes saving the cheapest way to buy the things you want. In fact, once you start saving, you'll be surprised what you can afford. Grow your savings ` it's all part of being sorted. It's not OK for a guy to just turn up and take his clothes off and roll round on the floor. a Welcome back. Hollywood is the land of glamorous, beautiful and thin celebrities. But what's life like when you work for the rich and thin but aren't quite as svelte yourself? Well, tonight comedienne Kathy Griffin's assistant Tiffany Rinehart tells us how she lost more than 36kg after seeing herself on Griffin's reality show 'My Life on the D-List'. FUNKY MUSIC Kathy Griffin is 54 years of age and loves nothing more than a skimpy two-piece. I'm a bikini model, Nick. I don't know what you call your job, but I'm a professional bikini model who does comedy on the side. No, I mean, you` I mean, the pictures look great. Whether stalking the stage at the GLAD Awards or pool side with Paris on her reality show, My Life on the D-List... We're here, bitches. ...Kathy leaves little to the imagination. Now meet Tiffany, Kathy's long-suffering assistant. Kathy Griffin's office. You've never worn a bikini? You've never worn a bikini? Mm-mm. I've been heavy my whole life. PHOTOGRAPHERS SHOUT This is a Hollywood story starring painfully skinny celebrities... I have to be thin because I'm on TV. ...and their slightly heavier sidekicks. inspired by the boss to shape up. That's motivation there ` seeing her in her cute bathing suits. But if she's gained 5 pounds, do you tell her? I fire her. I fire her. (LAUGHS) This is Tiffany before and after. You've lost almost Kathy's entire body weight. You've lost almost Kathy's entire body weight. I lost an Olsen Twin, I like to say. They're about 80 pounds, right? She's being modest. Tiffany dropped nearly 90 pounds. Once more ` before; after. And the boss puts Tiffany's marvellous metamorphosis down to healthy eating, exercise... She'd kick your ass, Nick. ...and the power of television. She's on the Kathy show every week. Tiffany, my assistant, is here. And let me tell you, when they do the shot of her in the front row in an adorable dress, that's maybe a bit more of a motivator than she wants to admit. that's maybe a bit more of a motivator than she wants to admit. Admit it. Is it? It is. I mean, seeing on myself` Well, when I started working for her, along came a reality show. Take your pants off and just wait for her in the dressing room. I didn't think anything of it, and once the show started airing and I started watching it, and I'm like, 'Wow, I'm fat, and... ALL LAUGH ALL LAUGH '...I need to do something about it.' Tiffany lost it slow and gradual, becoming a storyline on Griffin's reality show and her talk show. I think you can have anything as long as the portions... I think that's the problem with this country. I think that's the problem with this country. Yeah. Portion sizes are crazy. It's too generous. Here we go. Did you actually start your question with 'I think that's the problem with this country'? How soon can you get on that <BLEEP>ing plane to Tulsa? How soon can you get on that <BLEEP>ing plane to Tulsa? ALL LAUGH John Lloyd Taylor also knows the life of the chubby celebrity sidekick. For the last seven years, he's played guitar for those hunky young chaps, the Jonas Brothers. That's him performing with the band on Good Morning America. # I'm hot, # and you're cold. # At his peak, John tipped the scales at a whopping 360 pounds. We made a 3-D movie at one point in the Jonas Brothers career. It's 3-D, and I'm this huge 3-D guy. And I'm thinking to myself, like, 'I'm gonna look like a monster in this movie. I'm gonna be scary. 'Kids are gonna cry in the movie theatre when they see me.' John just lost nearly half his body weight with the help and inspiration of his buff buddy, Joe Jonas. I was, like, 'This guy could have any girl he wants. Maybe I should think about losing 150 pounds.' A bona fide food addict, John fell foul of life on the road. The touring industry is set up for you to just balloon. You're also eating a whole pizza when you get on to the bus. And there's room service. Mulling over myself with the phone in my hand, even looking at the mirror, you know, 'Don't order the food,' and then sure enough, ordering cheeseburger and fries and throwing in something else extra, like chicken wings, and then being, like, 'Should I call back and cancel my order?' And this insanity plays out for 30 minutes. These guys are, you know, heart-throbs. Does that make it harder for you ` the fat guy standing in the background, thinking...? Yeah, for sure. I'm backing up this enormous group that's everywhere at the time, and I'm this huge entity in the back. Joe gently encouraged John to work out, eat right and just get healthy. A vegetable platter's not very rock and roll. No, not so rock and roll. Not at all. But feeling good and looking good on stage is. And there's a new pre-gig ritual. Joe's always doing push-ups and encouraging everybody else too. You and Joe doing push-ups... You and Joe doing push-ups... BOTH: ...before you go on stage. John was so ripped, he was about to run a marathon. Then he broke his foot. But there's even bigger news. You're getting married? You're getting married? I'm getting married. I saw her in the corner, and I walked up to her and introduced myself. You would never have done that. No way. My friends would've been, like, 'Why don't you go talk to her?' I'd be, like, 'Nah, it's cool. I'm gonna go eat this birthday cake.' It never would've happened. It's a similar tale for Nick Feitel, who once tried and failed to land the gig of Bethenny Frankel's assistant on her reality show, Bethenny Getting Married? Napoleon Dynamite walks in here, and I'm just thinking, 'Has this man ever met a brush?' But he ended up working for her anyway, and it changed his life. You've had, like, a man-formation. You've had, like, a man-formation. A man` A man-formation. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Uh, I've` I've had one of those. He lost his uni-brow,... You're not gonna cry, are you? You're not gonna cry, are you? I'm not gonna cry. ...got into yoga... I was scared that he would have a heart attack. ...and wound up dropping 65 pounds at the svelte feet of Miss Frankel. I am more successful, generally speaking, with women. I am more successful, generally speaking, with women. Yeah, you got a little game. Now back to Tiffany, who has moved out from the Griffin shadow and is, uh, dating. It's not easy, and we're around fabulous gays all the time, but straight guys are hard to find ` good ones. And I imagine that the younger straight guy, when he finds out you work for Kathy, kind of gets a bit freaked out and might... bolt. How did this interview turn into Women's Health, into 'I'm a nightmare', Nick? (LAUGHS) Nick? I can't help but think, 'I'd like Kathy more if she wasn't so damn hungry.' If I ate more, I would be less funny but happier. But I don't care about being happy. I just want to be funny. That's our motto at Team Griffin. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Be mean and thin. Up next on 20/20 ` you may have received a spam link in your inbox this week; many of us did. Well, after the break we look into these scam sites and the marketers gone mad. You're hustled off to a land of make-believe ` websites that look like real news organisations ` News 8, Channel 9, News Report, Breaking News at 6. What do you mean it wasn't your intention to scam everybody? It wasn't my` It wasn't my` There's nothing on this page that is true. This woman didn't use her belly using one easy tip. Those two people are fake at the top. She's fake. There's nothing real on this. a Welcome back. You've probably seen the sites; you may have even been sent spam sending you to one this very week. Websites that look like news content supported by CNN, ABC and other big-name media outlets telling amazing stories of weight-loss products. They're fake, of course, and tonight 20/20 tracks down those marketers who are messing with your inbox. FUNKY MUSIC It is a beautiful scam. Fraud with a French twist. Hello. My name is Melissa Theuriau. Melissa's so beautiful, it's almost criminal. But that's as close as she comes to breaking the law. Without her knowledge, she's become the face of a massive swindle defrauding desperate dieters of millions of dollars. It's just false advertising. The trouble begins when you click one of the trillions of internet ads for weight-loss products. You're hustled off to a land of make-believe, websites that look like real news organisations ` News 8, Channel 9 News Report, Breaking News at 6. The sites feature photos of their trustworthy anchors, the well-known logos of the biggest names in news and that captivating investigative report. She's an attractive woman. She spins a story about the hottest diet fad of the moment ` South America's acai berry diet. Amazingly, she finds success with it ` losing 25 pounds in four weeks ` and reveals her findings to the world. It catches the attention of millions of consumers looking for similar results. But it also catches the eye of the Federal Trade Commission. The bottom line is nothing about the website or the representations made on there were true. That's right. These news anchors ` fake. The news logos ` stolen from legitimate media outlets. And worst of all, when the pills do arrive in the mail, the FTC says you'll find out the claim that the acai berry is a miracle weight-loss drug is false too. You investigated whether or not acai berry makes you lose dramatic amounts of weight. A doctor crunched some numbers. He said that wasn't gonna happen. I mean, this product has no meaningful effect for weight-loss purposes. The websites were simply a slick come-on for online marketers looking to fatten their wallets selling you a pipe dream. 20-year-old Tanner Vaughn should know. He did it for a living. What's an online marketer? What do you do? I explain it to most people as a virtual salesman. 20-year-old Tanner Vaughn should know. He did it for a living. At one time Vaughn would sell virtually any product for virtually anyone. To get paid, all Vaughn had to do was steer customers to a merchant, marketing their products by any means necessary. Often when you work at a company, they give you a list of rules. 'Don't break these rules.' Yeah. Yeah. Did you get a book of rules? Yeah. Did you get a book of rules? Nah. Here's how it works. With no rulebook to guide them, marketers like Vaughn can simply sit at his computer, build a bogus news site, add a compelling, albeit fabricated, news story about a dramatic weight loss and put it out on the internet. He's essentially trolling for desperate dieters, and when they bite and buy a product, Vaughn gets paid. These guys were clearly engaged in fraud. But before the government can stop it, the wildly successful ad picks up a life of its own, popping up all over the internet as rogue marketers cash in on the face that seems to connect with consumers. She must be really skinny, cos there were a lot of websites she lost 25 pounds on. Yeah, it's pretty amazing, isn't it? If she's not a reporter who lost 25 pounds over and over again, who is she? To track down the mystery woman, we travelled all the way to Paris. Uh, it's not true. Do you recognise the woman? Do you recognise the woman? Yes. I recognise her. It's me when I was young. The one truth about Melissa Theuriau is that she actually happens to be a real journalist, a sensation on French television who assures us she has absolutely nothing to do with any diet pills. The scammers loved her picture, so they took it and pasted it all over their websites. They didn't ask your permission? They didn't ask your permission? Never. And they didn't give you any money for it? And they didn't give you any money for it? No. Nothing. And did you work for Consumer Reports? No. No. Did you work for News 6? No. Remember, nobody works at any of these pseudo-news websites. There's no buildings, no staff, no cameras or reporters, making overhead low and profits high. < How lucrative can it be? < How lucrative can it be? It can be very lucrative if done right. For example, for some of the cases we've filed, um, $2 million or $3 million made in a short period of time was not unusual. Vaughn says he was young when he started this kind of marketing ` just 16 years old, scamming away in Mom's house, never intending to hurt anyone. It wasn't my intention to come off and scam people or anything like that. What do you mean it wasn't your intention to scam everybody? There's nothing on this page that is true. This woman didn't lose her belly using one easy tip. Those two people are fake at the top. She's fake. There's nothing real on this. And obviously, I mean, I also` And obviously, I mean, I also` You did scam people. I mean, it was a situation that I got caught up in. I did wrong. I've admitted that. Vaughn says he made good money. But his earnings were nothing compared to another baby-faced businessman in this line of work. The mailbox of New Jersey marketer Andrew Davidson began filling with fat commissions. His websites, including News 6 and Consumer News Reporter, helped generate nearly 11 million in sales, according to the government. He too capitalising on that famous face from France. As a phony media mogul, Davidson should have known sooner or later a genuine news organisation would come calling. But when we visit him at his home just outside Atlantic City, things got a little too real. Is Andrew here? Is Andrew here? Yes. I'm a real reporter. I wanted to ask you about the fake reporters you had on the, uh, fake websites and why you had to use those guys. and why you had to use those guys. I don't have any comment on this. and why you had to use those guys. I don't have any comment on this. You don't want to talk to us? Why did you want to fake people out like that? The government had better luck getting Davidson to open up. The Federal Trade Commission sued him. Are they surprised when you go to them and say, 'This is wrong, this is against the law'? Their parents are surprised. It's not unusual to have us actually have a situation where the defendant's still living in their parents' home. Davidson settled his case without admitting wrongdoing, agreeing to hand over nearly $2 million in assets. The government is taking his house and his car. But don't feel too sorry. We found him cruising around in a brand new replacement. The government also sued Tanner Vaughn. He paid nearly $80,000 to settle, also without admitting any wrongdoing, and says he's changed his ways. What would you say to the people who wasted their money on this product? I would apologise to them. I would definitely say sorry for it. The FTC says it will attempt to return whatever money they recover to consumers who got suckered by sites with fake news reports and lost cash instead of weight. What bothers me is knowing that this brand exploits women and men who are suffering. But with those huge profits at stake, the exploitation continues even today. For every website the government whacks, a new one pops up in its place. And so at this very moment, that last woman in the world who needs to lose weight is shedding yet another 25 pounds, and a scammer's bank account is getting fat. Next up on 20/20 ` the skinny on gym fees. Are you getting a fair deal? Most of the time with these large corporate gyms you're gonna get a better rate if you're thin and attractive rather than overweight. Ryan's skinny on gyms ` if you're fit and thin like Kristin, you're gonna get a better deal at the gym than heavier people like Abby. I want to go back into the gyms with Abby and go, 'Hey, listen, this is my rate, and this is gonna be her rate too. (LAUGHS) Let me speak to your GM.' And so we did. You` You're there for, you know, 12, 15 minutes, and you've got six other jobs behind you. a Have you ever wondered whether the gym offering you that special sign-up is offering the same thing to everybody? Or do thin people get better deals? And what about those personal fitness trainers? 20/20 has the skinny on getting physical. We are on the streets of New York City with models Abby Smith and Kristin Garofalo. ABC News has hired them because personal trainer Ryan Hughes... Come with me. Shh. ...is confessing something about gyms we had to see to believe. Most of the time at large, corporate gyms, you'll get a better rate if you're thin and attractive rather than overweight. Ryan's skinny on gyms ` if you're fit and thin, like Kristin, you're gonna get a better deal at the gym than heavier people, like Abby. Why? Because Ryan says trainers are convinced hot chicks boost business. Having an attractive person on the floor is always a win-win. At our first stop, Abby thinks she just got a great deal from an expanding national fitness chain. I just got an email. He said it was great meeting me, he's going to set me up with my complimentary guided workout. But Kristin is about to open Abby's eyes to how gyms really do business. What my sales adviser said to me was that he could waive the $200 initiation fee. It's a $200 savings Abby is never even offered. Could it be a fluke? We drive Abby and Kristin just a few blocks away. How'd it go? How'd it go? Um, it went well. He said that my monthly rate is 152. Different? Different? Yeah. Different all right. This time Kristin gets a $276 break on her annual membership. The numbers don't even compare. Why wouldn't you offer the exact same rate to everybody that comes in your gym? That's ridiculous to me. But if you think it couldn't get any worse, it does. We head downtown to one of New York's boutique gyms. And this time there's no questioning why Kristin gets the better deal. I got the model discount. That so-called model's discount is a whopping $706 a year savings for Kristin. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Get out! Am I surprised? Not at all. This kind of thing happens all the time. If you're gonna bring 10 people into this gym just by coming in, working out and looking good, then they'll bring you in the gym. Not bad, unless you're plus-sized Abby. In total, we went to four gyms. Three of them ` national chains, and the results were always the same. I never would've expected it. I never would've. Ryan says women like Abby should expect something else ` high-pressure sales tactics to play on her insecurities and a 'sell, sell, sell' mentality. So are the gyms looking for easy money? Membership's huge and then, of course, the personal trainer. Remember that email Abby got just minutes after enquiring about a membership? What you don't know is that the gym offered to waive her initiation fee. But? But? But I had to sign up for some training sessions which were $100 a piece. You had to? You had to? In order to get the initiation fee waived, yeah, I did. < (CHUCKLES) Ryan says the name of the game is signing folks up for long-term upfront contracts with the anticipation those new members will never clock a single burned calorie on the treadmill. Two years on, you're getting hit with a gym membership. You've never gone once. Have you come across trainers who are frauds? I'm sure there's trainers out there that are probably doing this strictly to make a buck. Getting pumped there, huh? What do you get for your money? I recently worked out with Ryan in his South Florida gym. He put me through the ringer. And confessed something you won't want to hear. Ryan admits he and other trainers like him secretly enjoy watching us sweat and suffer. Have you ever had anybody weep on you ` any crying? Maybe not crying but a couple throw-ups. Really? Really? Some people toss their cookies a bit, yeah. That's gotta make you feel great. I will admit there is a small bit of satisfaction you get out of making a client puke, but it doesn't happen all the time. But when you do, it's kind of an internal 'yes'. But Ryan's about to reveal the biggest secret of all. You want to know what goes on behind these muscles? Want to look like this? Ryan says you're never going to unless you quit your day job. Ryan's regimen borders on religion. He works out every day, sometimes twice a day, for three hours or more. I'm excited to see what you eat. His diet is not only rigorous but monastic. So, Ryan, when was the last time you had a beer? It's been a couple years for a beer. It's that whole cult of fitness and 'lookism' that has some people screaming, 'Enough!' Every single day people get scared to go to the gym. People are afraid of being judged. People are afraid of getting charged too much. At Downsize Fitness in Chicago, Justin Hazlett now only sells gym memberships to clients who are 50 pounds overweight or heavier. Women like Abby Smith. She would be our next client. And this one, she'd be shown the door. There's no model discount for Kristin here. Skinny clients are banned from joining this gym and for good reason. I felt like in the gyms that I've been to before that I've always been discriminated against just because of my size, for how much I weigh. Back in New York City, Abby Smith and Kristin Garofalo are still shaking their heads over that jaw-dropping $706 model's discount. I want to go back into the gyms with Abby and go, 'Hey, listen, this is my rate, and this is going to be her rate too. Let me speak to your GM.' And so we did. Let's go in. We were greeted by the general manager, who insisted at his gym there is no price scale, no wiggle room for his 1400 members. We never change our pricing. How can that be? How can that be? We're a luxury brand. We don't discount our pricing. What if I told you we actually had two people come in here and they got vastly different prices? I'd be very surprised to hear that. I'd be very surprised to hear that. Really? I'd be very surprised to hear that. Really? Yes. Maybe you recognise either of these lovely ladies. He doesn't recognise either of Kristin or Abby but quickly begins to back-pedal on that 'one size fits all' membership pricing policy. Is there something called a model's discount? There are partnerships that we have with businesses, so she's part of a modelling agency that we have a partnership with. No, I don't think so. How does this work? Do you pay by the pound? I mean, if you're` She's also a model. If she's heavier, she pays more? How does that work? We don't` We don't create deals on the fly for someone` how someone looks. Never. The salesperson who saw this person assumed that she was a model. The salesperson who saw this person did not. Well, that was a misjudgement. All right. So Abby can come here if she chooses and get the same deal? All right. So Abby can come here if she chooses and get the same deal? Correct. Well, that's interesting. That's nice. Was there anything that surprised you about this? I still don't even want to believe it, really. I'd like to think that most places are pretty fair, but I guess that's just naive of me to think that. (CHUCKLES) Next on 20/20 ` Toni Braxton is back and wants to put the record straight. But I cared what my audience thought about me. In what sense? Because you're supposed to be smarter. And so I suppose it must annoy you that people like me ask you about it. No, because I get to tell my story. Depending on how you edit it. Where's the`? Where's a`? Depending on how you edit it. Where's the`? Where's a`? (LAUGHS) > You're driving pissed too often, Darryl. Uncle Gav. Mum thinks you're dumb. DOOR SHUTS, RAUCOUS MALE LAUGHTER Yo, Donna! Sorry, Darryl. It's not Donna time; it's Mum time. Sit your drunken ass down there. Why? (LAUGHS) Why? (LAUGHS) Cos you lot are special to me. Aw. Look, I'm not saying anything till I have my lawyer present. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) You're driving pissed too often, Darryl. Uncle Gav. Mum thinks you're dumb. Uncle Gav. Mum thinks you're dumb. No, you are! Hey! (KISSES, LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) I think you're all dumb. (LAUGHS) I think you're all dumb. Oh. Why? You need to talk to your nephews and you to your brother about you lot driving home pissed every weekend. You're no saint. You're no saint. Yeah, I know that. But we've all got to stop. Now, I've said my bit. Who wants to go next? Who wants to go next? (CHUCKLES) < This is awkward. You` You're there for, you know, 12, 15 minutes, and you've got six other jobs behind you. a Welcome back. From the crazy spending to the bankruptcies to the comeback attempts to her reincarnation as a regular on the private performance circuit, Toni Braxton reveals the triumphs and tribulations of her multi-platinum recording career. Tonight on 20/20, Braxton is back and opens up to Nick Watt. 'UN-BREAK MY HEART' PLAYS Who hasn't sung along to that? What a classic. That was 16 years ago when Toni Braxton was bathing in the glow of Grammy glory. Un-break My Heart topped the charts for 11 weeks. That was then. And this is now. # I think I'm gonna dance. # She's still got it, but you will not believe all that's happened along the road. Divorce, life-threatening illness, career troughs and bankruptcy ` twice. I have my moments. I have my days ` good days and bad days. I can't deny it. # Just another sad love song. # The good days began in 1992, when Toni exploded on to the music scene,... # Breathe again. # # I can touch the sky. # ...garnering a host of awards. BOTH: Toni Braxton. ALL: Toni Braxton. Toni... Toni... BOTH: Toni... Toni... BOTH: Toni... Toni... ...Braxton. Global superstar, loving the good times while they lasted. Thank you. That was my high ` performing. That's the best feeling. The attention is what gives me joy. And the lifestyle is incidental. And the lifestyle is incidental. The perks are lovely. I can't deny the perks. They're great. In the beginning, it's all new. Anything new, you want it. The trouble was while her records were selling millions, she was only taking home thousands. 170 million in sales, and you got $1972? Is that right? Is that right? I did. That's right. That's true. A measly $2000. That's all Braxton says she got from her first contract. The record label took a big slice of the pie. I don't understand how it's feasible. They give you an advancement on the next record and then the next record, so you stay in` kinda stay in debt, in a sense. And that, says Braxton, is what brought on bankruptcy number one back in 1998. Well, that and a serious home decor addiction ` a bank-busting flatware habit. You perhaps slightly lost touch with reality. I love dishes and house things, so I kinda lost it a little bit on the houseware. In 2000, armed with a new record deal guaranteeing her millions of dollars, Toni returned to prominence, even performing at the Super Bowl. But success was short-lived. # Hit the freeway. # Her next three albums only sold a few hundred thousand copies each. There have been albums that don't sell. How do you deal with that? > That's like that one-night stand you don't wanna talk about. You don't want anyone to know about those records that didn't do well. I have a few of those. Bad sales. So what? All right, Las Vegas. Toni took her music directly to the fans with a Vegas review show. And then 18 months later, a startling turn of events. The doctors told me I would never be able to perform. They said one or two songs here and there. Braxton was diagnosed with microvascular angina ` a narrowing of vessels in the heart ` and later, lupus ` a hereditary autoimmune disease that killed her uncle. Her self-financed Vegas comeback was over. The Vegas show, I'd just renewed all my contracts with all my vendors, and then a month later I got sick. Cue bankruptcy number two with reported debts upwards of a staggering $50 million. The issue is that there was $15,000 owed to Tiffany and that makes people think... But some the things you read aren't true, because I heard that I owned a BMW too, and I don't. But I cared what my audience thought about me. In what sense? In what sense? Because you're supposed to be smarter. And so I suppose it must annoy you that people like me ask you that. And so I suppose it must annoy you that people like me ask you that. No, because I get to tell my story. Depending on how you edit it. Where's he at? Depending on how you edit it. Where's he at? (LAUGHS) > I'm joking. But before you shed tears for this diva, a reality check. When a big deal like Braxton goes bust, she doesn't wind up living in a Motel 6 and working the night shift at a diner. So don't feel too bad for her. Her sister Traci doesn't. If this what it means to be bankrupt, sign me up. Now in order to support her two children, Toni, like many others,... (SINGS LONG NOTE) ...is out on the global private gig circuit. It's lucrative. The money's lovely. I can't deny the money is yummy. Here she is performing at a bank conference in Moscow. Even sitting on the bank president's lap. Hi, handsome. Hi. Hi, handsome. Hi. Thank you very much. I love Russian audiences. They love to be entertained. I don't know if it's the vodka or what, but they love it. CROWD SINGS: ...walk out the door. Can I ask how much they pay you? Can I ask how much they pay you? A lot. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) That's all I can say. I can go a couple times a year, and I'm OK. But wherever Braxton goes, they still want to hear those same songs. # ...that I'll never breathe again. # You know, you have bad days. You think, 'Am I dated? Am I over? Do they still like me?' She just turned 45 and is acting now too,... Do you think you could work this up for a choir? ...starring the Lifetime movie Twist of Faith, premiering in February. (SINGS) (SINGS) CHOIR SINGS Give me one more. Give me one more. # What am I gonna do? # No? And guess what. She even has a new hit. # What am I gonna do? I love you. I Heart You topped the dance charts this summer. # Oh, I love you. # Moral of the story ` with a voice like that, you'll always be able to sing your way out of a hole. OK, if you want to see any of tonight's stories again, head to our website... You can also email us... Or go to our Facebook page... And let us know your thoughts on tonight's show. Well, thanks in advance for all your feedback. We're interested in your stories, of course, so send us through your ideas.