Reality bites for modeling hopefuls

Gemase Simmons was all over the nearly 40 hours of videotape we'd obtained from unpaid camera crews who say they were ripped off by his so-called reality show.

And this is what Gemase looked like back in 2005, when he shot yet another unfinished reality show with another camera crew that hasn't been paid.  They say they've been looking for Gemase Simmons for years. So where was he?

We went to his last known address in Houston, but were told he'd just moved out. We also went looking online and found this posting on Gemase's Myspace page--- a solicitation for new models. 

So we asked a Houston woman, Shelley Keys, to answer the ad for us, hoping it would lead to a meeting with Gemase.

She got a call from someone who claimed to be Gemase's intern, but who sounded suspiciously like Gemase himself. And after many more phone calls, she was invited to meet with a group of young women in a hotel lobby.

A dateline producer went along carrying a hidden camera.

The women were apparently looking for new recruits on behalf of Gemase, who they described as a super-model-turned successful reality show producer.

Assistant: He's like Tyra banks, and he's not as well known. He's coming out with a reality show, yeah.

That meeting led to an invitation to a party Gemase was having at this high-rise apartment building. 

So, I went up and introduced myself, and told Gemase I wanted to ask him some questions.

He readily agreed to an interview, but excused himself for a moment, and never came back.

The cell phone number we had for him was shut off the day after our brief encounter.

And that's where our story ended-- the first time.  With Gemase, the would-be television star, dodging his chance for a real network TV debut. But after our story aired in May of 2008, Gemase surprised us by emailing our producer and agreeing to meet me for a sit-down interview.

He arrived in New York with his sister, and with a woman he called his associate producer.

Chris Hansen: This is not the first time I've tried to interview you.

Gemase Simmons: No.

Chris Hansen: We chatted for a moment.  You said you'd be right back after going to the men's room.  And you never came back. 

Gemase Simmons: Yes.

Chris Hansen: And why was that?

Gemase Simmons: Well, because I had an active warrant for my arrest. You don't wanna be on TV when you have a warrant. 

As we'd reported, Gemase had 10 outstanding arrest warrants at the time of our broadcast.  After the story aired, he pleaded guilty to the most serious charge-- vehicle theft-- and was out on bail awaiting sentencing at the time of our interview.

So now, after months of avoiding our questions, we were finally about to hear his version of reality.

Chris Hansen: What was your intent? What were you trying to do?

Gemase Simmons: I was trying to put together a reality show that would generate enough revenue to finally pay the staff and myself. Do a show that will actually introduce a, "next model," if you will--  

Chris Hansen: What happened?

Gemase Simmons: Everything went-- spiraled out of control, to say the very least. 

Chris Hansen: Going into it, did you have a deal to air the show?

Gemase Simmons:  I had talked to ION Network. 

Remember, we'd already confirmed that Gemase had talked to a salesperson at ION about buying time to air his show-- an informercial kind of arrangement.  But Gemase told us that he didn't have the money to actually do the deal.

Chris Hansen: You never cut them a check.

Gemase Simmons: I-- I didn't have a check to cut. So, I never cut them a check.

Chris Hansen:  but I sat there just like I’m sitting here with you, with a number of contestants, all of whom told the same story about you making them believe that there in fact was a deal for this show to air.

Gemase Simmons: Well, I--

Chris Hansen: Are they all lying?

Gemase Simmons: I provided-- I think they're all misled.

Chris Hansen: All misled?

Gemase Simmons: Sure.

Chris Hansen: Well, they claim they're misled by you.

Gemase Simmons: And I-- and I did not mislead them at all--

Chris Hansen: You didn't mislead them?

Gemase Simmons: No. It was very clear through the e-mails that I sent them, very clear through the conversations that we had that we had nothing signed with-- with ION as far as-- the final product, until it was done.

But what about all that talk about the show being broadcast around the world, and the important clients who would see it on Fashion TV? Well, Gemase admits that what he said on camera wasn't true.

Gemase Simmons: Everyone knew we were gonna talk to fashion TV as well. So, we did some things for the camera so that when we did the deal with fashion TV we already had b-roll footage.  But, it wasn't part of the show, it wasn't part of the--

Chris Hansen: Just to be clear, when you said that, you did not have a deal with fashion TV.

Gemase Simmons: No. Nothing finalized.

Chris Hansen: OK.

And his claim that he was a supermodel? He says that's just an innocent exaggeration.

Chris Hansen: Were you ever a supermodel?

Gemase Simmons: I told them I was a supermodel because I am self-made. I told them that everything I got I’m gonna make on my own.

Chris Hansen: You didn't pay anybody who worked on this show, did you?

Video   Gemase responds Dateline NBC finds Gemase and gives him the chance to offer his version of reality. Dateline NBC

Gemase Simmons: No.  No.

Chris Hansen: You left a lot of people holding the bag.

Gemase Simmons: I did. I did. And I’m very sorry for that.

But I owe these people, I know I owe these people, I am reaching out to these people...

Chris Hansen: Reaching out? No one has been paid?

Gemase Simmons: I haven’t had any money. (laughs)  

Chris Hansen: But, if you don't have the money. Why promise things? You're supposed to have the money before you hire the camera people.

Gemase Simmons: Sure.

Chris Hansen: You're supposed to have the money before you get the limos. That’s how show works.

Gemase Simmons: I know that now.

Chris Hansen: You get a bunch of money, and then you produce the show.  What you do was con a bunch of people into being involved in a show, and didn't pay anybody.

Gemase Simmons: I didn't con them at all.

Chris Hansen: You didn’t keep any of your promises on this deal.

Gemase Simmons: I didn't con them at all. And the story's not over.

Chris Hansen: You didn't con 'em?

Gemase Simmons: No, I did not. I spoke to the camera guy the day before we started taping.  I told him exactly what we were going through. I said, "Look, I have no money for this show.  I've been trying.”

Chris Hansen: Look, you know I talked to Izzie. You stuck him for more than $11,000.

Gemase Simmons: I didn’t stick Izzie at all.

Chris Hansen: He did the job.

Gemase Simmons: He did the job.

Chris Hansen: Did you pay him?

Gemase Simmons: No.

Chris Hansen: So, you stuck him.

Gemase Simmons: Well, I didn't have the money to pay him. If I say to you, "I don't have the money for this, but I need your help.” If you say okay, I didn't stick you, I didn't con you.

Chris Hansen: That's not what Izzie says.

Gemase Simmons: Well, I-- I know that's not what Izzie says, but that's exactly what happened.

But what else was happening behind the scenes during the reality show taping?  We wanted to ask Gemase about those sexual allegations.

Chris Hansen: Ok three of the male contestants we interviewed all said that you told them gay sex was part of modeling.

Gemase Simmons: (laughter) I didn't say that.  I didn't say that.

Chris Hansen: Did you ask one of them to lie down next to you?

Gemase Simmons: Absolutely not.  Absolutely not.

Chris Hansen: Why would they lie about this?

Gemase Simmons: I think sex sells, first of all. I think they thought that they would get on television. Creative stories get you on TV all the time.  Did I invite them into my bedroom to have sex with me?  No. 

Gemase also denied promising any of the cast members modeling jobs.

And when we asked him about that female contestant who left in the middle of the shoot, Gemase said she actually propositioned him-- sending him unsolicited nude photos of herself, and dropping out after he rejected her advances.

But what about Jacqueline Christine Foster and her story about what happened during a so-called "cosmetic exam"--a term we heard from three would-be models involved in the show?

Chris Hansen: What is a cosmetic exam?

Gemase Simmons: You know I heard that terminology first time after your show aired.

Chris Hansen:  Three different women who don't really know each other, all said that you said they had to take a cosmetic exam. (laughter) And you gave that cosmetic exam. How could three women use that same term without it being true?

Gemase Simmons: Well, Jacqueline Christine actually auditioned with the show.  So, she did know the other ladies that were there. She couldn;t continue with the show.

Chris Hansen: She claims you made unwanted sexual advances.

Gemase Simmons: That wasn’t the case at all.

Gemase says that anything that might have happened between him and Jacqueline Christine was consensual.  And that she's angry because he did not pursue a relationship with her.

Chris Hansen: So, you're saying she's-- she's a spurned lover.

Gemase Simmons: She-- yes, she is.  She is.  And she was very upset.  And I--

Chris Hansen: now, I-- I’m gonna tell you, having sat with her for some time and interviewing her, she's gonna go ballistic when she hears that.  Not because she's a spurned lover.  Because you're lying right now.

Gemase Simmons: Well, I don't think so.  I mean, I remember exactly what happened that night, Chris, exactly what happened that night.  I remember exactly what happened.

Chris Hansen: She says the same thing.

Gemase Simmons: Right.  Well, and-- and that just wasn't the case. 

But how would Gemase explain this explosive allegation? After our interview with the contestants, 17-year-old Ugo Mozie showed us these pornographic photos, and this sexual cartoon, he received in text messages from Gemase's cell phone.

Ugo Mozie: It’s kinda scary. I am nervous and I don’t know, like, why is he sending me these text messages.

Gemase Simmons: I didn't send it to him.  I didn't send any of that stuff.  The separate--

Chris Hansen: You didn't.

Gemase Simmons: I didn't send it to him.

Chris Hansen: So, the phone automatically sent--

Gemase Simmons: I didn't even know how to send-- no, he had to send it to himself.  I didn't even know--

Chris Hansen: Wait, whoa-- whoa-- whoa.  Ugo sent those messages to himself?

Gemase Simmons: Chris, I’m telling you, Ugo sent the messages to himself.

Chris Hansen: That doesn't make any sense--

Gemase Simmons: Chris, it makes incredible sense. While I was out working on the show and doing all this stuff, Ugo has my phone, my assistants have my phone, they answer it for me all the time. The message came to my phone, he got it, he thought it was funny or-- or cute, and he wanted to have it to share with his friends.  So, he'd send it to himself.  They do it all the time.  I didn't even know how to send it--

Chris Hansen: No, but I’m talking specifically about pictures of male genitalia and a sexually explicit cartoon that were sent from your phone to Ugo.

Gemase Simmons: it did come from my phone.  And I take responsibility that it was my phone. He had the phone all the time.

Chris Hansen: I know, but this was after we did all the interviews, after this whole thing blew up.

Gemase Simmons: Sure.

Chris Hansen: So, there's no way that he could even get involved with your cell phone.

Gemase Simmons: That may be what he represented to you.  But, that's just not the case. 

Chris Hansen: So Ugo--

Gemase Simmons: --at all.

Chris Hansen: --lying?

Gemase Simmons: Well, if he says I sent the pictures to him, then yes.  Because I didn't send those pictures to him.

Chris Hansen: is Jacqueline Christine lying?

Gemase Simmons: You know, I think that her account of the story is only partially true.

Chris Hansen: Izzie is not telling the truth.

Gemase Simmons: uh-huh. Izzie's not telling the whole truth.

Chris Hansen: So, everybody else is lying, and you're telling the truth.

Gemase Simmons: Well, I thought it was important for me to come on here and say that.

Chris Hansen: Everybody else is lying.

Gemase Simmons: You know, I--

Chris Hansen: That you're the victim of a smear campaign.

Gemase Simmons: They did a very good job of it, Chris.  They did a very good job of it.

Gemase says he's done with reality TV for now, but says he's still trying to get a show off the ground.  This time, a talk show, starring the guy who-- if nothing else-- seems to talk a good game.

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