L-R: “Strong” exec. prod. David Broome, host Gabrielle Reece, exec. prod. Sylvester Stallone; Trae Patton/NBCUniversal(NEW YORK) — Sylvester Stallone is being accused of throwing a sucker punch to a personal trainer who’s suing the Rocky star for allegedly ripping off his idea for a reality TV show.
Rob Fletcher claims Stallone, 69, lifted the idea for a show he pitched called America’s Next Great Trainer, and used it for the NBC series he executive produced earlier this year called Strong, Westchester, NY’s The Journal News reports. The show’s first season concluded June 2.
Fletcher describes his show as a competition that would partner six to 10 contestants with personal trainers. The teams would compete in a variety of categories, and one would be eliminated each week. He claims he enlisted California celebrity trainer Todd Durkin as the show’s front man and got him to sign a confidentiality agreement in 2014.
“Think of it as American Idol for fitness trainers,” Fletcher told the newspaper in 2015.
That same year, he says learned through through a fellow trainer that Stallone’s show had been green-lighted. Fletcher soon discovered the show would feature 10 female contestants paired up with trainers — one of whom was Durkin.
NBC, Durkin and Strong producer David Broome were also mentioned in the lawsuit, but as of early Thursday, only Durkin and NBC reportedly had been served with legal papers.
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