Employers get away with what may appear to be a violation of basic labor laws because those contestants are classified as independent contractors, not employees. In the eyes of the law, they do not have the same protections most workers get with just about any other kind of job, such as the freedom to join unions. It also means that the National Labor Relations Board does not have jurisdiction over them. This may soon change after the government agency filed a complaint against Delirium TV and Kinetic Content, the producers of 'Love Is Blind.' The NLRB complaint states that reality TV contestants are employees and therefore have the right to join a union. Former 'Love Is Blind' contestants Renee Poche and Nicholas Thompson had filed a petition requesting this action. In addition to not being able to join a union, they couldn't even discuss the terms of their contracts due to nondisclosure agreements. Reality TV participants, including many of the stars of those shows, are...
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