thedrifter
07-22-03, 05:52 AM
'Hunting for Bambi' a fraud?
Site debunks firm offering naked women as paintball targets
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Posted: July 21, 2003
5:00 p.m. Eastern
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
A noted investigative website is claiming a Las Vegas company that says it hosts "hunts" where men stalk naked women and shoot them with paintballs is a certifiable hoax, perpetuated by local and national media exposure given to the firm's spokesman.
Hunt for nude women a hoax? (Real Men Outdoor Productions)
Real Men Outdoor Productions Inc. claims it offers men the opportunity, at $10,000 a pop, to dress in camouflage and hunt for women dressed only in tennis shoes – a game the company calls "Hunting for Bambi." The women purportedly are paid $2,500 if they survived the game without being hit by a paintball and $1,000 if they are hit.
Officials from the company were interviewed by reporters from Las Vegas station KLAS-TV and nationally on MSNBC and the Fox News Channel. Video was provided by the company of what it admits is a staged hunt.
Snopes.com now reports there is no evidence that any actual hunts have taken place and that the publicity blitz was used simply to sell the company's videotape showing the staged hunt.
The site quotes Hunting for Bambi's promotional material:
"If you would like to fly out to wonderful fun-filled Las Vegas, Nevada for the hunt of a lifetime, now is your chance. You can actually hunt one of our Bambi babes and shoot her with paintballs while we film the whole thing and tape it for your own home video."
In its report, Snopes chastises the TV outlets for falling for the hoax.
"The whole setup of the Hunting for Bambi site seems to be a deliberate attempt to shock and outrage," said Snopes.com, "and it's all too easy for hoaxsters to fool reporters with demonstrations staged for their benefit."
The site points out that paintball games require extensive protective gear, making the safety of the women an obvious concern.
"What woman in her right mind would allow people to shoot at her with paintballs delivered at a muzzle velocity of up to 200 feet per second but agree that she couldn't wear so much as protective goggles, protected by nothing but a vague rule that shooters are supposed to hit their targets below the waist only?" the report rhetorically asks.
Snopes.com also reports that the company's website has no contact information where a potential customer could book a hunt. This despite the fact that Real Men Outdoor Productions claims to have hosted 18 or 20 hunts thus far. The company's site only includes the means to purchase the promotional video or DVD for $19.99.
Reaction to the alleged claims by the company has raised a firestorm of protest in Las Vegas.
"As soon as I found out about this, I called for an investigation," Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman told Reuters. "Las Vegas is a place where anything goes, but this crosses the line if this is real."
Reuters reports that both the Nevada Coalition Against Sexual Violence and Brass Eagle Inc., the world's largest paintball products maker, have called for an end to the alleged hunts.
David Krekelberg, a spokesman for the company, tells Reuters the women he claims are involved in the hunts are allowed to wear protective goggles and helmets. He also told the new service the purported hunts have taken place on private estates in southern Nevada.
Patricia Ireland, national head of the YWCA, isn't convinced by the publicity.
"Frankly, I still have to believe it's a put-on." Ireland told MSNBC. "Who would be so stupid to pay up to $10,000 to hunt a naked woman?"
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=33678
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
Site debunks firm offering naked women as paintball targets
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: July 21, 2003
5:00 p.m. Eastern
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
A noted investigative website is claiming a Las Vegas company that says it hosts "hunts" where men stalk naked women and shoot them with paintballs is a certifiable hoax, perpetuated by local and national media exposure given to the firm's spokesman.
Hunt for nude women a hoax? (Real Men Outdoor Productions)
Real Men Outdoor Productions Inc. claims it offers men the opportunity, at $10,000 a pop, to dress in camouflage and hunt for women dressed only in tennis shoes – a game the company calls "Hunting for Bambi." The women purportedly are paid $2,500 if they survived the game without being hit by a paintball and $1,000 if they are hit.
Officials from the company were interviewed by reporters from Las Vegas station KLAS-TV and nationally on MSNBC and the Fox News Channel. Video was provided by the company of what it admits is a staged hunt.
Snopes.com now reports there is no evidence that any actual hunts have taken place and that the publicity blitz was used simply to sell the company's videotape showing the staged hunt.
The site quotes Hunting for Bambi's promotional material:
"If you would like to fly out to wonderful fun-filled Las Vegas, Nevada for the hunt of a lifetime, now is your chance. You can actually hunt one of our Bambi babes and shoot her with paintballs while we film the whole thing and tape it for your own home video."
In its report, Snopes chastises the TV outlets for falling for the hoax.
"The whole setup of the Hunting for Bambi site seems to be a deliberate attempt to shock and outrage," said Snopes.com, "and it's all too easy for hoaxsters to fool reporters with demonstrations staged for their benefit."
The site points out that paintball games require extensive protective gear, making the safety of the women an obvious concern.
"What woman in her right mind would allow people to shoot at her with paintballs delivered at a muzzle velocity of up to 200 feet per second but agree that she couldn't wear so much as protective goggles, protected by nothing but a vague rule that shooters are supposed to hit their targets below the waist only?" the report rhetorically asks.
Snopes.com also reports that the company's website has no contact information where a potential customer could book a hunt. This despite the fact that Real Men Outdoor Productions claims to have hosted 18 or 20 hunts thus far. The company's site only includes the means to purchase the promotional video or DVD for $19.99.
Reaction to the alleged claims by the company has raised a firestorm of protest in Las Vegas.
"As soon as I found out about this, I called for an investigation," Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman told Reuters. "Las Vegas is a place where anything goes, but this crosses the line if this is real."
Reuters reports that both the Nevada Coalition Against Sexual Violence and Brass Eagle Inc., the world's largest paintball products maker, have called for an end to the alleged hunts.
David Krekelberg, a spokesman for the company, tells Reuters the women he claims are involved in the hunts are allowed to wear protective goggles and helmets. He also told the new service the purported hunts have taken place on private estates in southern Nevada.
Patricia Ireland, national head of the YWCA, isn't convinced by the publicity.
"Frankly, I still have to believe it's a put-on." Ireland told MSNBC. "Who would be so stupid to pay up to $10,000 to hunt a naked woman?"
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=33678
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: