NEW YORK — Some people will go to great lengths to get on television, as we've seen in the case of the "Balloon Boy" incident.
And now it seems the couple who allegedly crashed a White House state dinner have been clawing at reality stardom for a some time now.
Michaele and Tareq Salahi cast themselves in their own drama. Their new role: party crashers at the president's first official state dinner.
The Salahis' Facebook photos showing the couple hobnobbing with the vice president and the White House chief of staff are now famous. An official White House photo shows them being greeted by President Obama himself.
But the couple — who are reality TV hopefuls — could end up facing charges, if one lawmaker has his way.
"I would want to see whatever charges can be brought against them brought against them, because this isn't a joke; this isn't a game; this isn't breaking into a fashion show; we're talking about the security of the United States being at risk here," said attorney Pete King.
According to the Bravo network, Michaele Salahi was being considered to appear in "The Real Housewives of DC." For those who follow the entertainment industry, Andy Warhol comes to mind.
"Warhol said everyone would have their 15 minutes of fame, and now you actually can," said Ian Drew, senior editor of US Weekly. "It's not just a saying or a platitude — this is the new American dream."
The White House gate crashers incident comes one month after the "balloon boy" drama. Millions were riveted watching a balloon drift over eastern Colorado, fearing a six-year-old boy was inside.
We later found out the boy's mother admitted it was all a hoax. She and her husband pleaded guilty to charges related to the case.
Some reality TV producers say people aiming to be on these shows are trying to promote themselves and stand out from the crowd.
"I think that a lot of these 'reality' — quote, unquote — stars are self-producing, gaining the attention of first producers, then the public," said Michael Hirschkorn of Ish Entertainment.
And the appetite doesn't seem to be easing. From disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to the mother of octuplets, there's a place for them on reality television, which is much cheaper to produce than a drama series.
Erwin Gomez finds it all sad. He is the stylist for Michaele Salahi, who helped get her ready for the White House dinner. He said he believed she had been invited.
"I hope she's smart enough to know that it doesn't take this big risk to get into a reality show," Gomez said.
"The Salahis have been named separately in 16 different civil suits; they did not respond for comment. The Salahis' publicist said they are not making any formal comments at this time, but their lawyer states emphatically that they did not "crash" the White House event and are looking forward to setting the record straight.
The couple is expected to give interviews next week.
