Dancers, medicine, and murder-for-hire. The brand new discovery+ sequence Curse of the Chippendales exposes the darkish reality behind the mega-popular all-male strip present, which took the world by storm within the Eighties however was later rocked by demise and scandal.
Over 4 episodes, that are full of archival footage and interviews with these concerned within the group, Curse of the Chippendales dives into the dance group’s huge success, which at its top was grossing $35 million a yr. The true-crime docuseries additionally seems on the jealousies, rivalries, and greed that in the end led to its downfall.
‘Curse of the Chippendales’ explores the rise of the male strip present
Within the late Seventies, immigrant entrepreneur Steve Banerjee was searching for a technique to flip round a struggling Los Angeles nightclub. Finally, with the assistance of Canadian businessman Paul Snider, he hit on the concept of all-male strippers. Chippendales was born.
Arriving on the finish of the sexually liberated ‘70s, the scantily clad dancers have been an immediate hit.
“I think every girl felt special in there,” says Nancy Dineen within the first episode. (She would finally marry one in all Chippendales prime dancers, Michael Rapp.) “No matter what she looked like. That was part of what made Chippendales a great place, to make women feel good about themselves. It kind of felt like we were in control and they were there to serve us. The roles were reversed.”
Quickly, the membership was drawing sell-out crowds and Banerjee was planning to develop to New York and past. However behind the scenes, issues shortly turned darkish. A stunning homicide within the first episode hints on the bother to come back.
“At the time, I had no idea that this was only the beginning of a series of tragic misfortunes that would come into our lives,” says former Chippendales lawyer Bruce Nahin.
The sequence seems on the reality behind the Chippendales homicide
Subsequent episodes of the sequence take a look at how the Chippendales empire grew within the Eighties. Curse of the Chippendales additionally explores how a fateful choice by Banerjee to usher in a brand new accomplice, choreographer Nick De Noia, finally resulted in De Noia’s 1987 homicide. Later, there’s a plot to kill members of a rival dance troupe with cyanide.
“Chippendales was, in essence, a corrupt organization,” says Scott Garrioloa, a retired FBI particular agent who seems within the sequence. “Who could ever dream of something like that? Male exotic dancers, but behind it all is this one megalomaniac, who’s a sociopath, trying to kill or destroy anything that gets in his way.”
How one can stream ‘Curse of the Chippendales’
Curse of the Chippendales is streaming completely on discovery+ starting Sept. 24. Subscriptions begin at $4.99 per thirty days; there’s additionally a $6.99 per thirty days ad-free plan. Subscribers get entry to streaming-only originals in addition to 1000’s of episodes of reveals from HGTV, ID, TLC, Animal Planet, and extra.
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