Did 16 year-old Abby Sunderland’s dad put her at risk for reality show? (update)

abbydad1
Abigail Sunderland is the 16 year-old sailor who was embarking on a solo journey around the world when she had to be rescued in the Indian Ocean after a storm last week. She’s doing fine now and is on a French fishing vessel. People are wondering what role her parents played in either encouraging or pushing Abigail into sailing around the world. Her brother Zac completed the same trip last year at the age of 17 to become the first person under 18 to circumnavigate the globe. Zac’s record was broken about six weeks later by a slightly younger English sailor, Michael Perham. If Abby’s voyage would have been successful, she would have set the world record again for her family as the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe.

Questions remain about why Abby was making this dangerous trip and whether her parents had a financial incentive to push their daughter into a situation she may not have been prepared for. In an appearance on Larry King Live on Monday, Abby’s dad Laurence said that the trips were his children’s idea and that Abigail wanted to sail around the world since she was 13. (You can watch the edited video of his appearance here.)

Laurence Sunderland denied that he had Abby sail around the world in order to sell a reality show and called that idea “absolutely ridiculous.”

A filmmaker named Ted Calorosa claims that he was working with the Sunderlands on a potential reality show to center around Abby’s voyage, however. Calorosa told CNN that Abby’s vessel wasn’t properly outfitted for the trip and that Laurence pushed her to sail in order to satisfy sponsors.

Laurence Sunderland admits that a reality show was in the works
In response, Laurence claimed that Calorosa “has a personal vendetta against me,” and that he bailed on their potential collaboration when he realized he wouldn’t earn enough money from it. Laurence did admit that a reality show was in the works, and called it “an inspirational reality TV show based on Zac and Abigail as being an inspiration to the youth of today.” He clarified that the reality show was either canceled or on hold, though. “There’s not a reality show now, there was a reality show shopping agreement that we had…. before Abigail left. That was null and void when they realized they couldn’t get a deal… Ted Calorosa wanted to take this in an unethical direction… he was going to throw me under the bus as an irresponsible parent that knew nothing about yachting and boating.”

Sunderland then claimed that Calorosa was pitching the show with the idea that Abby would die going around Cape Horn! (Note: that part was edited out of the podcast but can be seen on Joy Behar’s show, video below, and is in the transcript.)

Sunderland went on to talk about his family. He has seven children and his wife is pregnant with their eighth. They’re all home schooled and Sunderland claimed that allows his family to travel and sail as well as develop their children’s strengths “from an early age.”

Calls comparisons to Balloon Boy dad “ridiculous”
As to comparisons to the Balloon Boy dad, Sunderland called that “ridiculous,” and changed the subject to what amazing kids he’s raised. “This is about two young people, Zac, who completed his journey and is a hero, and Abigail, that was caught by a rogue wave. And her vessel sustained her life and she followed the safety procedures to the letter and to the T and was rescued.”

A reality show could still be coming, though
Some kind of reality show has not been ruled out, however, and Sunderland said he’s for it if it’s “something great and inspirational that could pluck these kids away from computers.” I’m sure it would need to portray him as a hero for training his kids to sail around the world and not as the pushy stage dad that some see him as.

Filmmaker calls Sunderland a liar
Filmmaker Ted Calorosa and Bonnie Fuller of Hollywood Life were on Joy Behar’s CNN show discussing this controversy. (Video below.) Calorosa responded to Sunderland’s claim that he was basing the pitch on Abigail dying and said it was “absolutely a lie. The guy is a complete liar. I don’t know how he lives with himself… He didn’t plan the trip properly… He didn’t plan out the power consumption, there were problems… he pushed her out for a sponsor deadline.

I definitely see shades of Balloon Boy dad Richard Heene in Sunderland. Will he be responsible for paying for the search and rescue efforts for his daughter, too? On one hand it’s impressive that these kids could set records and sail so well alone. On the other hand, who the hell sends out their 16 year old daughter on a voyage around the world by herself? There’s a reason why no one has broken these records so far.

Update: Eyes for Lies analysis
Thanks to the truth expert at Eyes for Lies for analyzing these videos for us. She notes that Calorosa admits that he’s the one who came up with the idea of a reality show and approached Sunderland. That’s not consistent with his claim that Sunderland was doing this for a show. He definitely has his own agenda:

If people are accusing Lawrence Sunderland of wanting to make a reality show out of his daughter’s trip, they should really listen to what Ted Calorosa, the filmmaker, is saying. Calorosa says that he is the one who pitched the idea! If that is the case, then obviously Sunderland wasn’t doing this for a reality show, was he? He would have gotten real experienced media behind him instead of accepting a photographer as a middle man, don’t you think?

Calorosa says, “While back in November of 2009, we started developing the show. Ah, I contacted Lawrence Sunderland, my brother worked on the Zach’s campaign, her brother’s campaign and I asked him if he would be interested and just to give ya….just so everyone’s clear, I’m not a realty producer. I’m a director of photography. This is the first unscripted thing I have ever done. So I contacted Lawrence and I said would you be interested in this, and I pitched it to some of my friends. I pitched it to a friend of mine at Revely Productions, and he, they went on to sell it to a network, and I basically just started shooting footage.”

Frankly, I suspect they had a falling apart and neither one of them is being completely honest with us. There is more to this story than either one is saying.

[From Eyes for Lies, received via e-mail]

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33 Responses to “Did 16 year-old Abby Sunderland’s dad put her at risk for reality show? (update)”

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  1. Juice in LA says:

    When I heard this, I am ashamed to say I thought “Naturally.”

  2. Fluffy Kitten Tail says:

    He is as fake as the balloon boys dad.

  3. teehee says:

    She looks like a young Marilyn Manson.

  4. BlahBlah says:

    Sure, we need to get these kids today away from those danged computers and teach them useful, inspirational skills they can use in their everyday lives: for example, how to activate a GPS emergency beacon and mobilize a lot of expensive, urgent resources when the sailboat you’re trying to pilot around the world for the sheer hell of it starts to sink in the middle of nowhere.

  5. guesty says:

    what kind of parent…other than a ballooon boy parent…would allow…let alone encourage this! so dangerous.

    hope these kooks never ever get a reality deal.

  6. d says:

    So when they picked her up from sea, in what condition was her boat and in what condition was she? There was some discussion about her activating the beacon, like she was injured or the boat was irreparably damaged. Does anyone know what the rescuers encountered when they got there or is it too soon?

  7. Feebee says:

    Reality show and stupid comparisons to Balloon Boy’s parents aside…. This girl is not the first her age to attempt this. The Australian girl, Jessica something? completed the round the world recently, she is only 5 months older than Abby. Abby’s brother did it when he was 17 also. Where was the condemnation of the brother’s trip?

    Me thinks a large dose of sexism rules in all this “outrage”. And once again adults who have no idea about this girl, her maturity level or her nautical skills feel superior in their assessment that her attempt was not okay.

    To me it would make sense to document such a journey, whether it turned into a reality show is another matter.

  8. Jeri says:

    The parents and the “Reality” shows that endanger children (or appear to) need to be hit hard to discourage others from pushing their kids into dangerous situations and to discourage the backers of such plans. Maybe no one under 18 should be allowed to appear in a “Reality” show.

  9. Rex says:

    Totally agree Feebee – this reeks of sexism.

  10. cheekemunkey says:

    It was a very silly attempt to break a world’s record which was set a few weeks ago by another 16 year Australian girl. Anyone who sets out with the intention of sailing around the world should have to carry insurance for emergency rescues such as this (of course, no insurance company would insure her).

    The girl set sail thru the Indian Ocean in winter / storm season (bad decision). Not surprisingly, her mast broke off in the midst of a storm and I believe there was other damage that rendered her boat unnavigable.

    I say the family should be fined to recuperate the cost of the resuce effort which cost the Australian tax payers > $300,000 to locate her by flying over, plus additional costs to the French gov’t who sent a boat to retrieve her. Not to mention, the rescue put the lives of other people at risk.

    I hear the father has a book deal, too. Anything for a buck, eh??

  11. irl says:

    I saw him on King and believed him. They seem like an eccentric type of family with a little bit of hippy in em’. Sailing people usually are and usually have a romance of sailing and the sea. Different breed then motor boat folks.
    I think he was all for an educational type of show you’d see on Discovery but not a ridiculous show like that Gosslin mess or that Kardashian crap.

  12. bellaluna says:

    I don’t think these parents are fit to parent the children they have, and they’re having an 8th child? Trying for a reality show that way too, I guess. Can’t leave out any options, you know.

  13. lucy2 says:

    All these people who will do ANYTHING for a buck or fame are just unbelievable.

    If the kids wanted to do it, that’s great for them, working to achieve a goal. But it really sounds like the parents pushed it – and why not have someone follow in another boat? That way she’s still doing it on her own, but when something happened, they would have been right there to help. It just seems unnecessarily risky, and I can’t understand a parent pushing that.

    Sounds like the dad and the filmmaker guy are both shady, and trying to deflect blame onto each other.

  14. gg says:

    I think this is too dangerous, and am relieved that she is alive and well! I just hope this doesn’t spark other young teenaagers to do the same stunt.

  15. Daysma says:

    I’ve read a lot of comments from people regarding this whole situation from when she was lost, to when she was found, and they ran the gamut of hopeful to just downright cruel and vicious. What disgusted me, is that overall how callous people are, and to a small extent it shows on here from the comments that some people are leaving. The below is what is posted on her blog in response to some of the untrue reports circulating right now. This family is friends of ours, and it just sucks to see all these comments left by people who don’t know the family, or the entire story.

    -We are so thankful once again for all of you who understand and support Abby’s spirit of adventure and for those of you who have the humility to give the respect that Abby and her team of experts deserve. It is impossible to answer every criticism. There are so many who are only hearing of Abby for the first time and who, due to a lack of understanding and knowledge, accept what the media is saying without question or without discerning that they could be wrong or the motives of those involved may not be sincere. We will attempt to comment on several themes of concern:

    LETTER FROM THE AUSTRALIAN SEARCH & RESCUE

    Can you put a message on your blog informing your readers that the Australian government has not requested any recovery cost for Abby’s search and recovery. In fact the Govt here has been in the media and stated that fact several times. I doubt this got coverage in the US.
    Australia like the US have always responded to requests for help and have provided whatever resources are required. At no stage have we asked for cost recovery. Likewise domestic search and rescue have never requested payment for services. If a person wishes to make a contribution to the costs then that is their call. It is not expected or asked for.

    The cost recovery stuff is a beat up by the media. They do it every time. Don’t get sucked in by it. Unfortunately some of the comments I have read on some blogs seems to paint Australians as a bunch of tight arses who will only rescue people if they have a cheque book. This has never been the case as you have found out.

    Let’s not let the media hijack a good story. Likewise don’t become a victim of it by playing into their hands.

    Bottom line is, don’t get sucked in by the media. I would like a clarification on your blog just letting your readers know that the Australian Government has not requested payment nor would they. Let’s not let the media portray the many groups that were involved in Abby’s rescue as a bunch of people motivated and driven by money. This is not the case.

    -Search and Rescue Volunteer Perth.

    REALITY SHOW

    Laurence and I were approached by Magnetic Entertainment last year before Abby departed to shop a reality TV show based on our family. Abby’s trip was already sponsored. Their idea was to do an inspiring show about Zac and Abby’s adventures, what our family was like and what made them as strong and independent as they are. The show was shopped and not sold. All rights were returned to us. There is no reality TV show or documentary in the works and we will not be persuing one. We find it ironic that the media, who are spreading gossip and sensationalizing Abby’s story for profit, have the nerve to criticize us for supposedly doing the same thing – very ironic.

    TOO FAR SOUTH AND TOO LATE IN THE YEAR

    We have removed the previous comments here from Abby’s meteorologist/router as the comments in it were from a personal email between us and not meant for public viewing. We apologize for the major inconvenience this has caused. Abby’s parents take FULL responsibility for Abby’s sailing strategy and in no way blame, nor should anyone else, the team that was behind her.

    Team Abby

  16. Cinderella says:

    When you’ve gotten to a point where you’re putting the life of your child in danger to make a buck, it’s time to stop having more kids. Idiots.

  17. simplicity says:

    In interviews both sides lacked in credibility. There were 5 cameras on board, the craft was heavily sponsored, and the family pushed beyond limits of safety for their daughter’s trip.

    It’s my understanding from experienced sailor’s that the departure time was ill advised and the winter seas of the Indian Ocean led to a predictable outcome for Abby.

    I don’t consider Abby a good example for teens. I find the, “best examples,” are those who are achieving scholastically and community involved.

  18. JustBe says:

    One night on the ID channel, there was a show called ‘I Survived’ or something of that nature. The entire hour was dedicated to a family that decided to take a year (or more) off from regular life and sail around the world. It was a husband and wife (both realtors by profession, I believe) and their four children, two teenagers and a 9/10 y.o. and like a 5 y.o. Needless to say (given their appearance on the show), all did not go as planned. Although they did travel far and visited many interesting places. The family soon became very annoyed at their new living situation, as far as going days without being on land, only seeing the people in your family, teenagers being cutoff from friends/technology. The trip had been the father’s lifelong dream, but as the happiness level degraded, he soon started drinking until confronted by the wife. The family’s boat hit an unseen reef near a set of islands. The reef tore a hole in the boat. Soon a major storm started battering the boat and the father was severely injured. The teenage son had to take the reins to free his father and attempt to ensure the safety of his siblings and mother while they waited for a rescue that they weren’t sure would come. It was a harrowing experience and they all survived, but the father lost his leg and the mother and younger sibling were almost killed when a big wave hit their boat and flooded the lower deck.
    I gave that long story to say that sailing in general is a dangerous endeavor, especially when it is a long trip and double if you’re sailing alone. There have been plenty of fully-manned professional crews that have been lost at sea. I don’t know why any parents would agree, much less encourage their teenagers to make the trip alone without some type of backup.

  19. Dani says:

    Nobody really mentioned how rude and inconsiderate it was for the father AND Abby to try to break some young girls record mere weeks after she did it. She probably felt so proud, then she learned that these 2 were trying to erase what she accomplished.

    I’m glad shes safe, but still. This whole family just seems selfish.

  20. jen says:

    Daysma, Screw you and team Abby. “spirit of adventure”. What a crock, their is no way under any circumstance a responsible parent lets a teenager (boy or girl) sail solo around the world. That family is a disgrace and your defending them is reprehensible

  21. wtf says:

    @daysma

    I’m happy that this young girl is alive and well. And I did read that the Australian government has not asked to be compensated. That doesn’t matter in my opinion. If they had asked for payment, who would have paid? More than that, what if someone had died during that rescue? I think the source of the outrage is that whether or not you think that a child that age should be able to risk her life sailing around the world, I think everyone agrees that it’s incredibly selfish to expose others to harm to set a record.

  22. Roslyn says:

    Dear Team Abby via Daysma
    I see no irony. As you know, the ‘media’ is a for profit entity, it is a business, and at its core it is their job to make money off of people and their stories. Is that the purpose of a family?

    The irony I see is Mr. Sunderland assumes his children, who engage in extremely expensive, unproductive hobbies for personal recognition are an “inspiration to the youth of today.”

    It is also ironic that he wants to pluck kids away from the same computers and platforms that (although Im not too clear on the details) helped keep track of his daughter.

    Hey Jen, don’t get so mad I completely agree with you, but stupid people with entitlement issues will only get more sanctimonious when pressed.

    P.S. Does ‘eyes for lies’ think a DP is someone who takes still photographs? It could just be a poor choice of words but I get the impression that this person is out of their element when talking about television production, which for me, renders hir judgement pretty useless. Ze (gender nuetral, not a typo) should stick to telling us that Katie and Tom are genuinely in love (their wedding proved it after all) and asking for credit card donations. Celebitchy I’m a little dissapointed in your source.

  23. krissy_kitty says:

    What ever happened to just selling the rights to your story for a movie of the week? I am tired of people doing “reality” shows to get their 15 min.

  24. bubbles says:

    I have a hard time believing that it is a 16 year-olds dream to sit in freezing cold water wondering if you’re going to make it or not or spend months completely alone working your butt off in the middle of nowhere. i wish that poor kid would get the chance to experience what it’s like to see your friends every day at school, hang out with your besties, get your nails done, go to the prom and and and. all the things that a normal healthy teenager would be doing if it wasn’t for these idiotic parents who pushed their unrealistic expectations on their children.

  25. Emily says:

    What’s with all these teenagers wanting to sail around the world solo? Why can’t they just lock themselves in their bedroom, dye their hair black and complain that nobody understands them like normal emos?

    Seriously though, the record was set a few weeks ago by an Aussie 16yo, and there’s already someone younger trying it? Are we going to eventually have 10yos attempting this? Enough already!

  26. My2Cents says:

    Im tied on this one. It amazes me that no one here has mentioned Jessica Watson. Jess is a 16 year old Aussie girl who sailed around the world by herself. She had so many doubters over here but she made it and is now a Aussie hero to a lot of people.
    If this girl made it everyone would be singing her praises. If she was your daughter or sister would you all have the same reaction?

  27. Roslyn says:

    Maybe no one has mentioned Jessica Watson because it seems most people commenting think its a bad idea for teenagers to sail solo around the world to break records. And no, I don’t think everyone would be singing her praises.

    Perhaps, if she was my daughter she wouldn’t be sailing around the world by herself before she could vote. So I guess you’re right, I wouldn’t have the same reaction because I wouldn’t put her in that situation.

  28. onyx says:

    I’m strapping my 9 month old into his inflatable duckyboat right now.

  29. sonola trip says:

    Someone needs to tell the truth whisperer or soothsayer or whatever she is that a DP isn’t a “photographer”. A DP is very well qualified to be involved in the development of projects such as these.

  30. Me says:

    Words fail me when I see stupidity like this. Ellen MacArthur was in her twenties when she did the same journey on her trimaran and she had been preparing for it for a long long time. No sane person would do this without having both the necessary mental and physical strenght. Have you seen Ellen’s online diary? Many times during her journey she had been crying with sheer exhaustion, saying she didn’t know what to do… in the middle of the Atlantic, all alone! How can a teenager without any proper experience (Ellen had done transatlantics solo for a few times beforehand) and the capabilities think they can do this? More importantly, how can their parents let them? But then again, what people wouldn’t do for money and fame. I bet Ellen is still having the last laught even thou she lost her No.1 spot already. She is my true hero!

  31. jane16 says:

    What loathesome excuses for parents! Just revolting. Yeah, I think he’s a lot like balloon boys dad, and the crazy mother must be a servile nitwit like balloon boys mom. And 8 kids? It disgusts me when people have more kids than they can a) pay for, and b) give personal time and attention to. And calling his son a “hero” for sailing around the world. How the hell is that being a “hero”? These people have seriously f’d up priorities. And they’re a black eye for the homeschool community as well.

  32. Amy says:

    I have been following Abby’s blog before any news of her getting stranded in the Indian Ocean hit the news. If you read her blog like I did, you would know that Abby clearly knew what she was getting herself into when she decided to do this. You would also know that Abby wasn’t trying to break the record anymore. Prior to her getting stuck in the Indian Ocean, she stopped in South Africa for necessary maintenance on her boat, ending her chance at sailing around the world unassisted and without stopping (that record went to the Australian girl Jessica Watson).

    She decided to continue with her trip because she really wanted to fulfill her dream, not because she was obsessed with getting the record. However, after she got stranded, her family decided that they didn’t want to press their luck and have Abby come home.

  33. Anne de Vries says:

    There’s another girl here in the Netherlands who has actually been put under state supervision to stop her from going solo around the world. She’s 14. Home schooling isn’t allowed here so she wasn’t allowed the time off. When the state got wind of the plans and that her parents were encouraging/enabling her to go do it, she was put under supervision to stop her.
    Sailing people are special types, they don’t see it as ‘sit in freezing cold water wondering if you’re going to make it or not or spend months completely alone working your butt off in the middle of nowhere’, they see it as a huge adventure. I don’t have trouble believing these kids sincerely want to do it; they’re all from sailing families, they’ve grown up into this.

    I DO think it’s a crappy idea, and no matter how emotionally mature, 14 or 15 or 16 is way too young to face that kind of adversity for that long on your own.