The Weddreams curse

[softball]

When they approached us they said right up front that there was no pay check

They also told those "smaller guys" involved that they were like Survivor where no one got paid. Flat out lie, which I pointed out on a web board.
You might have been astute enough to get some product placement, but they disallowed or cut it out for most. They hedged on the distribution which they implied was world wide.
I don't like to see our tax dollars paying for media scam artists (imho....disclaimer). They lied to just about everyone that they were making documentary television, when in fact they were making another tv series. They also stirred up a lot of shit for the entertainment value it produced. No documentary producer would do this.
I still say there was never the quid pro quo they implied. If you got it, cudos. Those who had stars in their eyes got the shaft.
I was in the tv business for many years and I have seen how bozos operate. It embarrassed me.