Video: Hilarious Fake Fitness Experts Being Sued By Local TV Station They Pranked

By: Chase Stephens

The national treasure known as Chop & Steele, a pair of comedians who convinced multiple local news morning shows to book them as fitness experts, are being sued by one station owner who is still peeved at the pair’s antics.

According to Men’s Health:

Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher appeared on WEAU-TV’s morning show Hello Wisconsin as “Chop and Steele,” a fake strongman duo whose stunts include karate chopping modestly-sized sticks, stomping on baskets, and whacking each other’s tennis rackets.

Atlanta-based Gray Television, which owns WEAU-TV, has responded by suing the two men, their showcase The Found Footage Festival, and somehow “all of New York,” according to the Mercury News.

Pickett and Prueher were able to get onto the air remarkably easy by emailing the Hello Wisconsin anchors. They claimed to be on a “Give Thanks 4 Strengths” tour that addresses bullying and asked for help promoting it. The anchors even bought their claim that they had appeared on America’s Got Talent, Steve Harvey, and as featured entertainers at Disneyland’s 60th anniversary.

The pair (pictured below) told the magazine, “If they had done … their due diligence, that I feel like is the responsibility of a news organization, they would have known this was a goof. But, you know, they didn’t. That’s how it worked. There was no ill will about any of this. The joke is kind of on us. We were the ones being jerks on TV.”

screencap: Youtube

The lawsuit is claiming fraud, copyright infringement, and conspiracy to commit a wrongful activity but Prueher maintains, “They’re trying to scare us, but we’re going to fight it because we’re well within our rights doing what we did.”

In fact, the duo is tickled at the situation, telling Inside Edition, “We are getting a big 60-page court document quoting the ridiculous things we said on live television.”

Click below for the hilarious highlight reel of their morning show appearances: