Stripped Idol has strip club in trouble

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- A strip club in Austin, Texas, is profiting off the fame of the "American Idol" TV series by holding Stripper Idol nights, a company alleges in a lawsuit.

FremantleMedia North America, the company behind "Idol," says in its U.S. District Court lawsuit that Palazio Men's Club offers Stripper Idol contestants a chance at $500 each Thursday, the Austin American-Statesman reported Friday.

But Scott Stevenson, a manager at the strip club, claims the format used in the weekly competition is not the same as that of the popular Fox TV competition.

"It's all the crowd. It's the biggest cheers. There's no judges," he told the American-Statesman of how strippers compete for the weekly top prize. "The loudest applause and the most noise wins.

"They're not allowed to work here, so they may come from another club."

Details about the ongoing litigation were not reported.