Stacey Stillman Speaks

Stacey Stillman may be nursing a cold, but she's the hottest topic in entertainment at the moment. The San Francisco attorney and contestant on last summer's "Survivor" has mounted a David vs. Goliath battle against CBS and the show's producer, Mark Burnett.

In a lawsuit filed Feb. 5, Stillman claims the blockbuster reality program was part of an "unlawful and fraudulent" scheme. She alleges that she was prematurely expelled from the show after Burnett pressured fellow contestants Dirk Been and Sean Kenniff to vote her off Pulau Tiga in the third episode. Stillman says this violated a federal law against game-show rigging that was put on the books after the 1950s "21" scandal. And the 28-year-old, who at this point is still representing herself, says she can prove her case. CBS and Burnett have called the allgations "frivilous and groundless."

NEWSWEEK's Ana Figueroa reached Stillman on Feb. 9 at her San Francisco law firm.

NEWSWEEK: Explain the complaint you filed against Mark Burnett and CBS.

Stacey Stillman: By injecting himself into the game in the third week, and possibly in other instances, he ultimately effected the outcome of the show. He certainly effected my outcome. The reason I went ahead with the suit is that he didn't have to do that. It would have been a great show if he had just stood back and let it happen. But he did it for the money. That's so wrong. People found the show enjoyable, but a fun fraud doesn't make it any less of a fraud.

Did you have doubts about the show's legitimacy while you were a contestant?