‘Stripper 101’ producer offers $1 million if instructors pass lie detector test

The tale of Las Vegas "Stripper 101'' exotic dance instructors claiming to have been secretly videotaped in their classroom and dressing room took a twist Tuesday when their producer offered to pay them $1 million if they pass a lie detector test.

Time will tell whether the challenge issued by David Saxe is an astute legal move or simply a public relations gimmick, or both.

Saxe has been the subject of a flurry of news coverage about the stripper instructors' claims since the story about them suing him broke Saturday.

The instructors' non-nude class and show caters largely to tourists at the Miracle Mile Shops mall at the Planet Hollywood resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

The exotic dance teachers say they were humiliated and suffered emotional distress when they learned cameras had been installed in the classroom, which they say doubled as their dressing room. Their lawsuit claims the video feed monitored by managers captured them and students "in various stages of dress and undress'' and performing pole dances and other erotic dance routines. Their suit alleges invasion of privacy and, according to Saxe, demands more than $1.75 million in damages.

Saxe says the cameras were routinely installed as part of a security upgrade and that no one's privacy was violated.

On Tuesday, Saxe's advertising and public relations staff — as opposed to his attorney — issued a statement saying he "is on a mission to defend his company's reputation following untrue and defamatory allegations filed in a frivolous lawsuit in Clark County District Court by five independent contractors (the stripper instructors)."

"Saxe, owner of Stripper101, is challenging the plaintiffs to take a lie-detector test, and he's putting $1 million on the line to prove their claims are 100 percent false," his press release said.

"Lawsuits can take years and I can't wait another day to clear my name, that's why I am challenging my accusers to a lie-detector test," Saxe said in his statement. "If they pass, I will pay them $1 million. If they fail, they only have to pay $500,000, which I will then donate to a charity that helps business owners fight extortion and malicious prosecution."

''The test will be simple: a testing facility will be chosen at random and the questions will be based solely on the stripper instructors' allegations specified in the lawsuit,'' Saxe's statement said.

Attorneys representing Saxe and the stripper instructors, who remain employed as contractors at "Stripper 101," couldn't immediately be reached for comment.