Encore: The Rise and Fall of Girls Gone Wild | Part 1

Summary

Infamous Podcast Summary

Title: Encore: The Rise and Fall of Girls Gone Wild | Part 1
Release Date: April 10, 2025
Hosts: Vanessa Grigoriadis, Gabriel Sherman, Natalie Robehmed
Production: Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment

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Introduction to the Episode

Vanessa Grigoriadis opens the episode by announcing a temporary pause in regular weekly content to focus on the in-depth multi-part series titled "Boy Gone Wild," which explores the notorious rise and fall of Girls Gone Wild. She emphasizes the show's commitment to journalistic integrity, assuring listeners that all narratives, including that of Riley Perez, are based on true events.

[00:00] Vanessa Grigoriadis: "As always, please start with episode one... Everything you're about to hear really happened, even if it sounds like fiction at first."

The Girls Gone Wild Robbery: An Introduction

The episode delves into a dramatic incident from 2004 involving a robbery at the Los Angeles-based founder of Girls Gone Wild, Joe Francis. The narrative is set in a lavish Bel Air residence, painting a picture of opulence intertwined with criminal activity.

[03:27] Joe Francis (Archive): "Now you can party with the wildest girls ever caught on tape. Girls Gone Wild."

Riley Perez’s Intrusion

Riley Perez emerges as a pivotal character whose motives intertwine personal vendetta with the broader implications of Girls Gone Wild’s operations. His mission is not merely theft but an act of retribution aimed at exposing and dismantling the exploitative practices of Joe Francis.

[04:36] Vanessa Grigoriadis: "Riley's looking for tape recordings of Girls Gone Wild that Joe might have in his safe."

The Anatomy of Exploitation

Vanessa transitions into a broader discussion about the themes of consent, coercion, and exploitation within the Girls Gone Wild empire. She contextualizes the phenomenon within the early 2000s "raunch culture," highlighting societal norms that blurred the lines between empowerment and exploitation for women.

[08:45] Vanessa Grigoriadis: "Our bigger story here is also about consent and coercion and profit and how people react when things are stolen."

Encounter with Joe Francis: Behind the Scenes

Vanessa recounts her personal encounter with Joe Francis in Panama City Beach, offering listeners an insider perspective into his persona and business operations. This segment provides a humanizing yet critical look at Francis, juxtaposing his charismatic exterior with the ethically questionable methods employed by Girls Gone Wild.

[16:29] Vanessa Grigoriadis: "Joe's family was wealthy... but there was nothing regimented about Joe Francis."

The Mechanics of Girls Gone Wild

The podcast explores the operational strategies of Girls Gone Wild, detailing how Joe Francis capitalized on the festival-like atmosphere of spring break to market his brand. The use of "Shooters" equipped with camcorders and strategized invitations underscores the orchestrated nature of their exploitative tactics.

[22:05] Vanessa Grigoriadis: "It was a status symbol, an ingenious trick because in order to put the Girls Gone Wild T-shirt on, women have to take off the shirt they're already wearing."

Ethical Dilemmas and Consent Issues

A central theme emerges around the ethical implications of consent, especially concerning underage participants. Vanessa questions the validity of consent when individuals are intoxicated or coerced, raising critical issues about the legality and morality of Girls Gone Wild’s practices.

[24:21] Vanessa Grigoriadis: "Can she consent to a commercial act of sex that millions of people may watch? Or is it a sort of thievery?"

Climactic Events: Hotel Ejection and Unveiling the Truth

The narrative reaches a crescendo as Vanessa is abruptly evicted from the Holiday Inn, signaling escalating tensions and potential repercussions of her investigative efforts. This incident serves as a metaphor for the broader conflict between journalistic pursuit and the protective measures of exploitative enterprises.

[26:51] Vanessa Grigoriadis: "I shoved my clothes into my bag and head out... All of a sudden, it's pitch black, and I'm standing outside the Holiday Inn with my roller bag and nowhere to go."

Moral and Ethical Reflections

In the aftermath, Vanessa reflects on the blurred lines between participation and coercion, emphasizing the psychological impact on the women involved and the societal complicitness in monetizing such exploitative content.

[27:27] Vanessa Grigoriadis: "Most of the women I saw, it felt like they wanted to participate. But can a blackout drunk 18-year-old... consent?"

Teaser for Part 2

Vanessa concludes the episode by signaling that the story is far from over, hinting at deeper revelations and heightened stakes in the subsequent parts of the series.

[29:58] Vanessa Grigoriadis: "Or is it a sort of thievery? Are you stealing her image and slapping it on a pornographic tape?... Next time on Infamous."

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Notable Themes and Insights

1. Exploitation vs. Empowerment: The podcast critically examines whether Girls Gone Wild empowered women by giving them agency or exploited them for profit.

2. Consent Under Duress: It raises important questions about the nature of consent, especially in environments rife with alcohol and peer pressure.

3. The Role of Media in Shaping Culture: By dissecting Girls Gone Wild’s marketing strategies, the episode highlights how media can propagate and normalize exploitative behaviors.

4. Journalistic Integrity: Vanessa’s commitment to uncovering the truth underscores the importance of investigative journalism in holding powerful entities accountable.

Key Quotes

• [05:16] Vanessa Grigoriadis: "It had a dark side to was about power and control, making people do irrational things and not taking no for an answer."

• [19:31] Vanessa Grigoriadis: "This was the days before Internet porn, so I hadn't yet seen every single porn fantasy in the galaxy. But judging by the success of Jo's tapes, it seemed like it was a fantasy a lot of people had."

• [22:57] Vanessa Grigoriadis: "It was a status symbol, an ingenious trick because in order to put the Girls Gone Wild T-shirt on, women have to take off the shirt they're already wearing."

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Conclusion

Part 1 of "The Rise and Fall of Girls Gone Wild" sets the stage for a comprehensive exploration of one of the most controversial entertainment ventures of the early 21st century. Through meticulous storytelling and critical analysis, Vanessa Grigoriadis guides listeners through the complexities of consent, exploitation, and the pervasive influence of media-driven fantasies. As the series progresses, it promises to unveil deeper layers of the Girls Gone Wild saga, shedding light on the enduring impact of its legacy.

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Transcript

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

If you're fascinated by true crime, then Join us in June 2025 for CrimeCon London. Meet the biggest names in true crime TV. Experience live forensic demonstrations and dive deep into the criminal mind with your favourite authors, podcasters and content creators. To secure your place, go to crimecon.co.uk now and be part of the UK's biggest true crime community. CrimeCon London partnered by True Crime Channel 7th and 8th of June 2025. Campsite Media hey, infamous listeners, it's Vanessa here. So we like to give you something to listen to every Thursday because we know some of you rely on having the show ready to go that morning. You might be commuting to work, you're going to school, drop off, maybe you're even taking a walk in nature. That would be very nice. But right now we're taking some time to put together some new stories to bring you soon. So we need a second and we're gonna redrop our Boy Gone Wild series. That is a series that is hosted by me and it's about the rise and fall of something you may or may not remember from long ago, which is Girls Gone Wild. Many of us grew up seeing the ads on late night tv and regardless, I think we can all agree that it's probably affected the that boys and girls interact. The way that pornography developed, it's just like a weird blast from the past that has a lot to do with the present and it's one of my favorite stories. So go ahead and listen to Boy Gone Wild. As always, please start with episode one. I know it's very annoying that our show goes in reverse chronological order. That's just sort of the way it happens when you put out multi part series. But always go to the first one, otherwise it'll be real weird. And just a heads up when you listen to this show, we did get a lot of user mail saying that they didn't understand why we used an actor for the character of Riley Perez. I wanna be clear that Riley Perez is a real person who gave us his real story for this show. So everything you're hearing in this show is, as always, is true. We are real journalists, we do the best we can. Riley is not an actor. We will always tell you if there's an actor on the show. So everything you're about to hear really happened, even if it sounds like fiction at first. All right, Please listen. Enjoy the chaos.

[Unknown]

This episode is intended for mature audiences.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

This is a story about thieving, about things being taken from you, things you don't deserve to have Taken. So to tell it, we're going to start with an actual robbery, a famous one. It's a robbery that took place in 2004 at a house in Bel Air. Concrete, glass pool out back. This house is owned by a guy who founded a company you may have heard of, but you probably haven't thought about it in a million years.

[Joe Francis]

Now you can party with the wildest girls ever caught on tape. Girls Gone Wild.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Yup. This is the home of the founder of Girls Gone Wild, Joe Francis. He's about 30 years old, sort of good looking, square jaw, but also often seems on edge, like he's going to yell at a waiter. Tonight he's not home, but somebody else is.

[Riley Perez]

If you entered properly, you would enter through the gate in your car. You'd pull up a driveway that's on a pretty steep incline.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

That's Riley Perez, and he isn't entering properly.

[Riley Perez]

I walk through the bottom portion, making sure no one's there. Go up the steps. Master bedroom, huge walk in closet, second bedroom, which was a. A little gym that he had set up. I'm looking for the safe. Yeah, but maybe it's not in a safe. Maybe it's in a drawer. Looking for a little lockbox. Anything that could lead me to possible mini DV tapes that would fit in the camcorder.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Riley's looking for tape recordings of Girls Gone Wild that Joe might have in his safe.

[Riley Perez]

Crazy enough, the smaller of the safes was open so I don't have to fidget with it and try to come up with a combination. I open it, there's a couple tapes in there, mini DV tapes. I'll take those with me. Put those in the bag.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

But Riley has more on his mind than some cassette tapes. He has in his hand a sex aid, a dildo, a specific type of dildo.

[Riley Perez]

It had gained attention when it was profiled in Sex and the City. It was called the Rabbit, or what is it, a pink rabbit. I grabbed one. I'll put this to use.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

What Riley would do next with that pink rabbit would be so unbelievable, so ironic that it would become the stuff of Hollywood lore, because Joe Francis had been accused of exploiting women on camera, of making them do something they didn't want to do. And now Riley is going to make the same type of tape of Joe. He's come prepared with a gun. He's got a video camera. He's gonna make Joe Francis lay face down in bed, and he's gonna make him say these words, My name is Joe Francis.

[Riley Perez]

I'm A Boy Gone Wild and I like it up the ass.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Everyone exploits everyone, especially women. They want to be exploited.

[Unknown]

Joe Francis lady when you flush the.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Joe Francis toilet, there are just all kinds of stains.

[Unknown]

I'd like to first start out by saying that I'm 100% innocent of anything that I just pled to.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

From Campside Media and Sony Music Entertainment, I'm Vanessa Grigoriadis and this is Infamous, a rolling series of incredible stories told over several episodes. This is episode one of a five part series, Boy Gone Wild.

[Unknown]

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[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Now we'll be talking a lot about what happened in that house in Bel Air later and about Riley who Did that crime. But our bigger story here is also about consent and coercion and profit and how people react when things are stolen. Now, back in the 2000s, that night at Jo's house, Girls Gone Wild wasn't about any of that. But the way we think about it now is so different from how we thought about it back then. The early 2000s were the height of what was called raunch culture. It's Paris Hilton flashing the paparazzi. It's Jessica Simpson saying that chicken of the sea, tuna's chicken. It's lots of Kid Rock Start an escort service for all the right reasons.

[Unknown]

And set up shop at the top of four seasons. Kid Rock.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Now, back at this time, a friend of mine wrote a book called Female Chauvinist Pigs. And that sums it up pretty well. There was this idea that there were like two. Two classes of women. There were women who had to make money from the way they looked, and there were women who didn't. There were women who got exploited and women who were too smart to be exploited, who'd gotten a good education and had sort of pulled themselves out of the natural state of womanhood, which was basically according to the culture of a time just being a hoe. Now, I had never thought about writing about Girls Gone Wild. Didn't even cross my mind. But right around this time, in the early 2000s, I got asked out to a very important lunch. At least it was important to me. It was with an editor from Rolling Stone.

[Joe Francis]

It was a very nice, fancy Italian restaurant on West 52nd Street.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Bill Tenelli, my lunch date.

[Joe Francis]

It was like very subdued Italian looking place, but like more like Milan than Naples. Very muted, shades of gray and probably beige.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Bill's impeccably dressed. He's sort of a silver fox.

[Joe Francis]

I edited David Foster Wallace. He did a piece about John McCain, won a national Magazine Award for feature writing. He wrote Infinite Jest, which was, you know, a big doorstop of a book.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

So, yeah, Bill worked with David Foster Wallace, the guy who wore that bandana around his head and was immortalized in the end of the tour. I want to be a well known author, just like those guys. And today Bill has brought along a book as inspiration for me. But it's not Infinite Jest. You brought me a book about Cynthia Plastercaster.

[Joe Francis]

She made plaster casts of the genitals of rock stars. Better than an autograph.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

You were like, do you want to do a story about groupie?

[Joe Francis]

That's the kind of story I would have wanted to assign whatever might interest Rolling Stones you know, young, male perverted readers.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

I don't know if this came from you or another editor, but, like, Slipknot had had a lot of groupies. So we're talking about, like, Slipknot. No, I wasn't gonna hunt for groupies at 30 slipknot shows. I wasn't gonna stand backstage at one Slipknot show. So Bill and I just kept talking just about what else was going on in culture.

[Joe Francis]

There was a time when they had all these racy commercials for the girls going wild VHS tapes. Warning, this video contains adult content not suitable for children. Climb on board the Girls Gone Wild party bus and witness sexy coeds getting.

[Unknown]

Naked in over 50 college towns across America.

[Joe Francis]

It felt like Rolling Stones demographic, young people, young women, and young guys urging them on.

[Unknown]

These are not hired actors or paid performers.

[Joe Francis]

Somehow the world had gotten to the point where these guys holding cameras could ask the women to lift up their shirts or remove whatever articles of clothing and that they would do. It was, like, mind boggling. And so then obviously the question was, there must be some evil genius behind this.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Bill had figured out my assignment.

[Joe Francis]

Maybe you could find the evil genius and I'm sure he'll talk to you and you could write about him. Nobody had really, as far as I know, really had done a piece of journalism about that whole thing. You would have been a perfect choice for that because obviously he'd be in love in like two minutes and. Whereas if I'd sent a guy, it wouldn't have been the same. He wouldn't have given it up.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

More about that after the break. PayPal lets you pay all your pals, like your graduation gifters.

[Unknown]

Who's paying for the mattress topper?

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

You mean the beanbag chair?

[Unknown]

Aren't we getting a mini fridge?

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[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

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[Unknown]

Do this is infamous from Campside Media.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

After my lunch with Bill in midtown Manhattan, I went back on the subway to my apartment, cranked up my terrible dial up Internet and found Joe Francis. Contact now. Joe Francis didn't talk to us for this podcast. I reached out to him with about 70 questions and he said that he categorically denied all of them. But back then, when I gave him a call, he answered, hello. I said, hey, I'm from Rolling Stone. I want to come and be with you when you record Girls Gone Wild. I want to see how you do it.

[Unknown]

Why don't you come down to Florida?

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

I wasn't using a tape recorder, so that is an actor. But next thing I knew, I was on a plane. I just thought it was going to be like any other reporting assignment. But what actually happened was so totally not fun, though. It was definitely wild. So it all started in Panama City Beach, Florida. My taxi pulled up to a Holiday Inn, one of those big hotels right on the beach, bunch of stories, high, sort of modern architecture. I checked in at the front desk and actually the guy gave me a wristband, like one of those paper wristbands that you get at concerts. My recollection was that I needed this wristband to get into the elevators. And I thought, well, it is spring break. They're probably clamping down on drunken kids sleeping eight to a room. When I got into my room, I just put down my bags. I changed into a bathing suit, not a bikini, just a very demure one piece. And then I went off to meet Joe Francis. He was 29 years old, a California guy. He grew up in Newport beach, the setting of a pretty famous TV show, the O.C. california here we Come. Right back where we started from. He went to Laguna Beach High School, the setting of another TV show, next season on Laguna Beach.

[Unknown]

This is going to be the best year ever.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

We're having so much more fun now. Joe's family was wealthy. They're actually Austrian. That's quite a regimented style of culture. But there was nothing regimented about Joe Francis. He even went to one of those hardcore remedial schools in the woods. At one point, Joe was just super LA and maybe super difficult. And that combination after he graduated college made him perfect to work in Hollywood. But he didn't get a job in the mailroom of a big agency or something like that. What he did is come up with the idea of releasing his own VHS tapes.

[Unknown]

They don't think you should see this.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Banned from Television. Decide what you can see. Banned from Television. Joe's series had all sorts of random stuff in it.

[Unknown]

See rampaging animals and the carnage they leave in their wake.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Stuff that seemed almost a little unethical to tape, record and sell. I'm talking shark attacks, gang fights. Don't let them decide what you can see. While he was screening footage for Banned from Television, there was something else that caught Joe's eye. It was footage from New Orleans taken at Mardi Gras. And it was just woman after woman after woman flashing their boobs, producing Girls Gone Wild.

[Joe Francis]

Endless spring break.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Joe was on the cutting edge of content, bringing the traveling circus to the masses. Almost overnight, Joe was minting money. I'm talking an enormous fortune.

[Joe Francis]

Minimum to buy. And all videos have a 30 day money back guarantee. First to receive the hottest girls Going Wild videos every month on video for only 9.99.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

So when I go to meet Joe right on the beach near the Holiday Inn, just in my one piece bathing suit, I'm not really sure what to expect. But then I see him. He's in the center of a big group of kids. It's sort of like a Boschian horror show. A melee, just people downing shots, funneling beers. And he's just observing everything. Sort of like me. He's got on a T shirt, khaki shorts, not unattractive. When Joe sees me, he waves and then he helps me get out of the crowd. We walk down the beach a little ways, just getting away from all the music. And I sit across from him. Both our toes are in the sand. And Joe tells me Girls Gone Wild is going to be bigger than Playboy. The appeal of it is so simple.

[Unknown]

A lot of guys aren't turned on by nasty sex. Chicks with tattoos and piercings. And they're not turned on by the airbrushed, unattainable Playboy girls either. What we offer are girls you can touch. You can touch our girls.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

I thought about this as the waves lapped at the shore. Joe Francis big innovation was amateurs.

[Unknown]

Let's just say you're a normal guy. You come here, you walk up to three girls and. And these girls are probably not gonna talk to you. They're probably not gonna give you their number. And you're definitely not gonna get to see their breasts. Not one guy who goes up to those girls is ever gonna get to see their breasts. Maybe they'll get a phone number, but they're not gonna get that, and we will get that for them. We fulfill that fantasy that guys have that they could just literally go up to a woman and make them show them their breasts.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

I was like, okay, I didn't know that was a fantasy. But I mean, this was the days before Internet porn, so I hadn't yet seen every single porn fantasy in the galaxy. But judging by the success of Jo's tapes, it seemed like it was a fantasy a lot of people had. And it was clear that this fantasy had a dark side to was about power and control, making people do irrational things and not taking no for an answer. But it wasn't until much later that I would really understand what that meant. More after the break.

[Unknown]

You'Re listening to.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Infamous from Campside Media. So after talking to Joe on the beach, I went back to the Holiday Inn to change. And then that night, I met up with Joe again to hit the main strip. This was sort of like Bourbon street or Beale street, but we're in Panama City Beach. It's identical bar after identical bar. Drunk kids spilling out on the street. Everybody's holding like bright plastic funnels or foot long beers. It's not even really college kids here. I realized it's a ton of high schoolers who packed into their cars and drove from Tennessee or wherever. And now they're sort of prey for Girls Gone Wild. Because Joe Francis is standing on the roadway checking them all out. He's got a few guys with him, Shooters. They're carrying tiny little camcorders and wearing a special T shirt. This T shirt has Girls Gone Wild in block text across the front. The shooters are also carrying another bag, bag of T shirts, except these are tank tops and they're smaller because they're for women. Oh, my God. It's Girls Gone Wild.

[Unknown]

Is that like for real?

Yeah, it's for real. Do any of you girls want a T shirt?

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

So that's the play. Hey, mom, you know that Girls Gone Wild thing? He's gonna give me a T shirt that says Girls Gone Wild if I take off my swimming suit. T. Is that okay with you? I love you.

[Unknown]

Show your tit.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Show your tit. Show your tit. On spring Break, this tank top was like having a giant bottle of Jack Daniels. Everyone wanted a swig.

[Unknown]

All you have to do is flash.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

It was a status symbol, an ingenious trick because in order to put the Girls Gone Wild T shirt on, women have to take off the shirt they're already wearing. So why not just do that for the camera? I need to ask you to show me a rest. And I'm going to give you a.

[Unknown]

Girl'S gun while tank top.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Really? Now, the shooters also hand the girls a clipboard. And pinned to that clipboard, there's a couple of pages. It's an incredibly complex legal document. What is this? Where do I sign? You know, these girls are half drunk. What they're signing are documents that give Girls Gone Wild their consent to film. Sometimes they'd also be filmed holding their driver's licenses to show that they're 18. Now, were these real driver's licenses, or were they fake IDs the girls had bought to get into bars on spring break? Who knows? Who cares? As the night goes on, it's clear that Jo is even flirting with the girls, saying things like, do you want.

[Unknown]

To be my spring break girlfriend? Do you have a spring break boyfriend yet? We'll just hold hands and stuff. Let's just hook up a little, just for the day. We can just pretend and it'll be, like, over tomorrow, you know?

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

But it's not all silly and fun and games. I remember there were a couple of women who did take their shirts off. And then afterwards, they were like, oh, my God, I'm a fucking idiot. I'm gonna cry.

[Unknown]

Are you guys gonna put me on tv?

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

I was so heartbroken when I saw that. I wanted to talk to her, and she was crying, but she just ran off in the night with her friends. I have no idea if she ever made it on the tapes or not. And if I was going to sum up what I saw, let's say I witnessed women flashing 20 times. Okay, let me be honest. Most of them seemed like they were having fun. I mean, the definition of titillation seems to me, is crossing pleasure with danger. And, my God, this definitely qualified, but I would say one or two times I saw women get upset after they had agreed to take their tops off. Ben filmed sign the consent form, and then they realized they just didn't want to do it. Maybe. In the sixth bar that night, I realized that a couple of the women that Joe and the shooters were talking to were now walking around with us. And Joe was flirting even harder with them. To be honest, I just didn't think that much about it. I was more thinking, I guess they're just going to keep doing the same thing all night. And I've seen it. I'm good. I went back to the Holiday Inn and promptly fell asleep. The phone was ringing. I was so groggy. But I grabbed the receiver and I heard the voice. It's the front desk. They're telling me I'm being kicked out of the hotel right now. She's saying everybody connected to the Girls Gone Wild party has to leave. And first I argue because I say I'm not part of their party. I just happen to be in their block of rooms. I mean, like, I paid for my own room. I'm a journalist. They just reserved it for me. Then it starts to dawn on me that something pretty serious must be going on. And as a journalist, I might not want to miss that. So I shove my clothes into my bag and head out. I open the door right onto a group of people in the corridor. There's a bunch of guys standing there, and there's just a lot of commotion. I'm told Joe brought strippers up to the room, and they didn't have those paper wristbands that I got during check in. So he had a fight with the front desk that ended up with him cursing out the clerk. So the hotel is kicking him and us out. I peek past the ruckus in Joe's.

[Unknown]

Room, get my Tallahassee lawyer on the phone.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Later, he'd tell me something about getting aggressive with lawsuits. And he also says that he delivers a classic Joe Francis line.

[Unknown]

Next time I come to town, I want this hotel renamed the Joe Francis Holiday Inn.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

All of a sudden, it's pitch black, and I'm standing outside the Holiday Inn with my roller bag and nowhere to go. One of the cameramen comes over to me. He says that they're staying together in a condo and I can go there. So we all head over in the condo. It's just a late night hang. They're smoking, drinking beer, talking about this crazy night, and then they start going through their footage. Now, earlier, the shooters had told me that part of their job is logging all the tape that they take. It sounded like a boring accounting sort of thing, but now it seems like they're just sort of rewatching the tape for their own personal gratification. As I watch, I start to realize that those women at the Holiday Inn, they might not have been strippers. Last night didn't end with everyone else going to sleep. It looked like it kept going the way a lot of Girls Gone Wild nights keep going. Which means that some of the women they met on the roadway went back to the hotel or to the condo with the shooters. And the shooters prodded them into hooking up with their female friends on camera. Are we going yet? Camera's been rolling. These are called scenes in Girls Gone Wild lingo. If you film more graphic stuff as a shooter, you get a commission. So was I watching pornography? Well, these women weren't being paid, and the official party line was that Girls Gone Wild videos are documentaries. Spring break is a noteworthy public event, and Joe Francis is entitled to the same rights as any documentary filmmaker. This is a first amendment issue. It's all really complicated. Most of the women I saw, it felt like they wanted to participate. But can a blackout drunk 18 year old or less, a 16 year old who thinks that spring break is where you have to have a wild and crazy experience actually consent to hooking up with her friend on camera for Girls Gone Wild? Can she consent to a commercial act of sex that millions of people may watch? Or is it a sort of thievery? Are you stealing her image and slapping it on a pornographic tape? Sitting in that condo just watching the raw footage with the guys who just filmed made me feel queasy. But it was gonna get way, way worse. I just thought it was gonna be a bikini contest. I was tricked into a child pornography film. Next time on Infamous.

[Unknown]

I started from absolutely nothing, and I built all of my success by myself. And I've actually been a really nice guy.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

When you have a minion, go up there and tell them they're gonna get this really great T shirt to expose their breasts, you know, and then if you can kiss each other, give a little tongue, work with your buddy girl there, you know?

[Riley Perez]

Now, I had a gun, and if you have a gun, the gun has one purpose. To kill him. Was I prepared to kill him? Yeah.

[Vanessa Grigoriadis]

Sa.