re: It has been Americans. Did you ever see the Joe Schmoe Show?
The show in question was entirely a sham, but without the space theme. There was only one "contestent" and the rest of the show was actors performing scripts (and pretending to be contestents). The entire show was a joke on the one guy. The scripts were over-the-top parodies of reality shows, and were funny to watch. Matt (the "contestent") did not sue and I believe that he enjoys his status as a (very) minor celebrity.