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Owner Says His Tow Truck Company Has Been Left Stranded By Reality Show

NYACK (CBS13) - You might call Craig Sutton and his staff extreme tow truck drivers. They operate in the mountains, sometimes in blizzard-like conditions.

When a Los Angeles production company called saying it wanted them to star in the reality show "Hell on the Highway," Sutton switched gears and went Hollywood, signing his crew up to a contract.

Now he feels duped.

"I kind of feel like I got my drivers into this," he said. "They didn't really want to do it. They didn't like signing the contract, and then I got them to sign them, and then they didn't really care about being followed with cameras all the time."

Talk about a reality check. After an entire season, eight reality episodes, Sutton says his company hasn't received one dime.

Calls to the production company for "Hell on the Highways" late Monday night weren't immediately returned.

"It doesn't take that long for a check to get from Burbank to Nyack," Sutton said.

His company's tough towing skills made for a drama-filled reality show. It's the money that's a mystery.

"Well yeah, it's more of a mystery," Sutton said. "Who's going to pay us?"

Sutton says the company was due $1,000 an episode and more for individual employees who appeared in the show.

He says so far they haven't received one check.

"You know it's really dangerous on the highway and they're trying to keep themselves safe," Sutton said. "On top of that they have to keep the camera people safe."

The "Hell on the Highway" reality series airs on the National Geographic Channel.

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