Mike L. Fleiss (born April 14, 1964) is an American

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon ...

and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

Early life

Fleiss was raised in Fullerton, California. He attended the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

Career

He is the creator, producer and

of '' The Bachelor'',

The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on terrestrial television, broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture be ...

's ''

Superstar USA ''The WB's Superstar USA'' is a television show that spoofed the popular show ''American Idol'' and which aired on The WB in 2004. Essentially its polar opposite, ''Superstar USA'' told contestants they were looking for the best singer when they ...

'', ''

The Bachelorette A bachelorette is an unmarried woman. Bachelorette may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Bachelorette'', a reality television dating show part of ''The Bachelor'' franchise with numerous versions: ** ''The Bachelorette'' (American TV ser ...

'', '' The Will'' and '' High School Reunion''. His first reality TV romance show was ''

Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire? ''Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?'' is an American reality television special in which 50 women competed in a beauty pageant-style contest to marry a wealthy man whom they had never met, with the wedding being performed at the end of the ...

'' He was also the producer of the 2003 remake ''

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' is a 1974 American horror film produced and directed by Tobe Hooper from a story and screenplay by Hooper and Kim Henkel. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow and Gunnar Hansen, ...

'' and its 2006 prequel '' The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning'' and the films '' Hostel'' (2005), '' Hostel: Part II'' (2007), and '' Hostel: Part III'' (2011). In 2008, his Next Entertainment production company signed a deal with Warner.

Personal life

His 24-year marriage to his high school sweetheart, Alexandra Vorbeck, ended in 2012. He married former Miss America,

Laura Kaeppeler Laura Marie Kaeppeler (born March 2, 1988) is an American beauty pageant titleholder crowned Miss America 2012 on January 14, 2012, representing the state of Miss Wisconsin, Wisconsin. Kaeppeler was the first woman representing Wisconsin to win M ...

, in April 2014. The couple's son, Benjamin, was born in May 2015. On July 10, 2019, Fleiss filed for divorce from Kaeppeler, citing irreconcilable differences.

Legal issues

In November 2014, Fleiss was criminally charged for harassing ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bo ...

'' star

David Charvet David Franck Charvet (; born 15 May 1972) is a French singer, actor, model, and television personality. Early life Charvet was born and raised in Lyon, France, the son of Christiane Charvet Haddad and businessman Paul Guez, founder of the Sasson ...

and his wife, actress

Brooke Burke Brooke Lisa Burke (born September 8, 1971) is an American television personality, fitness personality, author, actress, and businesswoman. She is known for hosting the E! Network travel show ''Wild On!'' (1999–2002), CBS' ''Rock Star'' (20 ...

; the case was eventually dismissed. In July 2019, Fleiss' then-wife Laura Kaeppeler alleged that he physically assaulted her while she was pregnant after he "demanded she get an abortion", prompting the Kauai Police Department to lead a criminal investigation. Two weeks later, Kaeppeler dropped the assault charges and received a $10-million settlement.

References

External links

* Living people American film producers American television producers American television writers American male television writers 1964 births People from Fullerton, California University of California, Berkeley alumni {{US-tv-producer-stub