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It was chilling to hear Tim Gunn, the voice of patience and reason on "Project Runway," say, "Rules are rules. You'll leave tonight." Gunn, the show's gentle mentor, utters those words in a preview for the episode of Bravo cable's "Project Runway" airing at 10 tomorrow night.

Usually, loose seams or faulty execution are cause for dismissal. So, what could a fashion designer do to get kicked off a reality series that's all about creating something beautiful?

The ugly truth is, scandal rocking a reality show is nothing new. There's nudity and nutcases, rigging charges and arrests aplenty, enough to fill a show about real-life scandals without breaking a sweat.

In the case of "Project Runway," Internet rumors are rampant about who might have done what, and contestant Keith Michael has already taken a hit, being accused of plagiarizing the designs he showed during his audition.

Host Heidi Klum, though, dismissed those charges in a Newsweek interview, saying, "We have a great villain. You always hope for something like that."

As we await the moment that Gunn, rather than the judges, says, "You're out," here's a list of 10 scandals that have already made the reality-show hall of shame.

1. Brian Heidik 'out of control'

"Survivor: Thailand" winner Brian Heidik was arrested July 4 after he allegedly shot a puppy with an arrow. He was turned in by his wife, Charmaine, a former Playboy model, who also alleged Brian "had grabbed her by the face and pushed her down, bruising her forehead and elbow," according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

This is the same guy who came on the CBS show as a "used car salesman," only to have thesmokinggun.com quickly out him as a porn actor (under the name David Roth) in several soft-core productions.

Charmaine said Brian has been "spiraling out of control" since he won.

"Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire's" Darva Conger and Rick Rockwell" Click photo for larger image.

2. Notorious Local I and II

Part I: The first contestant from our area to gain reality-show infamy was Fox Chapel High grad Rick Rockwell, who didn't find love with Darva Conger on Fox's "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire?" in 2000 and who, it was later revealed, had been accused of physically threatening a girlfriend nine years before his appearance on the show. Rockwell strongly denied the charge.

	"Joe Millionaire's" Sarah Kozer Click photo for larger image.

Part II: Sarah Kozer, one of two finalists for the affections of Evan Marriott on the 2003 Fox show "Joe Millionaire," listed her occupation as "sales and design."

It turns out she also appeared (clothed) in bondage and fetish films that made their way to the Internet. "I had stupendous amounts of school loans, so I did some fetish modeling," explained Kozer of Hunker, Westmoreland County.

3. Oh, Brother

Justin Sebik's sick idea of "a joke" got him kicked out of the house in 2001. CBS removed the "Big Brother 2" contestant after he asked Krista Stegall if she'd still love him "if I killed you," then held the blade of a kitchen knife to her throat -- as they kissed. Stegall later sued CBS, saying the network should have checked into Sebik's criminal record and that he had been arrested on assault charges in 1996 and 1997.

"Survivor's" Richard Hatch Click photo for larger image.

4. Richard Hatch goes to jail

And viewers thought the first "Survivor" winner was odd because he liked to go nude for the cameras. A federal jury convicted Richard Hatch in January of failing to pay taxes on the $1 million he earned as the first "Survivor" winner and other income. Just last week, he was transferred to a federal prison in Oklahoma as he serves his 51-month sentence.

This wasn't Hatch's first brush with the law. He was arrested in April 2000 on a charge of abusing his then 9-year-old son. That charge was later dropped. In 2002, Hatch was found not guilty of assaulting his ex-boyfriend, but the charge reportedly cost him a hosting job on a gay dating show on MTV at the time.

	"American Idol's" Frenchie Davis Click photo for larger image.

5. Frenchie Davis exposed

"American Idol" contestant Frenchie Davis "crossed a decency line few thought Fox had," was how eonline.com reported it. The big-voiced semifinalist was kicked off in 2003 for posing nude on an adult Web site four years before her audition -- even though she disclosed the information to "Idol" producers. She reportedly used money from the nude photo shoot for tuition at Howard University, where she majored in theater.

Rather than accept disgrace, Frenchie held her head high, and others embraced her vocal talent. She's been on and off Broadway ever since, with stage credits including "Rent" and the touring company of "Dreamgirls," which brought her to the Benedum last year.

6. Not playing fair

Virginian Jon Dalton was calling himself "Jonny Fairplay" as he wormed his way through the 2003 competition "Survivor: Pearl Islands." To gain sympathy, Dalton said word had reached him that his grandmother had died, and he had a good cry while his fellow contestants consoled him.

Turns out, Granny was very much alive, and Dalton was playing the other Survivors for suckers. Now, is that playing fair?

In any case, Dalton didn't survive the final cut.

"American Idol's" Paula Abdul Click photo for larger image.

7. He said, Paula said

Did judge Paula Abdul coach and/or sleep with contestant Corey Clark -- a contestant who was disqualified when Fox learned of misdemeanor charges of battery against his sister and resisting arrest? He said yes -- for a book and for the cameras of ABC's "Primetime" -- while she said, "No way." Corey got an extra 15 minutes of fame, and the "American Idol" ratings juggernaut continues, with Abdul still the cheerleader seated between Randy "Yo, Dawg" Jackson and the scowling Simon Cowell.

(Also in 2003, Jaered Andrews was kicked off the program after it came to light that he had been arrested on an assault charge in connection with a bar fight in Pennsylvania.)

8. Torture chamber rip-offs

Post-Gazette TV editor Rob Owen writes from press tour in California that copycat shows are nothing new. In 2002, ABC was touting "The Chair," which hooked a contestant up to a heart monitor and, as he reported for the PG at the time, "forced the poor soul to answer questions while being distracted by 'environmental stimulants.' " If the person's heart rate got above a certain level, the person was defeated by "The Chair." Soon after, Fox announced plans for "The Chamber," which would have contestants answer questions amid "environmental distractions."

Producers of "The Chair" sued Fox. Fox countersued and claimed "Chair" producers trespassed to spy on the "Chamber" set. "The Chair's " troubles didn't stop there -- there were reports of injuries from flames sprayed from within the playing compartment.

Reality check: Neither show lasted the season.

9. Manipulated 'Manhunt'

In case UPN's 2001 show "Manhunt" doesn't ring a bell, the premise was: A group of men and women with survivalist instincts would make their way through the wilds of Kauai while fending off a trio of hunters. Players were eliminated when they were run down by the hunters and shot with paint ball guns. At stake: $25,000.

But not so fast. Peter Lance, a reporter investigating rigging in reality series, said the show's producers were disappointed by the lack of sparks between the contestants and convinced them to do re-shoots months later. His report was corroborated by co-executive producer Bob Jaffe, who told eonline.com that he quit "Manhunt" when executives allegedly asked him to rig two challenges, change rules and re-shoot scenes in an L.A. park.

"They brought in palm trees to make it look like they were in the jungle," he said.

	"The Apprentice's" Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth Click photo for larger image.

10. Snidely Omarosa

Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth may have been the most unlikable reality-show contestant of all time -- becoming a one-name wonder by playing as nasty as Cruella de Vil on NBC's "The Apprentice." Being the most dastardly of reality-show villains wasn't enough to land her on the list.

Omarosa, who neglected to tell anyone she'd been fired from four jobs in two years with the Clinton administration before joining the show, lied to fellow contestants to get ahead on "The Apprentice." And she apparently also lied when she accused fellow contestant Ereka Vetrini of using racial slurs.

A TV Guide survey conducted in summer of 2005 voted her the most hated reality-show contestant of all time. Despite her infamy -- or perhaps, because of it -- she remains one of the most visible and memorable reality contestants ever.