The Electric Barbarellas
All-female electropop group with a controversial MTV reality show.
The Electric Barbarellas, an all-female electropop group from the United States, had their career chronicled in a reality show on MTV. The series, which shared the group’s name, lasted only one season and was widely criticized by reviewers. The band’s formation and promotion were driven by unusual actions from top media executives. Viacom’s then-CEO, Sumner Redstone, personally spent over $500,000 in 2010 to fly the group to New York for meetings with record labels, all while cameras rolled for the reality show. Redstone had asked Viacom’s Philippe Dauman to give an MTV series to one of his romantic interests, then forced the network to air it. MTV executives initially resisted, calling the show “so bad,” but their pushback nearly cost then-CEO Judy McGrath her job. CBS’s Les Moonves, as a favor to Redstone, arranged for the series to be promoted on CBS. The show ended with a phone call from a record executive that triggered loud shrieking, and the group quickly disappeared from public view after the series concluded. On May 27, 2011, the Barbarellas performed “Without You” on *The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson*. In their 2023 book *Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy*, authors James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams described the group as “singing wildly off pitch” during that appearance, and noted that Moonves “dreaded” Redstone’s requests to promote them on CBS. The group’s members were Heather Naylor, Chelsea Costa, Gynger Fluellen, and Raven. Their only known release was the single *Strange World* (2011).
- field
- Electropop music
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Short-lived MTV reality series and connection to Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone
- members
- Heather Naylor, Chelsea Costa, Gynger Fluellen, Raven
- discography
- Strange World (2011) [single]
Lore & Background
In 2010, Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone personally paid over $500,000 to fly the group to New York to meet with record labels while filming a reality-TV series based on the trip, after asking then-Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman to give one of his romantic pursuits an MTV series. Redstone then forced Viacom-owned MTV to air the series. MTV executives originally balked at airing it because it was 'so bad' but their resistance almost cost MTV's then-CEO Judy McGrath her job. Les Moonves also arranged for the series to be promoted on CBS, as a favor to Redstone.
The series ended with a phone call from a record executive provoking much shrieking, but the group quickly faded into obscurity once the show ended. The group performed the song 'Without You' on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on May 27, 2011. In their 2023 book Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy, James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams said that the Barbarellas were 'singing wildly off pitch' in that Late Late Show appearance and that Moonves 'dreaded' the requests by Redstone to promote the group on CBS.
Reader's Guide
The Electric Barbarellas are significant primarily as a case study in the intersection of media power, personal relationships, and reality television. Their existence and brief prominence were directly orchestrated by Sumner Redstone, then CEO of Viacom, who used his corporate authority to force MTV to air a show that executives considered unwatchable. The group's legacy is tied to the controversy surrounding Redstone's involvement and the subsequent legal disputes involving member Heather Naylor. The group's failure to achieve lasting musical success, despite massive promotional backing, underscores the limits of top-down media manipulation. Their story is documented in the 2023 book Unscripted, which highlights the behind-the-scenes tensions and the poor reception of their performances. The group also spawned a follow-up project, The Alectrix, which similarly faded after a reality series. The Electric Barbarellas remain a footnote in media history, illustrating how personal whims of powerful executives can briefly shape pop culture.
Did You Know?
- Sumner Redstone personally paid over $500,000 to fly the group to New York to meet with record labels while filming their reality series.
- MTV executives originally balked at airing the series because it was 'so bad,' and their resistance almost cost then-CEO Judy McGrath her job.
- The group performed the song 'Without You' on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on May 27, 2011.
- Member Heather Naylor later formed a new group called The Alectrix, which also had a short-lived MTV reality series.
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