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ABC News
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
The charity TV show that didn't pay: How a former footballer sold the dream and lost the cash
Adventure All Stars, which aired on the Seven network, billed itself as a "groundbreaking fundraising project for charities worldwide, which successfully combined entertainment with philanthropy". Charities loved it because it offered the two things they covet the most — publicity and revenue. But nearly six years since it first aired, Channel Seven has distanced itself from the program, taking down all episodes. Last month, as reported by the Adelaide Advertiser, a court ordered the show's star presenter — former Sydney Swan Troy Gray — to pay tens of thousands of dollars to a charity. Media Watch has spoken to over 30 other groups and cast members who say they are yet to see a cent of the money they were promised, claiming to be owed hundreds of thousands of dollars which should have gone to helping vulnerable groups across the country. "This is not the ending we envisioned," Mr Gray said. "It's heartbreaking. "But we are proud of everything we built, and even more proud of the lives we touched and the impact we made along the way." It began for Rach Mac when Mr Gray flicked her an email. "Troy approaches us and says we think what you do is amazing, we want to help give you exposure," she says. "It was bulls--t." Ms Mac runs Broken Crayons Still Colour Foundation, a charity which helps women, men and children escape domestic and family violence. She was promised national exposure. "He contacted you, lavishing you with praise," Ms Mac says. "He told you it would be played on Channel 7." Adventure All Stars was one part reality TV, one part feel-good philanthropy. Getting on the program was a feat in itself. Participants would have to raise a minimum of $10,000. Oftentimes they would raise more. In Ms Mac's case it was $60,000, which she raised with two volunteers. The show then took its cut to cover production costs — estimates varied but it was often between $5,000-$6,500, sometimes more — and the rest would go to the charity. It was a win-win: mass audience appeal for Seven and mass promotion for the charity and their hardworking volunteers and staff. Ms Mac, a survivor of domestic violence herself, hoped the money would go towards a safe haven for mothers and their children. The show itself was classic adventure television fodder. Contestants would be flown to picturesque destinations — the Whitsundays, wilds of Tasmania, island hopping in New Zealand — and challenged to push themselves to the limits, all in the name of charity. Ms Mac surfed, rode mountain bikes, balanced on a high ropes course, and abseiled down a rock face. "I could summarise this exact trip as an absolute powerhouse of emotions," she said. "From excitement to fear to conquer, you're only limited by your own imagination. "Give it a go. It's been amazing." Now, three years later, her tone has changed. "In my opinion Troy has taken from domestic violence victims and put them at further risk," she says. Last month Ms Mac and Broken Crayons won a default judgement against Mr Gray and his company to recoup the $60,000, which he is yet to repay. With liquidators appointed and courts stepping in, whatever the promise Adventure All-Stars represented lies in ruin. She says she took her complaints directly to the Seven Network twice: in August last year and February this year. "To this date I have never received a call back from Channel Seven, [it's] very disappointing considering Mr Gray uses their platform to promote himself to take advantage of charities," she says. Last week, the network washed its hands of the program, pulling down all episodes from its online streaming site 7plus soon after Media Watch raised questions. A spokesperson said Seven declined an offer from Charity TV Global to broadcast a new season of Adventure All Stars in July 2024, also saying: "Seven did not pay Charity TV Global for any seasons of Adventure All Stars." Winding up orders have been issued and the company is now in liquidation. Victorian charity Racing2Rehome, which finds families for retired greyhounds, says it never saw any of the $208,000 it raised. Another, Leukaemia Support Queensland, is chasing $96,000. Several charities are deeply embarrassed. Some fear being named will cost them donors; others have scrubbed social media posts and gone quiet, hoping to distance themselves from the show. A few pretend nothing happened at all. In response, Mr Gray says he has "given everything in the service of others — often working unpaid to create real and lasting change". "Charity TV Global was my life's work," he told Media Watch. "After COVID decimated our model, I kept things afloat with every dollar I had — and then with money borrowed from family and friends. "And now, this is how it ends — not with compassion, but with condemnation." Mr Gray seemed at first to have the ideal pedigree to carry a TV charity fundraiser. Many recognised him from his stint with Sydney and St Kilda in the 90s. A Canberra recruit and solid defender, he managed five seasons with the Swans before being traded to St Kilda. His media career began in radio. According to his website, he co-hosted weeknights on Triple M and produced the Adelaide breakfast show. He also had a regular slot on Mix 102.3 during his stint on Channel 9's Feeling Good, and later fronted the drive-time show Rush Hour. When Adventure All Stars premiered on 7Two, it marked a natural progression for its charismatic host: a former athlete turned television producer who frequently spoke of his desire to give back. "It looked legit," recalls Racing2Rehome's president Rebecca Miller. Episodes rigidly adhere to the travel/reality TV formula: the introductions, the challenge, the nervous anticipation from cast members. Obstacles were overcome, emotions surfaced, lessons were learned. Some networked on the trips. To many, Mr Gray was likeable and charismatic. "It was a bloody great experience," says truckie influencer Tony Fulton, better known by his online persona "Tones Truckin Stories". His Blue Mountains episode featured abseiling, horse riding, and a trip atop a cable car dangling over a gorge. Mr Fulton says he raised money from friends who saw an opportunity to advertise on a mainstream network like Seven for what is a relatively inexpensive cost. "The distribution, that was one of the biggest selling points," Mr Fulton says. "[Gray] said it was being streamed into 20 countries, and that the show will be seen by 20 million people overseas. TVNZ, New Zealand's public television network, broadcast a series. The show was gaining momentum and generating goodwill. According to its financial filings, Charity TV Global was lucrative for a time. Financial documents filed with the charity regulator ACNC show that over the 2021/2022 period, the company received about $2 million in gross income and, over those two years, listed assets close to $1 million. Several seasons of the show were produced. Cast and crew were flown around Australia and overseas. Gleaming episodes featuring smiling cast were edited and distributed. Charities were also being given the proceeds of their fundraising consistent with the auspice agreement they signed. The model appeared to be working, charities were being paid out. Cast members were returning to the show. In 2023, charities that had appeared on the show the year before began emailing Charity TV Global, and Mr Gray, asking where their money was. In July last year, Seven told Mr Gray they wouldn't host his news season of Adventure All-Stars. A leaked letter from accountancy firm Bentleys from October last year refers to "potential misappropriation and discrepancies in record-keeping in the amount at $296,000" but did not say who was responsible. Several charities expressed confusion about whether Mr Gray reported it to police. At a meeting in October 2024, Mr Gray told charities he instructed by his lawyers to report the matter to police, who were made aware. When asked by Media Watch if he reported the matter to police, Mr Gray responded: "Yes". "The matter was reported appropriately," he said. "Any suggestion to the contrary is inaccurate and misrepresents the facts." South Australia Police says it did not receive any reports from Mr Gray or Charity TV Global. Jeff Bogensberger, a small business owner raising money for the Kokoda Youth Foundation, appeared on the Blue Mountains episode with Mr Fulton. "You do a whole bunch of things out of your comfort zone, people bond over that, the crew was awesome, he's really personable and comes across as a nice charismatic guy," he says. But Mr Bogensberger's instinct told him something was off. "I'm thinking something is missing here," he says. "The numbers aren't adding up. According to a creditor's report, in August last year, the tax office levied a $267,789.66 debt against Charity TV Global. The report also indicates the company owed $13,236.07 to Flight Centre. That same month, Ms Mac called Seven and reported these concerns. She didn't hear back, she says. Jane McMillan founded Leukaemia Support Queensland in 2006 to support a friend with leukaemia. The group raises funds through raffles, fashion parades, music bingo and Pilates in the park. In October last year, almost 19 years to the day she founded her charity, Ms McMillan was quickly losing faith that Mr Gray would pay up. By her calculation, they had raised $96,000. "We got several different stories … I thought to myself, there's something going on here," she says. Armed with two addresses linked to the business via an ASIC search, she boarded a plane on October 2 to confront him. The first address took her to an accounting firm that no longer represented Mr Gray, and the second took her to an old office in Parkside office, an the inner southern suburb of Adelaide. Other tenants say they hadn't heard of Mr Gray or Charity TV Global, she says. "We're a voluntary organisation," Ms McMillan says, reflecting on the trip. She has since reported the matter to Queensland police. "Everything we raise, this goes back into the patients … I just get upset that anybody could take money away from anybody, let alone a charity," she says. Mr Gray strongly denied any fraudulent activity on his part, and said he was "truly hurt and deeply offended by such claims". Charities and cast members were at a loss about what happened to the money. The frustration was growing. Charities were looking at his books, but not finding answers. "I am struggling to make sense of the information you have provided in your updates or how the company no longer has any assets," Glen Hulley, chief executive of Project Karma, wrote to Mr Gray in November last year. Amid it all, Mr Gray assembled what he billed as the "Legends Series" — a final season of Adventure All Stars — bringing past participants to Adelaide for a November shoot. Shepparton business owner Jenny Lagozzino flew to Adelaide. Across two series she raised more than $30,000 which, she says, charities have never received. Several cast members described the Legends Series shoot as chaotic and disorganised. A few days before the cast was due to fly home, Mr Gray still hadn't provided them flight information. Ms Lagozzino had been spotting Mr Gray during the production. A bit of money here for fuel, some cash for food. Then, she says, Mr Gray asked her to fly everyone home. "You had people from Queensland, New South Wales, me and a couple of two others from Victoria, we were all screwed," she says. "None of us could get home unless we paid for a ticket to get home. "I knew for a fact two of the ladies there could not do that." Ms Lagozzino felt for the cast, especially those now stranded. "They've got hearts of gold," she says. "They all went full on raising money, for all he's thinking that all these charities got it. "They didn't. None of them did." Mr Gray said that this was "truly sad to read", and that he wanted to "acknowledge how difficult it must be for anyone who feels left out-of-pocket — no one should ever be in that position." "It has always been my belief that where a genuine reimbursement is owed, it should be made right," he said. The series never aired. Ms Lagozzino says she's never been paid back, and that Mr Gray has blocked her phone number. After the dust settled, in December, Mr Gray told charities and cast members that he had appointed a liquidator to fix the financial problems. Charities, now suspicious, sought assurances from the liquidator, who told them they were never appointed. Mr Gray later admitted that he couldn't come up with the money. In May, the Adelaide Advertiser published its exclusive about Ms Mac and Broken Crayons obtaining a default judgment in their favour for more than $60,000. A week later, the Advertiser published a second story saying hundreds of thousands of dollars were missing, and seven charities were upset. Mr Gray posted on LinkedIn that he had been booked as a speaker at a charity conference, but didn't specify who. The next week, liquidators were appointed to Charity TV Global. Seven also severed its connection with the program and distanced itself from Adventure All-Stars. The website and Instagram have been pulled down. Media Watch has confirmed complaints have been made to two policing agencies, the tax office, and the charity regulator, the ACNC. After initially responding to requests for comment, Mr Gray has now stopped responding to emails and says he is "attending to urgent family matters" and will be offline until June 15. Mr Gray insists that he is the victim of a combination of factors which have destroyed his life's work. First came COVID, subsequent rising costs, and declining philanthropic support, which made it "impossible for us to continue operating sustainably". He also says that charities turned on him, attacking him publicly, claiming that he has "consistently fulfilled all obligations and will continue to defend our reputation against false claims and malicious interference". Mr Gray says that without brand sponsors or outside funding to cover growing costs, the business couldn't stay afloat or keep up with mounting financial pressure. "I exhausted my children's trust fund and personal finances to keep Charity TV Global alive post-COVID," he says. "I've lost more than my business — I've lost my dignity, my self-worth, and my ability to earn a living. "The cost has been extraordinary and it's been incredibly unfair."
ABC News
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Chagrined charities
And now to the Land of the Long White Cloud via this feel-good travel show broadcast on Channel Seven. TROY GRAY: … I'm Troy Gray and welcome to New Zealand, over the next five days we'll spend most of our time in Auckland and the surrounding areas. - Adventure All Stars, 7Plus Adventure All Stars also streamed on Seven Plus is hosted by former AFL journeyman Troy Gray and takes charity workers on journeys of personal growth in which they overcome physical challenges in spectacular locations. CAROLINE LYTHE: If you're thinking about doing this, then please go ahead and do it… you'll never regret it … RACH MAC: I could summarise this exact trip as an absolute powerhouse of emotions. - Adventure All Stars Troy Gray who in the 1990s donned a guernsey for the Sydney Swans and the St Kilda Saints parlayed his football fame and bold personality into a media career as an announcer on commercial radio and sports presenter on Channel Nine News in Adelaide. But Gray's star reached its zenith with Adventure All-Stars in which he raises money for charity. TROY GRAY: we've created a proven groundbreaking fundraising project for charities worldwide … - Introductory Video Charity TV Global, Vimeo, 4 May 2020 Since 2019 Gray has boasted of raising millions for domestic violence, animal welfare and mental health causes through what is it must be said a rather interesting operating model. To get onto the show each charity worker must themselves raise $10,000. It's only once Troy Gray's outfit takes its cut that the charities get what's left or at least they're meant to: Ex-AFL star leaves DV victims in lurch: Adelaide Magistrates Court has ordered Gray – host of Channel 7's Adventure All-Stars – pay more than $60,000 to the Broken Crayons Still Colour Foundation. - The Advertiser, 17 May 2025 The Adelaide Advertiser tore away the veil last month reporting a default judgment against Gray's company after a lawsuit brought against it by a domestic violence charity whose founder Rach Mac told the paper: '… we were raising that money to create our third safe haven for survivors,' … 'We can't do that because Troy Gray hasn't paid …' - The Advertiser, 17 May 2025 And if stiffing a DV charity wasn't bad enough a week later there was more bad news for the Channel Seven star: Nine charities from around Australia say they are owed more than $370,000 by former AFL footballer Troy Gray: … the charities – which aid people living with illness, survivors of exploitation, and animals – say their work has been 'significantly' affected by not receiving the money. - The Advertiser, 24 May 2025 Two weeks ago Gray's company was placed into liquidation with two dozen charities which provide everything from cancer support to emergency shelter claiming they've been left high and dry. Rebecca Miller claims her charity which rehomes greyhounds is owed more than $100,000. She says she trusted Troy Gray because of his association with Channel Seven: It looked legit, we watched some previous shows, so we thought it was above board. - Phone, Rebecca Miller, 26 May 2025 In July last year things came to a head. Gray missed another deadline to repay money he owed and Seven told him it wasn't going to pick up a new season of his show. Gray circulated a private video message to several aggrieved charities: TROY GRAY: I know you're disappointed … … I want to correct this soon and put a smile back on your face, and put a smile back on my face too. - Charity TV Global, (Mea Culpa), 5 July 2024 No-one it seems is smiling, because instead of being repaid the money several charities have now filed complaints with police and regulators against Troy Gray and his company Charity TV Global. We asked Troy Gray what happened he told us: I worked tirelessly to secure new sponsors and brand partners to help bridge the gap – but despite my efforts, support didn't materialise in time … - Email, Troy Gray, 3 June 2025 Rach Mac told Media Watch she had twice complained to Channel Seven in February and August last year to alert them to these irregularities. Despite this Troy Gray's TV show remained online until last week that is when we sent questions to Channel Seven. Adventure All Stars is no longer available on 7plus. Seven did not pay Charity TV Global for any seasons of Adventure All Stars. - Email, Seven spokesperson, 4 June 2025 Troy Gray might have had noble intentions in creating his reality TV show and his is certainly not the first media venture to find itself in too deep with creditors. But when those creditors are charities devoted to good works it's a rather more tawdry episode isn't it, with Channel Seven surely ruing its decision to have ever lent Gray its precious brand.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bush Family Home hosts early Presidents' Day with children's wax museum
MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – Over the weekend, the Bush Family Home in Midland kicked off an early Presidents' Day celebration, inviting children to step into history by dressing up as past presidents and first ladies. 'This year we have something really special to celebrate the President's Day,' says Bush Family Home Site Manager Troy Gray. 'We want to get people involved so we are having a children's wax museum. They're going to dress up as a president or a first lady and people can come by and learn from them about the 45 different men who were present.' The event, held on Saturday, was free and open to the public, offering an interactive and educational experience for families in the community. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
