DC gatecrashers persuaded TV company to film them

The Washington socialites Tareq and Michaele Salahi, who gatecrashed President Barack Obama's first state dinner at the White House on Tuesday night, pulled off the stunt in an audacious ploy to get picked for the Bravo network's reality TV show, The Real Housewives of DC.

They persuaded the makers of the show, Half Yard Productions, that they had been invited to the lavish state dinner for Indian president Manmohan Singh when in fact they had no invitation. Because the producers had "no reason to believe otherwise", they filmed the couple getting ready for their big night out, including seven hours spent by Michaele at a hair salon in the chic Washington suburb of Georgetown.

James Packard-Gomez of the Erwin Gomez Salon told reporters yesterday how Michaele "schmoozed" with the salon staff through the long hair and make-up session. "The talk of the day was Salahi's impending trip to the state dinner," he said.

At one stage, the hairdresser cutting Michaele's hair asked to see her invitation. "She starts rummaging through her purse, and then said, 'It must be out in the car.' "

Asked if the film crew would be able to follow the Salahis into the state dinner, Michaele reportedly responded: "We tried [to get permission] but they wouldn't let them in."

Neither Bravo nor Half Yard Productions, who filmed the Salahis all the way up to their arrival at the White House, were prepared to comment.

It also transpired yesterday that Michaele, a former Washington Redskins cheerleader, and the polo-playing Tareq may have pulled off a similar stunt on the weekend of Obama's inauguration. Photos posted on their Facebook page show the Salahis in the First Family's glass-enclosed bullet-proof viewing area after a concert at the Lincoln Memorial that weekend.

Meanwhile, the cast for the The Real Housewives of DC has yet to be finalised. But if the Salahis were simply after their 15 minutes of TV fame, they have already achieved it: CNN has confirmed that the couple will appear on Larry King Live on Monday. ·