Welcome to Chippendales is the true-crime drama on Hulu about the meteoric rise and catastrophic fall of Chippendales founder Steve Banerjee (played by Kumail Nanjiani).
In the late 1970s, Banerjee quit his job at a gas station and purchased a run-down Los Angeles nightclub called Destiny II. He intended to open a backgammon club but after meeting model and playmate Dorothy Stratten (Nicola Peltz) and nightclub promoter Paul Snider (Dan Stevens), Banerjee opened Destiny II as a night club, introducing a male stripper and dancing troupe, the first of its kind in the U.S.
As seen in Welcome to Chippendales, with the help of his wife and Emmy award-winning director and famed choreographer Nick De Noia (Murray Bartlett), Banerjee transformed his club and dance group into household names.
However, by the mid-1980s things had taken a sinister turn, with Banerjee arranging the murder of his former business partner, De Noia, who had started a highly lucrative Chippendales live tour.
De Noia was shot dead in his Manhattan office on April 7, 1987, and for years, Banerjee evaded any serious suspicion.
In July 1991, facing competition from the all-male burlesque group Adonis, Banerjee arranged for the murder of former Chippendales dancers Read Scot and Michael Fullington as well as producer Steve White, all of whom were part of the rival group.
However, they all survived unscathed after the plot was foiled before it could be carried out.
Scot, who had left the Chippendales just a month before the planned attempt on his life, has spoken out about his ordeal in the Discovery+ documentary series Curse of the Chippendales and has shared his story in multiple interviews.
Scot learned his life was in danger when he was on stage in London, introducing an all-male striptease dance troupe.
His business partner pulled him off stage and Scot was warned by two police officers about the severity of the situation.
Speaking in Curse of The Chippendales, Scot recalled a detective telling him: "There is a contract out for your life. It's going to be a cyanide injection…[Someone] will get close to you and inject you with a needle."
Reflecting on the life-changing moment in an interview with People Magazine, Scot said: "I got this cold chill as a detective told me, 'You can run and hide or you can stay and we catch [the killer] before he gets to you.' It's like something you hear in a movie. It didn't seem like real life."
After learning the news, Scot agreed to keep up appearances with Adonis, to aid the authorities in uncovering Banerjee's plans but it was a difficult move for Scot to make.
He told People: "For years, I looked over my shoulder, I slept with the lights on."
The murder plots were revealed by a man (nicknamed 'Strawberry' by authorities) hired by Banerjee to carry out the Adonis murders. When he got cold feet, he contacted the FBI. They were led to Ray Colon, who after seven months of sitting in prison, began to cooperate.
Working as an informant, Colon met with Banerjee and eventually got him to confess to plotting the murder of Fullington, Scot and White, as well as planning De Noia's death.
The two men involved pleaded guilty to the charges stemming from the murder-to-hire plot and agreed to testify against Banerjee in return for reduced sentences.
According to the U.S. government's sentencing memorandum, Banerjee was also accused of three arson plots, leading to minor damage at two competitor bars: Moody's Disco in Santa Monica in 1979 and the Red Onion Restaurant & Bar in Marina del Rey in 1985. He abandoned the third attempt on another rival bar.
Banerjee pleaded guilty to attempted arson, racketeering and murder for hire. He accepted a plea bargain that would have seen him serve 26 years in prison and the loss of his share in Chippendales.
However, on October 23, 1994, just a few hours before he was due to be sentenced, Banerjee was found dead in his prison cell, having taken his own life. He was 47 years old.
Episodes of Welcome to Chippendales drop every Tuesday on Hulu.
If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours every day. Or dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
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Molli Mitchell is a Senior SEO TV and Film Newsweek Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on ... Read more
