The SVU team will get a taste of what it's like to be under the limelight in the 21st episode of "Law and Order: SVU" season 17.
In the episode titled "Assaulting Reality," Oliva Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and the rest of her team in the Special Victims Unit will go undercover to investigate the alleged rape case reported by a contestant from "Heart's Desire," the dating reality show inspired by the long-running "The Bachelor" franchise.
According to the synopsis for the episode, "The producers of a reality dating series make Benson and the SVU team part of the show when they investigate a contestant's claim that she was raped."
The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news about the plans to feature a reality show format in the long-running police procedural drama back in March. According to the report, the episode will center on the behind-the-scenes drama of the reality show, especially on the married series creators of "Heart's Desires."
Can the team catch the perpetrator with live cameras following their every move round-the-clock? This could be a challenge for them, since the suspect can see how they deal with their investigation through the cameras.
This will not be the first time for "Law and Order: SVU" to base an episode on an ongoing reality series. In season 17, episode 7, called "Patrimonial Burden," the SVU team investigated the early pregnancy of the 13-year-old daughter from a popular reality show family. The episode was inspired by the molestation controversy involving "19 Kids and Counting" star Josh Duggar.
The guest stars for the upcoming episode include Larisa Oleynik, Wendie Malick, Comfort Clinton, Michael Gross, Mather Zickel, Adam Gregory, Rachael Emrich, and Jordan Bondurant.
Meanwhile, the previous episode of "Law and Order: SVU" season 17 dealt with the rape case filed by a fashion model against her photographer.
'Law and Order: SVU' season 17, episode 21 will air on May 11 on NBC.
