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'Dangerous Breed' Filmmaker On The Moment A Reality Show Became A True Crime Documentary
In Peacock's three-part documentary "Dangerous Breed: Crime. Cons. Cats." a documentarian chronicles the search for missing person Samantha Fiddler, who previously dated wrestler Teddy Hart.
When Frederick Kroestch began filming the documentary “Dangerous Breed: Crime. Cons. Cats.,” he had a much different vision for the project.
The show that he filmed has evolved over the years, morphing into a three-part documentary series — premiering Nov. 22 on Peacock — that chronicles professional wrestler Teddy Hart’s tumultuous relationships with multiple women, particularly single mother Samantha Fiddler — who has since gone missing.
But as Kroetsch told Oxygen.com in an email interview, he originally planned on making a reality TV show "about an infamous wrestler looking for redemption —a redemption which he did not find.”
“Teddy Hart was living a unique lifestyle while searching for reconciliation with his famous uncles and to restart his wrestling career,” Kroestch continued. “This all changed when Teddy wound up on the cover of The Calgary Sun accused of heinous crimes.”
In a 2014 Calgary Sun article, the Royal Canadian Mountain Police (RCMP) confirmed Hart was wanted on one count of sexual assault, one count of unlawful confinement and three charges of assault, according to the Huffington Post.
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“Right after the newspaper article, I lost my pilot,” Kroetsch shared. “At that moment, things had changed. The big question: Stop filming everything or keep digging?”
He ultimately chose to continue with the project, filming as Hart fought the charges. In 2016, the Crown prosecution later dropped the charges, with a spokeswoman with Alberta Justice telling the Edmonton Sun that the case didn’t meet the criteria needed to proceed.
During filming, Hart began dating Samantha Fiddler, a single mom of three with the hopes of becoming a professional wrestler, whom he described as “vibrant, fun loving and smiling.” They had broken up by the time she went missing.
Though Kroetsch had stopped work on the series when Fiddler initially disappeared, he said, “In 2018, I found out Samantha was missing and I started going in a new direction, bringing many of my friends on board to try and figure out what happened with Samantha.”
While Kroetsch’s original plans didn’t pan out, he’s proud of the series and hopes it brings renewed attention to Fiddler’s case.
He said, “People keep asking me, why did you keep filming this? What compelled you? And the answer… I knew deep down something would eventually happen, and someone had to be there to tell the story.”
Watch “Dangerous Breed: Crime. Cons. Cats.” — streaming Nov. 22 on Peacock — to learn more about Hart and the investigation into Samantha Fiddler’s disappearance.
If you have any information regarding Samantha Fiddler’s whereabouts, please call F.D.L.E. Tampa at (800) 226-1140.