Tony McCollister appeared on “Neighbors With Benefits,” which aired on A&E in 2015.

Reality TV star arrested in connection with alleged sexual conduct with an animal

Tony McCollister appeared on "Neighbors With Benefits," which aired on A&E in 2015.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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December 29, 2025 8:32 p.m. ET

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Tony McCollister seen in his mugshot. Credit:

Warren County Jail

A cast member of *Neighbors With Benefits*, a short-lived A&E reality show about swinger couples in a suburban community that aired in 2015, has been arrested in connection with two sex crimes.

Tony McCollister, 43, was taken into custody on Tuesday, Dec. 23, according to records of Ohio's Warren County Jail. He's been charged with pandering an obscenity involving a minor and sexual conduct with an animal.**

NBC's Cincinnati station, WLWT News 5, cited court documents in reporting that authorities are accusing McCollister of uploading child sex abuse imagery to his Google account and engaging in sexual activity with two dogs he owned.**

His home address was listed as the same one belonging to Erica Grove, a woman who was charged with sexual conduct with an animal on the same date. She was not part of the show.**

'Neighbors With Benefits' star Tony McCollister with a costar in 2015.

Scott Gries/A&E

The alleged animal crime is a misdemeanor, while the one involving a child is a felony that can result in up to eight years in prison, along with a fine of $15,000, according to the news outlet.

McCollister was arraigned on Monday morning, where he was ordered to "have no contact with children or pets." He's currently being held on $250,000 cash-only bond.

He is scheduled to return to court on Tuesday, Dec. 30.**

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* *has reached out to Warren County officials for more information.

*Neighbors With Benefits,* which followed married couples in a neighborhood described as both average and suburban, as they lived their lives as parents and professionals but also swingers.

It aired for just two episodes before A&E took the show off the air, and *Deadline* also reported that another seven hours of episodes were being shelved.

At the time, EW TV critic Gillian Telling told the *Cincinnati Inquirer *that the show's bad reviews were to blame for its demise. But there was also the thought that the audience didn't believe the premise. "As we learned, it's not an easy lifestyle to lead," she told the publication.**

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