Shanna's "truthseeking reporter" shtick only gets a pass because we already know she don't get no respect.
Rikk was always in clear and present danger of becoming a Mary Sue, which is why I took such care to have him make mistakes, get beaten up, receive legitimate criticism and, as here, get humiliated. Now that I think about it, this tendency on my part probably has a lot to do with Rikk finding his way into an S&M relationship by the end of the third storyline.