Some residents of James Turner Street in Birmingham complained that they had been misled before appearing on the programme.
Producers of the reality television show have denied that.
Now, one charity which accused the makers of misrepresenting residents has offered a solution: a self-defence kit against unwanted advances.
Oasis, a community and education charity, runs the primary school in Birmingham where Benefits Street was filmed.
Reverend Steve Chalke, who founded Oasis, said that other communities have approached them asking for advice on what to do if they get attention from reality TV producers.
He said: "We can't proactively defend every community in the country.
"However, we believe that the new self-defence kit will give people the chance to benefit from what we've learnt."
The kit, which is on its website, contains advice on how to discourage television producers.
It also has what it calls a "decoder" to translate what a producer might really mean if they describe the programme they want to make.
Despite more than 900 complaints, watchdog Ofcom ruled that Channel 4 did not breach the broadcasting code.
A second series is thought to be under way in Teesside.
A Channel 4 spokesperson said: "We are always transparent and clear with residents in the extensive briefings that are given pre-filming and operate highly robust duty of care protocols for contributors which were praised by the regulator Ofcom as 'demonstrating best practice'.
"Filming of the second series recently began in Stockton-On-Tees, many months after transmission of the first and the subsequent media reaction, so residents were already familiar with the nature and profile of the programme.
"The majority of them have been happy to co-operate and support filming, even in the face of external pressure put on them by vested interests outside of the street."
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The blast in a town in Puebla state was apparently caused by thieves attempting to steal fuel from the pipeline.
Oil gushed through the streets and caught fire, destroying homes and cars and forcing hundreds of people to flee.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon has visited the scene and promised to launch an investigation.
Puebla State Secretary Valentin Meneses said the explosion injured 52 people as well as destroying 32 houses and damaging scores more in San Martin Texmelucan - a small community about 80km (50 miles) east of Mexico City.
He said that according to early indications, a criminal gang had punctured the pipeline.
"They lost control because of the high pressure with which the fuel exits the pipeline. The streets began to flood, then came a spark and we saw rivers of fire in the streets," he said.
In pictures: Mexico pipeline blast
One local resident said she awoke at about 0530 local time to a strange, overpowering smell, like petrol.
Minutes later, her street looked as if it was flowing in tar, and then it erupted in flames. Her husband knocked down a wall, allowing them to escape from the back of their home.
"It was like we were living in an inferno. Everything was covered in smoke," she said, quoted by AP news agency.
The fire was brought under control by midday, and the state oil monopoly Pemex said it had shut the pipeline down.
President Calderon arrived in the town later on Sunday to survey the damage and visit the injured.
He offered his condolences to the victims' families and said those responsible for the incident would be brought to justice.
Pemex says that theft of oil from its pipelines is a chronic problem, costing it hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
Despite being a ratings winner for Channel 4, Benefits Street came with its fair share of complaints.
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At least 28 people have been killed and many others injured in an oil pipeline explosion in central Mexico, officials say.