Reality check, take 450
I've already gone into full length to some of my tenuous links to reality shows in the past. Now, I can honestly say I know one of these contestants. Unfortunately, it's this guy who wants to get "Married by America." This guy used to work with us in a slightly different department, but few of us can really think of any positive (or negative) things to say about him while he was here. And he disappeared almost as quickly as he got here, only to see him show up last fall hosting the awful Movie Bowl on TBS after college football (otherwise known as faux-frat boys yucking it up while showing "Lethal Weapon 4" for the 985th time). Not sure if I'll watch it (or tape it since I'm usually out Monday nights). Then again, it could be another train wreck in the making.

And while we're at it, why does it seem like Atlanta is such a hotbed for reality show contestants? There's at least one or two more people involved with "Married by America" from this area, and there's always a constant stream of American Idol folks from the area. (I wasn't too sure if I wanted to feel sorry for my friend Rodney who was on the Idol beat for the AJC last summer.) T-Bird and Judge Pappy both leveraged their lengthy Survivor runs into TV spots down here. One of the Georgia Force cheerleaders was an early cut on Joe Millionaire. I guess the city has an excess of people that fit the photogenic (and often shallow) qualities perfect for these shows.

Although to be fair, the early days of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire featured a more than representative number of Georgia-based contestants, but that could be traced partially to the fact that callers could dial an 800 number (instead of the original 900 number) to compete in the phone game -- the vastly overlooked part of the show that drew viewers to the game during its heyday.