Yes, it’s another (fairly) new reality show. No fear for the anti-reality folks, though. With the premise of True Beauty, such as it is, chances are it’s only good for a season. You see, the contestants have only been told that they’re basically entering a beauty contest with challenges which eliminate a contestant each week. The winner wins a quarter-million dollars and will be included in People Magazine in a special issue featuring all those oh-so-beautiful folks. But in reality, they’re not judged just on the cover. Now, I’m not seeing much “cover” beauty for these two guys, but maybe it’s just me.
The show judges the six women and four men on their “inner” beauty as much as the outer aesthetics. How can you judge inner beauty? The actions of the contestants living together in the house are monitored in addition to anything they do out on challenges. Then, once two people are chosen to go to the “hall of beauty” for possible elimination, a secret goodie-goodie, Boy Scout, all-around-good-person challenge occurs. For example, a bike messenger crashing — help him or not?
Oh, yes, the show is very contrived. Its executive producers are Tyra Banks and Ashton Kutcher. To be honest, it was the latter’s involvement which got me watching the series. Between Punk’d and Beauty and the Geek, he tends to do pretty well in the psuedo-reality genre.
But I’m calling this one a hit and miss. My first thought is that I see more attractive people walking down the city street than some of the ones on the show. Perhaps they’re really seeking inner beauty, but outward appearance should be extraordinary, too. Second, the panel of judges don’t exactly rock my socks. Cheryl Tiegs is certainly admirable in the modeling field. Then comes Vanessa Minnillo (someone I don’t know from TRL and ET — two shows I don’t watch) and Nole Marin. Since I don’t tend to watch the modeling shows, I had to look up his credentials to find out he’s on America’s Next Top Model. I’m not impressed with him.
As for the hits, I like the actual premise. I’d like to see “normal” folks rather than full-of-themselves brats on the show. Oh … and I love them trashing the picture of the evicted in a janitor’s bin for disposal. Oops. I guess I’d lose on the inner beauty bit, eh?
The show airs Monday nights on ABC at 10 PM ET/PT.
Clacked by Jackie Schnoop 
on Jan 23, 2009 @ 14:01 EST5EDT
i really like this show but the only thing i dont like his the whole beaty challenge then hall of beauty, because then a team full of inner beaty could lose and have to go to the challenge and they could only base it off of the final straw.
P.s. i thought it was funny that i seen billy on morning show with mike and juliet yesterday to promote chip and dale’s birthday.
The thing I found so fantastic about this show is that they chose only average looking people who THINK they’re the most beautiful people in the world and are not afraid to let you know it. It makes it very fun to see the looks on their faces when they are outed in the hall of beauty.
After that one bottle blonde with bad roots lied on the street about collecting cash for a charity (I know it’s a crime, I just don’t know what its called) to buy an outfit for “the challenge”, ignored the dropped bike messenger and was told she has no inner beauty, she STILL said she thinks she is the most beautiful person in the world without an ounce of sarcasm or disbelief. Even the worst singers on American Idol don’t give off this impression when shown the door (well, some do, yes).
But, I couldn’t go any farther. Those average people thinking they were the hottest (and frankly, the constant oogling of the judges saying “she really is just gorgeous”) was just too much.