Hence, 50,000 people "applied" for the third and latest installment in the Survivor series; the WB just bought into reality programming with ElimiDate; and NBC recently premiered Fear Factor, each adding to the already lengthy list of reality TV.

Reality shows are a teenage society's dream. Like half-baked cheerleading tryouts for a squad that consists of only you, glorious you, shows like Survivor and Fear Factor give people a chance to be famous just for being their uninviting, mostly incapable, largely afraid, unremarkable selves.

In this newest brand of entertainment "fame," it's only after convincing millions of people--the television viewing audience, who are equally dull (not that there's anything wrong with that)--that you have so very little to offer that your life suddenly takes on extraordinary significance.

"Survivor"--Africa and beyond

Survivor: Africa--the third installment in the Survivor series--has whittled down more than 50,000 applicants to 50 finalists, who have been invited to Los Angeles for personal interviews, which started on May 26. The interviews end today, at which point CBS will select the 16 lucky souls who are set to be stranded in Kenya from July to September.

The form notifying the 50 applicants that they made the second round can be found at survivornews.net.

The form indicates that interviewees' images and voices are the property of the show, whether they are cast(away) or not. The form also allows the producer to conduct background checks, ostensibly to determine if the person's character, general reputation, personal characteristics, or mode of living is sufficient (or sufficiently lacking) to make good television.

Survivor alums are doing everything they can to stay in the spotlight. Keith Famie, the chef who placed third in Survivor: The Australian Outback, is getting his own cable cooking show, says the Detroit Free Press. Famie, who was criticized by other contestants for his poor rice cooking skills, will host Taste the Adventure, which is set to air on The Food Network beginning the third week of June.

And as reported on Sunday, Michael Skupin, the software publisher who was flown out of the Australian Outback when he badly burnt his hands, may run for the U.S. Senate. "I'm giving it a lot of thought," Skupin, 39, said Thursday at the annual Governor's Gala in Livonia, Mich., where he and President Bush's chief of staff, Andrew Card, were guests of honor, according to AP. "If I could do it and really make a difference, I would do it."

The WB joins the fray

ElimiDate Deluxe has secured a Thursday night prime time slot on the WB. ElimiDate Deluxe features one person being wooed by three or four "dates," all but one of whom will be eliminated by the end of the episode. The participants will travel to exotic, glamorous locations where they'll enjoy a few "adventurous activities" during the course of the show. ElimiDate Deluxe will debut this fall.

ElimiDate--the non-deluxe version--is set in non-glamorous locales and will air on syndicated TV. Both versions of the show are produced by Telepictures, which also produces The Rosie O'Donnell Show.

NBC brings "Fear" to television

From the producers of Big Brother and Chains of Love comes the peacock network's latest entry into the reality TV pantheon: Fear Factor, which debuted last night. Up for grabs is $50,000, as Fear Factor pits six contestants against each other in a series of dangerous, frightening and sometimes disgusting acts of "courage." The fear part comes in when each contestant--three female and three male--has to face a challenge based on their deepest fear.

NBC's latest foray comes at the same time that CBS is accusing NBC of not playing fair in the reality game. CBS alleges that NBC has used its Dateline program to promote former Survivor contestant Stacy Stillman's lawsuit against CBS and undermine Survivor's credibility and reputation. CBS cites NBC's former dominance of Thursday night ratings as motivation for the on-air attack.

No matter the form, reality TV seems to make for good television ratings, and with success comes imitation. Prepare yourselves for more of the same.