VH1's unique brand of "Celebreality" has given the television- viewing world some real gems. First, there was The Surreal Life, which stuck six professional has-beens into one house and gave them interesting tasks to complete. The franchise was so popular, it made about 28 of them, scraping these so-called celebrities from the bottom of the barrel. Everyone from Dave Coulier (aka Joey from Full House) to Vanilla Ice has graced the hall of that home - I use the term "graced" very loosely, of course. Apparently VH1 thought it struck reality gold with The Surreal Life because it went on to launch a whole host of new series that follow ex-celebrities. Scott Baio is 45 … and Single, The Salt N' Pepa Show, Flavor of Love - they have all characterized the once music-based station as the place to go for trashy entertainment. So where was VH1 to go next? In today's world of fallen celebutantes and fashionable detox, the answer must have been simple: Celebrity Rehab.
The show is run by Dr. Drew, who is best known for his classy late-night program, Real Sex with Dr. Drew. Who wouldn't be the obvious candidate with that resume? It is important to note, though, that the patients that Dr. Drew treats are not your average stars. There will be no Britney Spears or Mel Gibson roaming the hallways of the clinic, or even the occasional Lindsay Lohan 24-hour drop-ins. No, the stars of Celebrity Rehab are from the same mold as the rest of the Celebreality shows. The cast consists of a hodge-podge of fake famous people like Jeff Conway (Kenickie from Grease; Taxi), Laura Winslow's little sister from Family Matters, the least talented of the four Baldwin brothers, and an American Idol finalist - just to name a few.
Perhaps the most shocking thing about Celebrity Rehab is that the show is actually really interesting. I would go so far as to call it compelling stuff. The patients share their real feelings and go through the real stages of rehab. Conway has been a particularly engaging story, as the audience watched him move from severe pain and the inability to talk to become a fully functioning human being. Dr. Drew's assistant Shelly, a rehab survivor herself, is just the reality check the cast needs, supplying much needed doses of tough love. The best episode aired last week, when the families of each patient shared pre-rehab stories. The result was absolutely heartbreaking and was enough reason for me to tune in for the rest of the season.
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