Last night VH1 aired its new reality series Confessions of a Teen Idol and we tuned in strictly for prurient reasons. After all, the stars of this series are all guys and former pop culture "hunks"  (aka teen idols) living together under one roof so we figured there had to be some skin. Besides two of the guys are our longtime faves David Chokachi (Baywatch) & Eric Nies (The Real World). While there is some skin there's also a disturbing and often pathetic tone in this show. It's not totally unexpected given VH1 has done similarly-toned series The Surreal Life and Celebrity Rehab. But it's still amazing to see how far people will fall once the fame diminishes and what they'll go through to get it back.  

 Scott Baio (yes, Chachi) is the host and co-producer with Jason Hervey (the snotty big bro on Wonder Years) of this series which gathers together male idols, catches the viewers up on their lives, and sets them up in a house. In the coming weeks viewers will follow these guys as they try and overcome their personal difficulties and try to revive their careers. On the surface it sounded like we'd be following some self-indulgent and delusional spoiled brats wallowing in self-pity. There ARE elements of this but the intent (which so far seems successful) is to make viewers empathize with these guys and root for them.  

   Along with Chokachi & Nies, the other "houseguests" include Christopher Atkins (The Blue Lagoon), Billy Hufsey (Fame), Jeremy Jackson (Baywatch), Jamie Walters (Beverly Hills 90210) and Adrian Zmed (TJ Hooker, Grease 2). Some look older but virtually unchanged--others show their age and their "lifestyle choices". It's not always pretty but it's a stark reminder that beauty fades---sometimes more rapidly for others. Most of the guys are working in other professions and some have more difficult demons to overcome. 

 Frankly, the guy we were most curious about was Eric Nies. On the first season of MTV's The Real World he was the sexy hunk who became an underwear model (while he dallied with the girls). After the show he extended his instant fame as the host of MTV's dance show The Grind and fitness videos. When MTV started their Real World/Road Rules Challenge series Nies seemed like he was always participating. And he maintained a killer bod that was the envy of all the participants. In the new series he still looks good---but startlingly different. Last year he and his brother started Chi-Force, "a fusion of ancient Eastern health and wellness philosophies and cutting edge Western training techniques that form a blueprint for living a fully integrated mental, physical and spiritual life". His look reflects this lifestyle and he's also a "life coach".
It will be interesting to see if Eric Nies can reinvent himself again and extend his 15 minutes of fame even more.