How Can Reality Be So Addicting?!

I'll be honest. I'm a HUGE fan of television!

My TiVo always has something on it because I'll find things to record when my favorite shows are airing reruns. I'll search for reruns of some "classic" shows from the past, anything where my favorite celebrities appear as guest stars, etc. just to fill up my TiVo's To Do List.

Continuing in the honest spirit, I'm not a huge fan of reality shows.

Don't get wrong... When I do catch one, it's extremely hard to turn off. It's not because it's entertaining. Believe me! It's like a train wreck. You want to look away because it's so awful, but you just can't. No matter how hard you try to flip the channel, you're sucked in to see how it ends.

Still being honest, the only reality shows that I do tend to flock to are ones that deal with celebrities.

Don't ask me why. I have no idea! My two favorites are The Celebrity Apprentice, due to always finding the craziest celebrities to participate, and Dancing with The Stars, for its entertaining host, judges, professional dancers and, I must say, the dances themselves.

Speaking of Dancing with The Stars, the new line-up of celebrities for its upcoming ninth season was just announced this week.

I think that it's my time to weigh in...

Aaron Carter: Seriously?! He was famous when he was a child, and he's remained semi-famous for being Nick Carter's younger brother and appearing on a reality show a few years ago on E!. (For those of you who may not know, Nick Carter is a member of Backstreet Boys.) We'll see how he does... I'm sure that he'll be able to catch on quickly to the routines, but I'm not betting on him lasting too long.

Ashley Hamilton: All together now... WHO?! Well... Come to find out, he's George Hamilton's son. (George Hamilton appeared on Dancing with The Stars in its second season.) From what I've read, this gentleman has written songs, done stand-up, and been in television and movies. He will certainly have to prove himself to get past the elimination rounds in my opinion.

Chuck Liddell: Being that I'm not a UFC fan, I have never heard of Mr. Liddell. According to what I've read, he's the "face" of Ultimate Fighting Championship, as well as an icon of Mixed Martial Arts. He's also appeared in several movies, but who hasn't nowadays? He could have a good following to help keep him in the competition, but we'll see how his footwork is on the dance floor.

Debi Mazar: I LOVE HER! She's already one of my faves... She's been in several movies, like The Doors, Batman Forever, Bullets Over Broadway, and The Women, as well as in Madonna's music video for "Music", among others. Currently, she's on Entourage, and I read that she was once Madonna's make-up artist. (She and Carrie Ann Inaba, one of the judges, should reminisce about working with Madonna, since Miss Inaba was a back-up dancer for Madonna years ago.)

Donny Osmond: I can't lie... I'm dreading him. He was annoying when Marie Osmond was on in the fifth season by being all of the entertainment news shows' "special correspondent". It almost felt like he's already been on this show. Be prepared for cheesiness, and, perhaps, he'll faint and fall over like his sister did so famously! (That's awful, Kyle... Be nice!) I'm sure that he has quite the following, so he'll probably last for a while whether he's good or not.

Joanna Krupa: Once again, I have no idea who she is. Apparently, she's a famous model and has appeared in several movies and television shows, such as Las Vegas and, most recently, The Superstars. (Do you see what I meant by who hasn't been in movies and television?!) From what I can remember, the models who appear on this show usually fare well and are very graceful. We'll see if she continues that trend.

Kathy Ireland: As I just said, the models seem to do well on this show. I'm excited to see her for some reason. She seems like a great person with all that she's done in her life: She runs a billion-dollar empire while juggling marriage and motherhood. Besides being a model, she's also an actress, author, and, from what I've read, a Sunday School teacher. How cute is that?!

Kelly Osbourne: I can't lie... I'm really anxious to see her in action! She had such a potty mouth on The Osbournes, so I'm interested to see if she gets stank with the judges. How priceless would that be?! Also, will Daddy and Mama Osbourne surprise us all and be present in the audience? Ratings could soar even higher with an appearance by Ozzy Osbourne! HaHa!

Louie Vito: I have no idea who he is. According to what I've read, he's a professional snowboarder who's favored to make the 2010 Olympic team. He'll certainly have the stamina and drive to do well in the competition based on his occupation, so that'll be entertaining to watch. I'm sure that the younger ladies will be fans of his, as well. He's also very young, so he and Aaron Carter will probably be in competition with each other.

Macy Gray: "I try to say goodbye, and I choke... I try to walk away, and I stumble..." I wonder if they'll play that song when she's eliminated. (HaHa! I'm cracking myself up over here!) All kidding aside, I'm anxious to see how she does. She's had some good songs, like "I Try", which I quoted a second ago, and was good in Training Day. None of that matters now... We'll see how she shakes it on the dance floor!

Mark Dacascos: I, once again, said, "WHO?" after reading his name on the press release. Come to find out, he's the host of Iron Chef America on Food Network. I love that show! (Evidently, I don't watch it enough, since I didn't recognize the host's name!) He's also a Kung Fu Champion, so I can already foresee some of those "moves" in a dance routine or two. We'll see how he does and how long he lasts... Won't Bobby Flay miss him?

Melissa Joan Hart: She's adorable, and I enjoyed watching her on Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina, The Teenage Witch back in the day. She'll bring the charm and grace, I'm sure, to her dance routines. I would assume that she still has a good fanbase, so they should help her stay in the competition for several weeks. If not, she could, as she did in her former television show, conjure up a spell and guarantee her stay! (That was lame, I know...)

Michael Irvin: The football player! Every season has one; this season, it's a former Dallas Cowboy. Football players have gone both ways on this show. In past seasons, Emmitt Smith won the "coveted" mirrorball trophy and Jason Taylor was in the final two. However, Lawrence Taylor didn't do so hot... It's a hit or miss with athletes, especially football players, so we shall see...

Mya: She should bring the sexiness to the Latin routines, or that's what expected, I'm assuming. She's a gifted singer and was a great part to the ensemble of Chicago. Plus, she was apart of the fantastic collaboration in Moulin Rouge's remake of "Lady Marmalade". I think that Pink, Christina Aguilera, and Lil' Kym, who was on last season, should reunite with Mya to perform that song on one of Tuesday's The Results! Who's with me?!

Natalie Coughlin: Another athlete... She'll be this year's Shawn Johnson. She's an Olympic gold medalist for swimming, so it'll be interesting to watch how she competes this year. Like last season's Shawn Johnson, dancing will be quite the adjustment. If she stays around long enough, we could see a dancer blossom, perhaps, as Shawn Johnson did. Remember?! One never knows, so we'll just have to watch...

Tom DeLay: Another staple in the Dancing with The Stars line-up is the "elderly" person... We've seen George Hamilton, Jerry Springer, John Ratzenberger, and, of course, Cloris Leachman. Now, it's a politician's turn! Evidently, his nickname is "The Hammer", so I can foresee some ridiculing coming from either the judges or some cast members. It's all in good fun, I'm sure!

As of now, these are my thoughts on this season's line-up of celebrities. As I've thought in the past, most of them are has-beens trying to revitalize their floundering careers. In other ways, they're celebrities who are trying to lose weight or just prove that they can compete in a dance competition.

This show is mindless entertainment, but that's what makes it fun for me. The dances are extremely entertaining, and you can't help laughing during the judges' critiques sometimes. Between the bickering between the three of them and some of the things that come out of their mouths, you're bound and determined to crack up.

I suppose that it's not technically a reality show; it's more of a fun competition show. It still falls in the "reality" category in my mind because it's not scripted.

Do yourself a favor and watch Dancing with The Stars. Even if you don't like any of the celebrities competing, you'll find yourself rooting for some of them as the show progresses. It's amazing to see the time and effort that's put into the weekly routines.

I always love to see those success stories, as well... The ones who started out terrible and worked their asses off to become fantastic!

Dancing with The Stars premieres on Monday, September 21 at 08:00 PM on ABC.