PAYBACK TIME FOR SCORNED `BACHELORETTE'; STILL MORE `REALITY'
ROGER CATLIN; Courant TV CriticTHE HARTFORD COURANT
Can anything but revenge be on the mind of Trista Rhen?
After all, as the last to be unceremoniously dropped in the first season of "The Bachelor," she was also the one to have been strung along for the longest time.
Tonight, it's her turn to string the men along, make them squirm and, oh yes, find a good-looking, successful dude in her quest for true love.
In the premiere of "The Bachelorette" (ABC, 9 p.m.), 25 men gather at some sprawling hilltop mansion in Los Angeles for a get-to-know-you-session -- and 10 will be out by the end of the night.
Sure, a lot of the women on "The Bachelor" looked alike, but were they as interchangeable as the group collected for "The Bachelorette?" Yikes, you'd think at least one guy would have, say, long hair or a beard.
At least there is more diversity in age than there was among the women. Among those vying for the affection of Trista, the 30-year-old pediatric physical therapist who once performed as a dancer for the Miami Heat, are two 24-year-olds, one a sales consultant from Cincinnati, another a professional football player from San Diego. And the oldest among them is a 49-year-old gym owner from Culver City, Calif. That's right, a dude even older than I am.
There are three guys named Brian, a Gregg and a Greg, and a professional basketball player named Jamie.
Once more, there's not a single person from New England, land of self-worth, or at least shyness. But the Greg guy is from New York City. Fully a third are from California, though, where this kind of idea apparently flies; three are from Texas, and three are from Ohio.
As in "The Bachelor," the suitors will be eliminated in a rose ceremony, but these will be manly boutonnieres, not long stemmed.
And the guy having the most interaction with Trista will be Chris Harrison, the same host as "The Bachelor."
More Reality
"The Bachelor" franchise is at least still viable enough in the ratings so it doesn't have to resort to that last ditch effort to revive worn reality shows -- the so-called "celebrity" version.
But the kind of celebrity who volunteers for "Celebrity Mole: Hawaii" (ABC, 10 p.m.) are such instant has-beens as Erik von Detten of the recently canceled "Dinotopia," as well as Corbin Bernsen of "L.A. Law," Kim Coles from "Living Single," the model Frederique and a lesser Baldwin brother, Billy.
There's even Kathy Griffin, an unabashed reality show fan who once hosted a talk show on the topic and popped up on Anna Nicole Smith's holiday special. With Anderson Cooper dropping "Mole" duties to be an Aaron Brown understudy on CNN, even the host is B-level, Ahmad Rashad.
Should we qualify "Star Search" (CBS, 8 p.m.) as reality show or vintage TV rehash? It's essentially the format begun by Arthur Godfrey and retooled by Ed McMahon (when "super-modeling" gained status as a talent). But in the new version, hosted by Arsenio Hall (one degree from "Celebrity Mole" himself), it's all about aping "American Idol" -- the promos are similar and there are multiple shows a week (Wednesday and Thursday nights).
On a slightly more brainy reality show, "Escape From Experiment Island" (TLC, 10 p.m.), teams are challenged "to draw upon their technical know-how, quick thinking and creativity in a do-it-yourself effort to escape from the island."
Tonight, two teams have five days to turn cars into boats.
Also Tonight
The 1999 "Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me" (Fox, 8 p.m.) gets a network premiere.
"Sandwiches That You Will Like" (CPTV, 9 p.m.; WGBY, Channel 57, 8 p.m.) is likely to be a more winning offering than the discarded show idea, "Sandwiches That You Will Not Like."
The UConn women host Rutgers at the Hartford Civic Center in college basketball (CPTV, 7 p.m.).
What's gone wrong with VH1? Tonight's offering is the 1996 movie "Coed Call Girl" (VH1, 7 p.m.), starring Tori Spelling.
Talking It Up
Merv Griffin holds court with David Letterman, one talk show legend to another.
On a rare week of reruns, Jay Leno hosts Billy Crystal and Alanis Morissette. Luke Perry and Bonnie Raitt visit Conan O'Brien.
D.L. Hughley and Dick Clark join Craig Kilborn. Jason Seahorn and Justin Timberlake are on a Carson Daly rerun.
Correction published January 9, 2003.Stephen Baldwin is a participant on ``Celebrity Mole: Hawaii.'' A story on Page D8 Wednesday was incorrect.