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IS THE RISK of destroying three relationships--two of them marriages--worth ratings points on a new reality show?
In "House Rules," a new "reality-competition" series Friday at 8 p.m. on TBS, that danger is part of the formula that could well make this show one of the next big things.
Combining the reality and home improvement genres, "House Rules" may well be a hit for TBS and Lowe's, the sponsor that's part of the show itself.
Here's the gimmick: Three couples--one, longtime marrieds; another, newlyweds; the third, singles living together--are each given empty, existing homes to remodel.
Each week on the show, they'll remodel another room, living within an allowance for each project.
By the time the 12-week competition is done, the couples will have completed their whole-home renovation.
At that time, the studio audience will vote on which couple they think has done the best job, has exhibited the best attitude getting there, etc.
The winner in that voting will get to keep their house; the other two will get sent back to their old lives.
Of course, on this show from the makers of "Fear Factor" and "Big Brother," they're liable to get something else as well, or nothing.
That's the cutthroat nature of these reality/competition shows that makes me sad for the folks involved.
And, judging from the opening episode, these are some pretty nice folks we'll be watching for 12 weeks.
Katie and Adam are young newlyweds who hope to win a home with which to start their lives.
Cindy and Bill have been together for 11 years and hope to use the home to start a new chapter in their lives.
And the couple I already like the most, Rebecca and Joseph, are trying to make up their minds about a lasting commitment.
In previews of the entire show that were flashed at the end of the opening episode, we see that this 12 weeks of competition will strain all the relationships, perhaps to the breaking point.
Is any show worth that?
Sure, the winner will get a home worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, so there's gain to be had.
But the losers will, ostensibly, get nothing. That fear seems to drive a wedge into the relationships of those competing.
Added to that are silly competitions, obstacle courses and the like, which will give one couple a leg up on the others each week.
The couple that wins that competition each week will get a bigger allowance, making it possible to do a better renovation, get neater stuff, etc.
Why add that to it?
Because this is not about fixing up three houses, the way it is on the fix-it shows that proliferate.
This is about generating ratings, and creators of this sort of pap think that nothing does that like competition and out-of-control emotions.
Can we generate some tears? That's the question the show's makers ask, hoping the answer will be yes, yes, yes, every week.
The other half of the show, the house renovation, will be a big draw for many, and rightly so.
Turn on any of the cable channels these days and you can find some sort of home repair/decorating/make-over show.
We watch and enjoy these because we either get vicarious pleasure out of seeing others improve their homes, or because we're stealing an idea or 10 to use in our own homes.
At an even more basic level, we like to think we'll learn how to make some of these repairs or improvements, to use in our homes if the opportunity presents itself.
The previews also showed that these contestants, picked partly by their renovation skills, will produce some interesting houses.
If a relationship or two is destroyed by the deadlines, demands and destructive nature of three solid months of horrible deadlines and working conditions, so be it.
There are twists in all of this that are fascinating: The teams can't ask for outside help, but they can ask the other teams for help.
Major tools have to be shared.
The teams will mix often at dinners and other functions, even though they're going head-to-head in tough competition.
A panel of judges will judge each team's work for the week, giving the winner's special prizes.
The winning team will be announced live on TBS on Friday, Dec. 19.
Something tells me I'll be watching, because I hope that nice couple, Rebecca and Joseph, stay together through the whole ordeal.
I don't really care if they win the house, though that would be icing on the cake.
Of course, it goes unsaid that all materials will be gotten from Lowe's, which is so much a part of this that we expect the teams to be wearing Lowe's underwear by the time this thing is done.
Don't bet against it.
To reach ROB HEDELT: 540/374-5415 rhedelt@freelancestar.com