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one member of the current show is facing drunk driving charges.

Chiara Berti did not appear in court in Van Nuys Friday July 19 for arraignment, but she had a good excuse: She's locked up in the ''Big Brother'' compound. Her court date was postponed until Sept. 3, and if she hasn't been voted out of the house by then, CBS may have to grant her a waiver and let her out long enough for a court appearance. (Susman, 1.)

CBS was apparently more interested in Berti's potential for on-camera antics than her arrest. In the two weeks since the show premiered, the 25-year-old New Yorker has gone topless, showered with another female housemate, and shared a bed with a male housemate. In an interview with the New York Daily News, CBS spokesman Chris Ender said of the charges against Berti, ''CBS knew about this, but we certainly don't condone drunk driving.'' (Susman, 1.) It would seem reality is interfering with their production. The trend in the United States has continued with features such as war-time' reality driven shows and ditzier versions such as The Bachelor where twenty women humiliate themselves to land the honor of being the bachelor's bride to be.

Forty-five percent of all Americans watch reality television programs. Bruskin Research determined through a phone poll that thirty-seven percent of Americans would rather watch reality television than scripted characters. (Gardyn, 3) It would appear they could relate better to the ordinary' people on the screen than they can to a character like Buffy on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The ratings for reality shows did suffer against strong competition like Friends in this last television season, most likely in reaction to the September 11 attacks. But the shows aren't dead in the water. (Carter, 1.)

According to Encino, CA E-Poll's syndicated online survey, the number one reason Americans ages 18-54 watch is the thrill of who will win or be eliminated from the show.' The second and third most common reasons viewers tune in is to see people face challenging situations" and "imagining how I would perform in similar situations," stated by sixty-three percent and forty-two percent of all viewers respectively. (Gardyn, 3.)

The values this programming offers is debatable. Since it employs a form of social Darwinism, in that the meanest and nastiest is often the winner. The long-term psychological effects of this form of programming have yet to be determined though psychologists are calling for studies into this area. It is interesting

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