MTV is once again asserting itself as a channel that does NOT play music videos. One of the highlights of their summer schedule is “Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods”, according to Variety:

Eight-episode, pre-taped series will follow 10 actresses vying to replace Laura Bell Bundy as the star of “Legally Blonde,” the 2007 tuner based on the 2001 MGM pic. Haylie Duff (”Hairspray”) hosts.

There will be no audience voting, and the judges are the people in charge of the musical itself. But I’m still disgusted. I realize I just wrote about the democratization of art, but I don’t think that reality tv competitions actually reflect that. America’s Next Top Model has not turned out a single top model (some success stories, of course, but not the next Tyra). Project Runway has created some “reality celebrities” but they haven’t really turned the fashion world upside down yet. The most successful reality tv contestant I can think of is Harold, the first winner of Top Chef. He went out, he found an investor, and he started a very well received restaurant in New York City. I’m not sure how much more there is to being a Top Chef.

Even a show like “The Next Food Network Star” has had three seasons and only really produced one “star,” despite the fact that the winner is guaranteed their own show at the end.

The last time they tried this formula was with “Grease: You’re the One That I Want” and while the show is still running, it was not a move that many received very well. So while I think an open casting call is great idea, and hiring unknown talent an even better one, I think this reality tv competition is going to do nothing but get a handful of girls who just want to have their fifteen minutes, no matter the cost. Those are not the types that will really become the next Broadway sensation.