Not since the first 3 seasons of MTV’s Real World in the early 90’s has reality television possessed any socially redeeming value. Each new reality show tries to outdo the utter stupidity and depravity of all previous shows and I thought I had truly seen it all until last night.

While channel surfing, I landed on the Sci-Fi Channel and paused long enough to be sucked in by a very bizarre program called Who Wants To Be A Superhero?.

The host of the show is Stan Lee, creator of major comic book heros such as Spiderman, Hulk, The Fantastic Four, Daredevil and X-Men. From thousands of

hopefuls, Stan Lee chose 11 finalists who moved together into a ‘secret lair’. There they began their transformations and their competition for the opportunity to become real-life superheros.

Each week, these aspiring heros are challenged with competitions designed to test their true natures. No one is asked to perform feats of impossible strength but they are tested for courage, integrity, self-sacrifice, compassion, and resourcefulness � all traits, of course, that every true superhero must possess.

The winner of this six-week competition will walk away with their character immortalized in a new comic book developed with Stan Lee. And that’s not all - the winning character will also appear in an original Sci-Fi Channel movie!

The contestants are a mix of buff guys, beautiful women and…Nell Wilson. Nell is a 42 year old single mother whose superhero persona is known as ‘Fat Momma’ and needs doughnuts to fuel her super-powers. I couldn’t make this stuff up if I wanted to.

Now I loved comic books growing up but after last night, I’ve been turned off to spandex forever.