Celebrity Rehab VH1

About Celebrity Rehab VH1

Chyna

If you were able to read this far, then surely you have deduced that VH1 is following celebrities through their respective journeys of kicking their substance abuse habits and learning to live a life of sobriety. Dr. Drew Pinsky, better known as Dr. Drew, will host the show alongside the following celebrities:

• Chyna – The female pro-wrestler who was also a part of the cast of VH1's The Surreal Life.
• Brigitte Nielsen – Also a Surreal Life alum, Nielsen "co-starred" with her love interest at the time, Flavor Flav in VH1's Strange Love.
• Jessica Sierra – Jessica, a contestant in the fourth installment of American Idol has joined the cast.
• Daniel Baldwin – TV and film actor and brother to Alec, Stephen and Billy Baldwin.
• Jeff Conaway – Conaway is best known for his role as Kenickie in the move Grease. He apparently was a Celebrity Fit Club 3 contestant until his sudden departure after week three, in order to enter a drug rehab facility.
• Jaimee Foxworth – Foxworth is best known for her role as the youngest of the Winslow daughters in the sitcom Family Matters. Her character was written out, her family squandered every penny she earned and she turned to adult films to make ends meet for a few years.
• Shifty Shellshock – Otherwise known as Seth Binzer, former lead singer of the band Crazy Town and best known for the song Starry Eyed Surprise featuring D.J. Paul Oakenfeld.
• Rico Rodriguez – Martial arts and former UFC Heavyweight champion.
• Mary Cary – Remember her? She was the porn star that entered her name in the 2003 California governor's race after Gray Davis was ousted and Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected.

The Rehab

Now that you know the "celebrity" part of the show, here is the type of treatment the participants are slated to receive:

• 21 days in an intensive "around-the-clock" Los Angeles treatment center. Sources state that the treatment center in question is the Pasadena Recovery Center.
• If the participants successfully complete the 21-day intensive treatment, then VH1 will foot the bill if they choose to continue their treatment at either a rehab or "sober living facility." The length of time VH1 will pay is reported to be "at least three months."

There are rumors circulating that all but one of the participants finished the 21-day treatment. No word yet on which "celebrity" failed to complete the rehab stint.

Going too Far?

It's an ugly truth, but a truth nonetheless, so here goes: Everyone has a little bit of voyeur in them. If this were not true, reality television would not be nearly as popular as it is. The difference between a show like Celebrity Rehab VH1 and shows like The Real World or The Biggest Loser, is that Celebrity Rehab VH1 asks the viewers to watch as these people go through what is quite possibly the most difficult time periods of their lives.

Exposing Addiction

Daniel Baldwin

Addiction is ugly. It destroys more than the addict's life. So, maybe the creators of the show want to further expose addiction…in Hollywood. Not that the massive amounts of celebs going in and out of rehab isn't enough exposure.

Not to say that the world should shield itself from everything that is ugly and only have the pretty-happy things on television, but Celebrity Rehab may be pushing the viewers' decency limits a little too far. There are very few lessons one can see learning from this show. Sure, there are other reality shows that feature addicts, namely, A&E's Intervention. So what's the difference between the two? The difference is that to most people, celebrities (even the ones in this show) are intangible, meaning they do not live "normal" lives like most. They are what the "popular people" in high school were, but in real life. Regular, everyday people just can't relate.

Exploiting Addiction

Grease's "Kenickie", Jeff Conaway

What makes the premise for Celebrity Rehab VH1 far different from that of Intervention is that the latter features regular people, that could be your brother, sister, neighbor or best friend, that are addicts. It shows loving families that want to help the people they love get sober and return to living whole and fulfilling lives. In the end, these are people who are tangible and their lives are relatable to your own in some manner.

Finally, the most glaring disparities between the two shows is that in Intervention the addict does not even know they are participating in a show about interventions, whereas in Celebrity Rehab the participant agrees to be a part of the show. Can you imagine the pitch? "Hey Jessica Sierra, we know you are an alcoholic, why don't you let us exploit your addiction and sickness by putting your recovery out there for the world to see? The ratings will be through the roof!"

If these celebrities are participating in this show in order to boost their careers, they may be in for an unwelcome surprise when it does just the opposite and makes them "unmarketable."