Fall Reality TV Preview

Sept. 5, 2001 -- Get ready to watch average folks willingly lower and degrade themselves for fame and fortune. Reality TV is alive and well in the fall schedule.

Here's a rundown of some of the new and returning shows that you can look forward to — or avoid — depending on what your attitude is toward eating bugs and publicly challenging the integrity of your marriage.

Reality TV Fall Release Schedule

Lost (NBC), Sept. 5 — Conan O'Brien sends two-person teams around the world with the challenge of finding their way back to the United States with just a hundred bucks in hand.

The Amazing Race (CBS), Sept. 5 — Teams of cash-strapped contestants race to locations around the world, covering four continents in a month.

Love Cruise (Fox), Sept. 11 — Singles hop on board in this updated, reality version of the Love Boat, which will try to prove hearts are easier to melt at sea.

Mole II (ABC), Sept. 21 —

The challenges are being scaled down in this second installment of the series. Ten contestants vie for a $1 million prize by uncovering the mole working to sabotage the group.

Survivor: Africa (CBS) Oct. 11 — The new recruits will have a tough time upstaging past competitors, who killed a pig and strutted around naked in the quest for the $1 million prize.

Elimidate Deluxe (WB) Oct. 11 — In this updated Dating Game, a lonely heart is matched up on four dates, and the prospective matches are eliminated throughout the broadcast.

Temptation Island 2 (Fox) Oct. 31 — This scandalous series returns with host Mark L. Walberg and a batch of couples brought to a tropical island, where they are tempted to pick another suitor.