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When beauty is
more than skin deep

ABC's new 'True Beauty' is a pageant with a twist

By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Jan 5, 2009

Ashton Kutcher has already struck out once this season with the short-lived family feel-good game show “Opportunity Knocks.” The former teen heartthrob-turned-producer hopes to have better luck by returning to the more offbeat type of reality that helped turn his “Beauty and the Geek” into a hit for the CW.

Tonight at 10 p.m. the new show “True Beauty,” executive produced by Kutcher and “America’s Top Model’s” Tyra Banks, premieres on ABC.

The show, a beauty pageant with six female and four male competitors, is a little different from your typical Miss America in that contestants will be judged on their inner beauty as well as their looks.

The trick is that the unsuspecting and often less-than-kind contestants don’t actually find this out until after they’ve been eliminated from the show. They think they're being judged on looks alone.

ABC, too, is hoping that Kutcher can recapture some of “Geek’s” early magic, after a rather dismal fall in terms of new shows. “Knocks” went on hiatus after just a handful of outings, and it seems unlikely to return.

The network’s only other new show, the critically lauded “Life on Mars,” struggled in the post-“Grey’s Anatomy” timeslot on Thursdays and has moved to Wednesdays, where it will follow “Lost.” But its prospects don’t look great unless ratings perk up considerably.

If “Beauty” catches, it would be the first new reality hit this season.

Reality shows in general have seen declines this year, with even staples like “Survivor” and “Dancing with the Stars” falling and new shows, including “Stylista” and “Hole in the Wall,” also producing small ratings.

“Beauty” replaces “Boston Legal,” which was averaging a mere 2.4 adults 18-49 rating when it was canceled.

Its main competition in the timeslot will be NBC’s new “Momma’s Boys,” which is aimed at the same young crowd as “Beauty.” CBS’s long-established “CSI: Miami” should dominate both in the demo, however.

“Beauty’s” chances of catching on may be contingent on how lead-in “The Bachelor” performs. The show, which airs its two-hour season opener at 8 p.m., features its first-ever single dad, recent “Bachelorette” reject Jason Mesnick.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
MONDAY, JANUARY 5
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	ABC	“The Bachelor” (R)	Season premiere. A single dad rejected by DeAnna Pappas on “The Bachelorette” is this season’s star.
8:15 p.m.	Fox	“College Football” (S)	The Fiesta Bowl between Texas and Ohio State.
9 p.m.	CW	“One Tree Hill” (D)	Julian is keeping yet another secret from Lucas.
9 p.m.	TLC	“Jon & Kate Plus 8” (R)	Kate gets a surprise while trying to make soup for the winter season.
10 p.m.	ABC	“True Beauty” (R)	Series premiere. A reality competition that judges both internal and external beauty.
10 p.m.	Travel Channel	“Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” (N)	Season premiere. Bourdain visits a small town outside Mexico City.
10 p.m.	NBC	“Momma’s Boys” (R)	The females plan holiday parties.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	“Today” (N)	Scott Hamilton and Kate Hudson both guest.
7 p.m.	ESPN2	“College Basketball” (S)	Good early-season Big Ten game between Ohio State and Michigan State.
8 p.m.	ABC	“Homeland Security USA” (R)	Series premiere. A look at the problems that face U.S. border patrol.
8 p.m.	NBC	“The Biggest Loser” (R)	Season premiere. This season focuses on couples looking to lose weight.
8 p.m.	CBS	“NCIS” (D)	McGee is trapped inside a women’s prison during a riot.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Scrubs” (C)	Season premiere. The NBC comedy moves to ABC.
10 p.m.	NBC	“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (D)	A girl returns home after being held by a kidnapper for four years.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 p.m.	ESPN	“College Basketball” (S)	Stephen Curry and Davidson take on Duke.
8 p.m.	CW	“13—Fear is Real” (R)	A horror-themed reality competition.
9 p.m.	CBS	“People’s Choice Awards” (A)	Queen Latifah hosts the 35th annual event.
9 p.m.	History Channel	“First Apocalypse” (N)	Examining the extinction of dinosaurs.
10 p.m.	ABC	“Barbara Walters Special” (N)	Walters interviews cancer-stricken actor Patrick Swayze and his wife.
10 p.m.	FX	“Damages” (D)	Season premiere. Patty sets up a new charity organization.
10 p.m.	MTV	“The Real World” (R)	Season premiere. The 21st season takes place in Brooklyn.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 8
Time	Network	Program	Description
7:30 p.m.	BET	“Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life” (N)	A documentary about the life of the slain rapper.
8 p.m.	ABC	“Ugly Betty” (D)	Mode magazine’s rivalry with Elle continues.
8:15 p.m.	Fox	“College Football” (S)	The BCS Championship game between Florida and Oklahoma.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Grey’s Anatomy” (D)	Derek isn’t happy when a death-row inmate shows up at the hospital.
10 p.m.	NBC	“ER” (D)	Neela considers pediatrics after treating a young patient.
10 p.m.	Oxygen	“Snapped” (N)	A look at the 2003 murder of Florida woman.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 9
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	“Today” (N)	Kathy Bates and Howie Mandel guest.
8 p.m.	CBS	“Ghost Whisperer” (D)	Melinda helps a family that recently dealt with an accident.
8 p.m.	NBC	“Howie Do It” (R)	Series premiere. New prank show starring the “Deal or No Deal” host.
9 p.m.	CBS	“Flashpoint” (D)	SRU handles security for a billionaire and his wife.
9 p.m.	USA	“Monk” (D)	Monk’s half-brother escapes from prison and tries to track down the person who framed him.
10 p.m.	Starz	“Crash” (D)	Christine tries to find a job after years of being a housewife.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 10
Time	Network	Program	Description
1 p.m.	CBS	“College Basketball” (S)	Good non-conference game between Kansas and Michigan State.
4:30 p.m.	CBS	“NFL Football” (S)	An AFC divisional playoff game.
8 p.m.	Fox	“NFL Football” (S)	Another divisional playoff game, this one in the NFC.
8 p.m.	NBC	“Crusoe” (D)	Crusoe and Susannah realize they aren’t alone on the island.
9 p.m.	CMT	“My Big Redneck Wedding” (R)	Season premiere. A couple has a duck-themed wedding. Yep, ducks.
9 p.m.	Hallmark	“Expecting a Miracle” (M)	A couple unexpectedly finds themselves in a small Mexican town.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 11
Time	Network	Program	Description
1 p.m.	Fox	“NFL Football” (S)	Another NFC divisional playoff game.
4:30 p.m.	CBS	“NFL Football” (S)	The last playoff game of the weekend, this on the AFC side.
8 p.m.	NBC	“Golden Globe Awards” (A)	The 66th annual event, live from Beverly Hills.
8 p.m.	Fox	“24” (D)	Season premiere. Jack Bauer’s on trial in D.C.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Desperate Housewives” (D)	Susan and Edie accidentally lock themselves in a basement.
10 p.m.	CBS	“The Unit” (D)	Mack and Jonas go on a mission, and one of them comes back seriously injured.
10 p.m.	VH1	“Tool Academy” (R)	Series premiere. Notoriously bad boyfriends learn about relationships.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.