‘True Beauty’ reveals ugly side of pretty people

When ABC began filming the reality show "Face of Vegas" last fall, it didn't sound fake.

Unnecessary? Sure.

Low-rent? You betcha.

Risky? Oh heck yeah. If any one of the 99.99 percent or so of the reality show contestants out there actually were named the "Face of Vegas" -- whatever that might have entailed -- it would have set the city's image back a good 20 years.

It just never sounded fake.

But that's exactly what it was.

The five men and five women from around the country, all of them attractive, who thought they were in the running to represent the city in some nebulous way were actually, unbeknownst to them, taking part in the second season of ABC's beauty's-on-the-inside competition "True Beauty" (10 p.m. Monday, KTNV-TV, Channel 13).

"The whole point of the show is to kind of see people's true colors and their true beauty," says host Vanessa Minnillo, "and how they are when they think no one is watching."

To achieve that, contestants were filmed around the clock -- 54 cameras were installed in their suite at the Planet Hollywood Resort -- and subjected to hidden-camera morality tests to see, among other things, whether they'd steal, lie or let a stranger drive drunk.

And, trust me, there's something pretty satisfying about seeing one of these contestants -- many of whom seem like their most meaningful relationship would be with the reflective surfaces in their apartment -- practically step on a woman asking for help because she happened to be blocking their access to a clothing store.

To get those shots, though, producers couldn't risk the contestants' realizing they were a part of "True Beauty." And, first and foremost, that entailed concealing Minnillo, who hosted last season and only meets the contestants this year as she reveals the fraud once they've been eliminated. (She also monitors their behavior in a surveillance room along with co-host/judge Carson Kressley and judge Beth Ostrosky Stern.)

"I will say, hiding out in Vegas is not too shabby," says Minnillo, the former MTV host and "Entertainment Tonight" correspondent, who was holed up for a month in the Palazzo, far from the goings on at Planet Hollywood.

It was a homecoming of sorts for Minnillo, a self-described Air Force brat, who spent a year here while her mother worked on the Strip. "I was a little 9-year-old girl going to visit her at Circus Circus and thought it was the coolest thing in the whole wide world." (And if that doesn't sound adorable enough, Minnillo is making Rice Krispies treats as she speaks.)

Still, despite all the secrecy -- at one point when the contestants were staying downtown, Minnillo was sneaked onto Fremont Street, covered by black sheets and a black umbrella, just on the off-chance one of the competitors saw her from their hotel window -- a couple of them started to grow suspicious.

"Literally," Minnillo reports, "they said, 'This isn't "True Beauty," because if this is "True Beauty," I'd be kicked off.' "

But, then, it wasn't like the producers were dealing with a group of rocket scientists.

All this deception may seem cruel on the surface, but the majority of the "True Beauty" contestants could stand to be taken down a notch or 12.

For instance, there's J.D., an L.A. real estate agent, who says people call him "Mr. Fantastic" and reveals he worked with a personal stylist for seven months to find his look. Liz, a model from Florida, claims that, "Women get very jealous of me because I'm beautiful. ... It's really sad." And Craig, a Canadian retail manager, admits, "I like to stand in front of the mirror naked, because I know that I look good."

But for sheer annoyance, it's hard to top David, a DJ/astrologer (yes, really) from Huntington Beach, Calif., who introduces himself by saying, "I'm gonna keep riding my 'I love me' train all daaayyy." Later, he confesses, "I have problems even walking outside to get the newspaper without my hair done." And after only a few moments, you believe every last word of that sentence except "newspaper."

Although that's just me being ugly when all "True Beauty" wants to do is showcase the beauty within.

"The person that wins this show is awesome," Minnillo says. "Whether they looked the way that they did or if you just met them on the phone, you would fall in love with this person, because they have a heart of gold.

"And that's ultimately what we wanted to get across: That you shouldn't judge people based on their looks."

Christopher Lawrence's Life on the Couch column appears on Sundays. E-mail him at clawrence@ reviewjournal.com.