VH1's Rock of Love with Bret Michaels is Maddening!

Being a fan of 80's rock icon Poison for about the past 20 years, I was naturally interested in the VH1's reality series Rock of Love, starring Poison lead singer, Bret Michaels. I am not otherwise a fan of reality TV shows, but I have made a point of watching Rock of Love each week just to see who Bret ends up with in the end. After just finishing week eight of the series and with only 5 girls left in the house, it's been getting both tense and maddening all at the same time.

Here's the deal. As I mentioned above, I'm not normally a fan of reality shows. As a general rule, I'm also not a fan of reality show fans, particularly those who think that reality shows are actually real. I understand that Rock of Love is scripted, that taping has finished, and the "winning" girl has been chosen. That being said, however, I honestly can't help getting worked up over how the show is progressing.

As with every other reality show where people compete, the viewers pick their favorites to win and their most despised right from the very beginning. I am no exception. I've liked Jes, Samantha, and Brandi M. since episode 1. Heather and Lacey have done nothing but drive me (and apparently everyone else) mad from the get go.

Tonight was the super fan episode where Bret brought three of his fans into the house to grill the remaining 5 women and help him decide who to keep and who to let go. And once again, Bret refuses to listen to what anyone has to say and keeps Lacey. Again. Everyone keeps joking about Lacey killing Bret in his sleep if they get together and there's no doubt in my mind that she would do exactly that.

But that wasn't the only annoying aspect of this episode. I also took issue with Bret's supposed "fans". He stated that one of them has been a Poison fan for the past 4 years. Could he really not find a "super fan" that was a true fan? Such as, oh, I don't know, someone who has followed his career since the very beginning more than 20 years ago? A true fan wouldn't have jumped on the Poison bandwagon so long after Poison fell out of the limelight.

On the whole in regards to Rock of Love, there are a number of things that don't make any sense. One is that Bret has said a number of times that he's grown out of the partying phase of his life and wants to settle down and get involved in a real relationship, which apparently is the entire point of the show. But there's a problem with that logic. Even though Poison is no longer in the mainstream, Bret Michaels is a celebrity. Any rockin' 80's woman, who would thus be old enough to be dating Bret in the first place, knows who he is. Is it realistic to think that they'd be able to put aside any bias toward his celebrity to really be themselves and get to know Bret for who he is as a person and not just as a public figure? Wouldn't Bret, if he were truly interested in developing a meaningful relationship, have better chances getting to know a woman semi-anonymously first, only revealing his celebrity after the inner connection had been made?

Bret's choices on who to keep in the house are also suspect, but I suppose they fall right into line with the reality show mantra - drama brings in the ratings. Specifically, Lacey and Heather are the two I'm referring to here. If either one of them are anything similar in real life as they are on Rock of Love, and if Bret is into those personality types as much as he claims to be on the show, then he may as well hang it up and call it a day. He could choose any of thousands of groupies to be "yes" woman and tell him what they think he wants to hear, and have as much sex as he wants without immortalizing it on VH1 for all to see.

Sadly, I have to come to terms with the fact that rock is truly dead. As seems to be the trend lately, there are more than enough washed out former celebrities who are attempting to rekindle their past fame through reality TV. I have to say here that I feel that Bret Michaels is one of them. I think it's a safe bet that if in more than 20 years Bret hasn't managed to "fall in love" and find "the one", then he either isn't trying very hard or he's never going to. And, the really sad part is the fact that instead of reigniting the interest of his original fans, he's probably disappointing them with Rock of Love. I know I'm disappointed...