Massachusetts' Reality-TV Men

Perhaps it's because people from Massachusetts are larger-than-life. This television season has more than a few ties to the upcoming crop of reality-show debuts. Here a few notables from the upcoming schedule:

Tim Urban, from Newton, will be on The Apprentice and runs the risk of sleeping in a tent outdoors if he doesn't impress The Donald. He's a pianist, he runs a tutoring company, and he is a Harvard grad. The Globe profiled Urban and declared that fans have said he's "deep fried sex on a plate." In his interview, he seems normal, so he might not make it that far in the competition.

An anti-Tim Urban will appear on VH1's dating show I Love New York, in which the lispy Tiffany "New York" Patterson searches for true love after being dumped (twice) by rapper Flavor Flav. His real name is Lee, but New York appropriately christens him "Boston." To his enormous credit (at least in reality-show terms), he gets in a fight in the very first episode, which has a sneak preview on VH1's website.

One Boston man will not be appearing on a reality show this season, and that is news in itself. Former New Kids on the Block heartthrob Jordan Knight was supposed to be on Surreal Life Fame Games, in which not-exactly-A-list celebrities compete against each other. However, Knight "lost it" during the taping, left the show, and was swiftly replaced by Verne "Mini-Me" Troyer. It's gotta hurt being replaced by the fellow who got caught using the Surreal Life mansion as his personal toilet.

The Apprentice premieres tomorrow night, January 7, at 9:30 pm. I Love New York premieres Monday, January 9, at 9:00 pm. Surreal Life Fame Games premieres tomorrow night, January 7, at 9:00 pm. Promotional images of Tim Urban and Lee/Boston from nbc.com and vh1.com.