Stylista' brings a new bunch of catty characters to prime-time reality television

    Most reality shows carve a niche for themselves and hold on to whatever ounce of originality they may have for 8, 12, or even 17 seasons (think "Survivor"). The CW just premiered its new hope for reality TV fame, "Stylista," a show about the inner-workings of a fashion magazine.
    The show centers on 11 contestants vying for a junior editor position at Elle magazine. Every week they must perform two tasks: an assistant task and an editorial task. The assistant task is usually something like making someone's breakfast or running errands around the city. The editorial task can be anything from laying out a contributing editor's page to researching and writing an article for the magazine.
    Bossing around these contestants is Fashion News Director Anne Slowey. Along with Elle's Creative Director Joe Zee, the two judge contestants on their performance, style and overall personality until one is left to claim the prize. Along with the promise of a paid editor position at the magazine, the winner will also get a paid one-year lease on a Manhattan apartment and a clothing allowance at H&M.
    As with all reality shows, the cast is far from dull and there is always drama waiting in the wings. The cast is definitely female-heavy, containing only four stereotypical fashion-loving skinny men, one of whom has already gone home.
    To make things more interesting, the girls are possibly some of the meanest vixens in reality TV history. Kate is a big-breasted girl who dressed inappropriately on the first day, thus earning the nickname "Boobs" from the other contestants. After being told to "cover up" by Zee, she broke down about her beautiful clothes and how she is being forced to change herself by changing her clothes.
    Megan is all about the label, on clothes and on people, which is why she finds it difficult to fathom why Danielle, a fashion retailer without stick-thin model proportions, made it to the final round of a fashion magazine competition. For some reason though, Danielle always gets the best critique from the judges, showing that real life isn't always a popularity contest and real brains and talent are necessary for success.
    The show really isn't going to attract an especially strong following simply because most people don't care about the publishing world. Putting the show right after "America's Next Top Model," however, was a clever move, as anyone who watches a show about models will probably be interested in a show about fashion.
    Still, "Stylista" tries too hard to be "The Devil Wears Prada" (2006) with a rude, order-barking editor making the contestants' lives hell. Slowey stomps around in her designer heels like a three-year-old playing dress-up in her mommy's shoes, rarely saying anything nice or constructive.
    Whether or not these contestants are assigned challenges that resemble the workplace of a magazine is anyone's guess. Judging by the fashion show held in the middle of the office, the answer is probably no. Judging by the contestants' initial level of success, most of them could only really be qualified for such a job after several years of training.
    The show follows the reality TV formula quite well. There are challenges, eliminations and plenty of drama to keep the shallow American viewer occupied. While many consider the birth of reality TV to be the bane of modern entertainment, there must be a reason why millions of Americans tune in weekly to watch other people yell, cry, hook up and ultimately trip and fall on their faces. For these people, "Stylista" provides another outlet to laugh at caricatures of ordinary, untalented people.