Melason, in a "realiserye"?

I caught my second look at the reality sitcom Melason in Love this morning, and I have to admit that I am still interested in how far Pinoy Big Brother also-ran Jason Francisco and PBB Double Up winner Melai Cantiveros can take their relationship. After all, I developed a sort of PBB-watching habit because of their then-blossoming romance.

Basically, Melason in Love picks up where they left off, almost too literally. They’re still staying at Bahay ni Kuya with some of the PBB crew, and we’ll still get to see their developing relationship as they live their fifteen-or-hopefully-longer minutes of fame in the outside world.

In the episode I saw, they had a lover’s quarrel over Jason lying about something, which they eventually solved, with Melai making her boyfriend promise never to lie about anything again. “Love na love mo ba talaga ako?” she asked, as she covered them both with the bed’s comforter.

I don’t know if I’m comfortable with seeing them hugging on a bed at 10am in the morning, but I suppose their market, really, shouldn’t be in front of the TV at that hour.

I am concerned, however, at the extent with which they are exposing their romance to public consumption. Few relationships that were exposed to the public or, worse, developed in reality shows have made it.

Remember Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey? After getting married, they had a show called Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, in which they delighted (and sometimes disgusted) viewers with the early stages of their marital bliss. Of course, that didn’t last long, and now, it doesn’t even seem like the two have ever known each other.

Britney Spears and ex-husband Kevin Federline had Britney & Kevin: Chaotic. This wasn’t a real reality show in the sense that cameras were following them around as their relationship evolved. Supposedly, the couple took their own home videos of their initial meeting, falling in love and wedding. Expectedly, the series ended when their marriage ended.

Prior to the two, Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown were seen in Being Bobby Brown. The show was supposed to give Bobby Brown’s dying career a boost, but instead it gave Whitney’s the kiss of death. They’ve been divorced for almost five years now, after Whitney was reported to have developed a drug habit, thanks to Bobby.

Also divorced for almost as long are Carmen Electra and Dave Navarro, who had two reality shows, Carmen & Dave: An MTV Love Story and ‘Til Death Do Us Part: Carmen + Dave.

I’ve also seen several episodes of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne’s The Osbournes. But I suppose they both aren’t new to all the reality TV craziness, as they’d been through bigger battles with their sex, drugs and rock n’ roll lifestyle. Happily, they’re still together.

Also still together are Tori Spelling and husband Dean McDermott of Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, after their 2007 reality show Tori & Dean: Inn Love and its succeeding seasons. But that’s Tori Spelling, who probably nursed on Hollywood craziness from Day 1, being the daughter of big-time producer Aaron Spelling.

Another couple that’s still together are Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag of The Hills. A lot has been said about this couple—most of which I completely ignore, if at all possible, because sometimes, when I read up on Hollywood, they’re all over gossip rags.

I hope Jason and Melai will take their cue from couples who’ve lived out their romance in the public eye. Doing so will open them up to unhealthy scrutiny or grant people the license to interfere in their affairs even. Then again, they’re still young. Who’s to fault them for milking their love for all it’s worth?