. . . but still better than most of the summer garbage on TV.

After my little rave about how much I enjoyed the first episode of Kept, of all things, it took exactly one more episode to lose its charm.

These guys were just too trashy and idiotic, even to laugh at.

At first it was hysterical to watch how quickly Jerry Hall saw right through Ricardo Suave's blatant insincerity, and to see her take on their encounters edited against his. But then we still have to watch him. And he is insufferable. I don't care how good he looks. And he does look good. Really good. But sorry, no one is that pretty.

Then again, maybe I was just in a bad mood. I was, but I think it's more than that. Missed the third ep, watching the fourth. It's got its moments. Like when Jerry sends them to conversation school--no seriously, and Ricardo's narcissist buddy Slavco says,

"It's common sense. If you do not conversate with someone, then, you know, she isn't, she wouldn't want you."

Yes of course it's cruel to cackle at the caged animals under ordinary circumstances. But when Slavco and Ricardo spend every waking moment coifing their hair and exchanges assurances of superiority, they're asking for it.

It helps that all the other guys hate the pair of them. At least they have a little taste. And it also helped that in the first episode, Jerry accused Ricardo of wearing makeup. His denial was edited against her later sneering that he had more makeup on than she did.

Later in this episode, at a staged press conference, one of the reporters asks Slavco, "Do you consider yourself a sycophant?" Jerry leans in toward her girlfriend, and chuckles about the likelihood that Slavco will be familiar with the term. "Uh, can you define the last word," he asks.

Not bad recovery, actually. Whole lot better than trying to fake it. Might have been a letdown if not for cut to Jerry and girlfriend exchanging appalled glances.

I'm confident that this will at least be one of the reality shows with a deserving winner. I have no doubt Jerry is going to weed out all the biggest jerks, though they gave her quite a few of those to start with.

What they're actually going to "win," exactly is a little dubious. But I'm once again having medium fun watching.