Settle in for Beach TV

USA TODAY, July, 2005 by Bill Keveney

Ah, midsummer: when days are hot, nights are lazy and two out of three brains go on out-of-office auto-reply.

It's when the French leave Paris and American viewers flee Paris' mother. And it's when we crave TV shows that will liven the summer doldrums without overheating the cerebral cortex.

To that end, here is Beach TV, a plasma-ready version of the languid summer novel. USA TODAY's Bill Keveney presents this year's TV tour of bikinis, barbecues and Barcalounger bliss:

Summer's reality shows run the gamut; continued from 1E

Battle of the Network Reality Stars

Bravo, premieres Aug. 17, 9 p.m. ET/PT

Excess breeds success. What else can you say when you mix one of the cheesiest formats of the self-indulgent '70s -- The Battle of the...