The best reason to love Celebrity Poker Showdown

I have been a huge fan of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown since it first aired. I have been playing poker since I was 7, and I'm fascinated by celebrity so it seemed like a perfect fit. However, it was while watching this week's new episode last night that I was struck by an epiphany that made clear why this show is appointment viewing for me. Celebrity Poker Showdown is the closest this generation is going to get to Battle of the Network Stars. I think they stopped creating new versions of Battle of the Network Stars when I was about ten, and I have missed it ever since. Times have changed. Celebrities now control their images so strongly that they are not willing to humiliate themselves on an obstacle course for the entertainment of the viewing audience. To win at an obstacle course doesn't really impress anyone, but winning at poker signifies a certain kind of intelligence or at least mental skill. (I'm not saying this is CCelebrity Chess Showdown) Winning on the show confers just enough respectability that the program gets decent stars, but the losers - especially the people who go out very early - are genuinely embarrassed which is something audiences rarely see. This extra element is what makes the show one of my very favorites.

And if you are new to the game, CPS will teach you more about how-to-play Texas Hold 'em than any other poker show on television.

And, on a purely selfish note, my fantasy girlfriend will be on the show in three weeks.