The Experiment: Gay and Straight: Forget "Survivor", "Big Brother" and "The Real World," Fox News Chicago is pleased to announce a revolutionary reality TV project that hopes to bridge the gap and forge a better understanding between Chicago's gay and lesbian communities and the rest of the general public.

You know ... I could respect this more if it weren't for the fact that I watched the contestant tapes section of Fox News Chicago last night. I mean, it's not the contestants I take issue with; they are who they are. It's the organizer stating baldly that "they don't want people with open minds. We want people with issues." I suppose it might make for decent television -- no, I don't intend to watch, but I never watch Fox news, generally -- but it makes for a sucky living situation. And, frankly, it's not real. The plain fact is, by and large, there are a decent number of open minded straight people out there. And there are even more who are ... if not quite open minded, then willing to leave people alone as long as they're left alone. And Fox is eschewing both of those groups and aiming for the people with "issues".

Thing is, you're unlikely to find gay people in the reverse position. Yes, there are gay separatists out there -- do not ask me how they manage to survive -- but they would never volunteer for such a project. And most of us just don't really have problems with straight people as a whole; it's kind of silly to even think that way. ("Straight people are perverse! Perverse, I tell you! They're going to burn in hell! Just after they have a kid or two to keep the species going!")

And all of that said ... all but two of the straight women and maybe one of the straight men make me cringe. There is no way I could live with them for a week, or however long The Experiment will be running. I doubt I could spend very much time around any of them socially.

That is going to be one tense household.