Rehab: Scary Gary Busey

Oh my gosh. Gary Busey thinks he's there to help counsel addicts, not because he himself needs help. He tells model Amber Smith to come to him whenever she needs help because the others are addicts and he is not. He then rattles off a manic list of Busey Backronyms (GONE: Getting Over Negative Energy; FAITH: Fantastic Adventures in Trusting Him; SOBER: Son of a Bitch Everything's Real...he can't stop). To the camera Smith says, "I'm not here to get treated by someone I feel is crazier than myself."  I hear ya.

Busey corners each patient and tells them he's a mentor, not a patient, and that he's there to help them. It takes about 30 seconds for patients to see through this and bolt in the other direction. Dude needs help, but you can tell as soon as he understands he's a patient, he will try to leave. He is aggressive, terrifying, and completely delusional about his role there. He gives nurse Shelly a look that would make most people pee their pants as he refuses to hand over his cell phone. Busey later complains to Dr. Drew when he isn't introduced as one of the staff, and tells him if he is going to be portrayed as an addict, he can't stay. He's creeping me out so I don't care if he goes home early.

Another patient is Steven Adler, former drummer for Guns N Roses. Sean Stewart (son of Rod) points out Adler actually got kicked out of Guns N Roses for doing drugs, which they all think is very cool.  Adler is way messed up and very damaged from a lifetime of substance abuse. But so far he has been pretty sweet and cooperative and the other patients seem to like him.

Adler would probably be this season's Jeff Conway, except guess what -- Jeff Conway is back again for season two.

Also a patient is Nikki McKibbin from American Idol. Dr. Drew tells us she has a ton of issues -- she was a victim of sexual abuse as a child and is actively using.

The most surprising patient, for some reason, is Rodney King. On the first day, Adler, Nikki and Sean can't figure out who he is. Adler thinks it's "that guy that got beaten up by the cops" (bingo!) but Sean says "nah nah, he was in Boyz in the Hood." Then they debate: Athlete? Yeah, he's All-American, dude. Basketball? For the Kings, right? No, Kings is hockey, isn't it? I guess they'll find out later. King is an imposing figure, with the strong muscular physique of an athlete. He is an alchoholic. In his intake interview, when Dr. Drew asks him about any previous physical injuries, King doesn't mention the horrific beating he recieved at the hands of LA cops in 1991. I'm most anxious to see this story unfold.

Speaking of Jeff Conway, his enabling girlfriend Vicky shows up with him and finally admits she needs help too. Apparently she has become physically abusive to Jeff. Vicky cries and asks for help, but balks when she finds out she can only get treatment at another facility next door. I cynically think she only wants treatment if she can be on the show, but she relents and accepts treatment at the neighboring facility.

Here's the thing about this show. The first few episodes you decide which people are jerks and which ones you can't stand. Then if you stick with the show, and the celebs stick with the treatment, they get better and you catch glimpses of the real person, the person they used to be. One of the most stunning transformations last season was porn star Mary Carey. No, seriously. In season one there were patients I could not stand, and by the final episode, I was crying when they spoke at their graduation, praying they would opt for the Sober Living transition program, which Dr Drew swore was the key to sobriety.

At the end of the season, Celebrity Rehab will offer up a reunion show where you get to see who is still sober and who has been backsliding. And VH1's website does a decent job of keeping track of former patients too.

This show is easy to dismiss as trashy and exploitative -- unless you've really watched it. And especially if you've ever been close to someone with a dependency problem, it's very enlightening and you'll probably see a lot of behavior you recognize. And you'll really root for the people to get clean, even though you know that for most of them, it probably won't stick. From where I sit, the patients appear to be treated with respect and they insist no one's treatment is compromised by the cameras being present. Who knows. It's definitely compelling, and if you like reality shows, you'll like this one. There's something real at stake here, and you can feel that when you watch.