Raising Asia

By now, we've accepted the fact that most "reality" series are anything but -- although that doesn't make Raising Asia's self-absorbed cast any less tiresome. From a cocky child who declares that all her male backup dancers must have six-packs to parents who have no problems with their 8-year-old smacking adult dancers' abs with a whip, the Rays, as a whole, are role models you can really live without. You have to wonder, too, whether they'll eventually look back on the show with a sense of shame or pride.

For families with young children -- particularly little girls with an interest in dance -- the most troubling aspect of Raising Asia is the family's comfort level with marketing their 8-year-old as a fully mature woman, complete with body-conscious outfits and sexually charged choreography that, by Asia's own simplistic descriptions, it's clear she doesn't fully understand. The Rays' goal is to make Asia into a mega-star, but is fame really worth the cost of what they're losing in the process?