The Details

Model Employee

Wednesdays, 10:30 p.m., VH1

Unlike what you might expect from a Las Vegas reality show, Model Employee puts forth a substantial effort to showcase the hard-working behind-the-scenes employees who make the city’s glamorous hotels, casinos, restaurants and nightclubs work. Unfortunately it does so within the framework of an inane competition, in which eight models vying for a spot as the new face of Mandalay Bay have to work various menial jobs in the hotel.

There’s some vague hand-waving about how the hotel’s spokesmodel needs to truly understand the inner workings of the business, but it’s really just an excuse to place spoiled, vapid models in demeaning situations. In that way it’s a backhanded compliment to the real employees, since their jobs are essentially being used to torture attractive fame-seekers. The rest of the show is generic reality TV, with trumped-up personality conflicts and an overly dramatic judging panel. The token nod to hard work can’t make up for the superficiality surrounding it.