Sex, Lies and Videotape

As I watched the guy hit on Katie Couric (search), I shook my head and thought, "how typically arrogant of a reality TV star."

Couric, the Today show co-host and a morning news institution, was interviewing Rob Campos (search), the $2 stud of NBC's reality show, For Love or Money. Campos had just commented that he would have picked Couric were she one of the women contestants on the show.

To her credit, Couric brushed him off and moved along without even cracking a smile. She saw right through him. And through her eyes, so could everyone watching.

Over the last few days, the world has learned through some intrepid reporting by TheSmokingGun.com that Campos -- a former Marine -- was expelled from the Marine Corp Judge Advocate General (JAG) training program after he "drunkenly" groped the breasts of a female Navy officer. He was put on administrative punishment and ordered to enroll in a substance abuse treatment program.

Campos neglected to disclose this little fact to NBC -- presumably because he knew he would get the boot yet again. He reportedly told a private investigator there was "absolutely nothing" irregular about his JAG service.

Earlier in the Couric interview, Campos said his mom was skeptical and a little embarrassed about his fledgling reality TV career, but that she was slowly warming up to the idea.

He should have listened to her.

Mom knew better. Mom knew that little Robbie should leave well enough alone. She knew her handsome boy had fooled enough people to get by okay. Why rock the boat?

"I thought it was a private matter," Campos told TheSmokingGun, referring to the groping incident. "I thought it was over."

The site went on to report Campos' bio had been removed from NBC's Web site, and that his bio on the site of the Dallas law firm where he works states he served in the JAG.

One thing we all know from recent experience (Sarah Kozer search anyone?), when one signs on to participate in one of these shows, there are no private matters.

While TV viewers are becoming less and less choosy as to whom we invite into our living rooms, we still want to know what kind of people they are up front.

Take the case of Frenchie Davis. The former American Idol contestant was booted from the show after topless pictures of her were discovered on an adult content Web site.

Hardly sexual assault, but apparently bad enough for Simon Cowell to vote her off the show. Too bad. Frenchie was the best singer in the group, and is now starring on Broadway in Rent.

Frenchie shared the stage at Lincoln Center the other night with recent Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein at the FiFi Awards (the Oscars of the fragrance industry), where she sang an earth-shattering rendition of "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Aint Got That Swing."

The next Aretha Franklin told me the Idol episode was hard, but that her strength has carried her through. "Keep fighting," she said.

While I wouldn't really condone posing for a Web site that advertised "underage girls" (Frenchie was 19 when she posed), there are worse things.

Which brings us back to stud boy.

The premise of For Love or Money bares repeating: The woman Campos chooses will win a million bucks, if she immediately dumps him.

Campos was apparently the only one who didn't know about this aspect of the game, a little fact the producers of the show neglected to disclose to him -- presumably because he would take a pass.

Liars beget liars.

Perhaps filmmaker Steven Soderbergh should get royalties for all of this Sex, Lies and Videotape.

Mike Straka is the project manager for FOX News' Internet operations and contributes as a features reporter and producer on FOX Magazine (Sundays 11 p.m. on FNC) and as a reporter and columnist for FOXnews.com.

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