MIT grad students create Web site for reality show junkies

Did you have a feeling that Bill would be "The Biggest Loser," even though Marblehead homey Neil had that mountain of extra weight that usually spells victory on the weight-loss TV show?

Did you know Todd had just the right balance of charm and slimy backstabbing that usually makes a winner on "Survivor"?

And are you already getting a sense of the best singers on the new season of "American Idol" that began this week?

Then Dave Hui of Cambridge has just the game for you.

At Hui's new Web site TVLeagues.com, reality TV fans compete against other fans as they try to predict the winners on their favorite shows. Call it fantasy football for the "Project Runway" crowd.

Hui may be an unlikely creator of the game - he claims never to have watched reality television before, at least on purpose.

"My girlfriend would watch it all the time while I worked on my laptop," explains Hui. "I was never hooked. I was more interested in watching a game."

But something happened about a year ago at Hui's job that shifted his focus. After overhearing (and no doubt enduring) countless conversations from his co-workers about "Project Runway," he decided to give the cult hit TV show a chance. At the very least, he could finally join in the conversations at the office.

And, as Hui joined in more conversations at work, the discussion eventually evolved into everyone trying to predict the next designer to get the boot.

"That's when I became an engaged fan," says Hui.

The site, which Hui developed with fellow MIT Sloan School of Management student Eric Hanover (who regularly watches "America's Next Top Model" and "Project Runway"), mirrors that competitive spirit Hui felt with his co-workers in an online community.

"Reality TV fans love to talk about the shows they watch and TVLeagues takes this interaction to the next level," explains Hanover in an email from Spain. "The site allows fans to put their predictions to work to try to win their own game. The only thing better than watching reality TV is getting involved in the action."

But the concept of incorporating an online game with a reality show isn't new. In fact, there are a multitude of sites on the Internet that offers similar fantasy games.

"It's an aggregated industry," explains Hui. "There are dozens of games with different levels of sophistication. Some of them have a lot of rules, while others are just dumb. We have a game that's applicable to all shows, so you only have to learn one game."

And it's quite simple to figure out. After you register with TV Leagues (it's free), you pick the show you want to play and decide if you want to create a league (so it's just you and your friends) or join a public league (you play with strangers).

Then you're brought to page where you can make your picks. Each pick has a designated number of points (like horse racing, you get more points by predicting who comes in first, second and third). A news feed gives up-to-date information for people who believe more information translates to a competitive edge (though if you've ever seen a reality show, you know that more information can only harm. Go with your gut). At the end of the show's season, the person with the most points in their league wins.

"There's also a place for people to talk smack," says Hui.

The Writers Guild of America strike, which is now entering its third month, may be destroying the second half of the TV season, but in an odd twist, it may be a boon for Hui's game. The lack of scripted shows has ushered in a spring television season ripe with reality programming, meaning that potentially more people will be watching.

"At the beginning, people were asking if reality television was still popular and whether or not it was worth it to do a game based on it," says Hui. "But it's still going strong. 'The Amazing Race' gets millions of viewers each week. And the response we've gotten has been good."

In fact, thanks to some focus groups that Hui and Hanover have conducted, they've discovered more and more people are gravitating to the site, not because of the reality show, but because of the game. This may mean bigger ratings and, at least in the eyes of Hanover, may lead reality television to replacing scripted shows.

"The strike is a great benefit to reality TV in general," explains Hanover in an email. "By getting TV watchers involved in an interactive experience like TVLeagues, I believe the entertainment value of reality TV increases and makes it a better substitute for scripted shows."

Let's hope he's just talking smack.