I'll be honest; I'm not a fan of reality TV.

My rare excursions into watching it inevitably end in disaster. 'Any Dream Will Do' resulted in me spending half my life humming songs from Joseph & the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. I watched an episode of 'Masterchef' the other week but only because they were making banquets out of crustaceans. Mmmmm, chilli crab. I have been craving a good seafood meal ever since.

But I cast my doubts aside and watched the most recent season of FOX8's Football Superstar.

The first major problem that I found with the series was the claim that the winner would win an A-League contract. Which we all know is not true. Brisbane Roar themselves announced that the winner "signed a contract with Brisbane Roar's National Youth League team". Which doesn't sound as amazing but is still pretty damn good.

So what they were competing for was a spot in the Roar NYL team. Good, now we're in my territory here.

As someone who's been writing about the NYL since it started, I've seen about 100 times more than my fair share of youth football. I can safely say that, from what was shown on the show, the entire top eight could easily compete.

Ultimately, in a situation like this where there are several footballers with almost nothing between them, the judges decision is going to be based on what type of player they want. They could have three players of equal talent, one a central defender, one a defensive midfielder, one a winger (for example), but if what the club needs is a winger, the other players' talents count for nothing.

Another problem, which was probably more important for the contestants than viewers, was the challenges throughout the show. While some were downright hilarious (folf, pole dancing, cheerleading etc), several could've ended quite badly. Eventual winner Liam injured his back during an athletics challenge and, had the injury been more serious, it could've forced him out of the competition.

As far as entertainment value goes, it was pretty good. I have to say, the return of Troy was probably the best thing to happen to the show. From the cheerleading to the headband/beanie thing to the 'Hour With Troy', if there was a prize for hilarity and awesomeness, he would've won hands down.

And for people like me, whose understanding of the male gender is limited to 'tell them you like their hair and they'll follow you around for a week', the show also provides an insight into the mind of teenage boys. And frankly, if that's what happens when they get locked up in a house together, I'm quite frightened.

Another positive of the show is the fact that it attracts people (people who otherwise couldn't care less) to football. I am, of course, talking about (a lot of) teenage girls. A few weeks ago my best friend and I had a deeply intellectual discussion over whether Phillipe Bernabo-Madrid or Julian Zullo was the best looking. The only other time this happened was post-Beijing Olympics, when we were agreed on the fact that the saving grace of the Olyroos campaign was seeing Matthew Spiranovic play. Phwoar.

At the end of the day I guess that's what reality television is about - entertainment. And Football Superstar definitely fulfils that on many levels - more so than more popular reality TV shows (Masterchef, Idol, ANTM, I'm looking at you). So, despite the problems, it definitely succeeds in promoting Australian football and, to be honest, I'd rather watch it than a bunch of stressed-out, sweaty people watching their souffles collapse. But next season, it would be nice to see Football Superstar promote the National Youth League more; after all, that's where the winner will be playing. It may not be as exciting as the A-League, however, it still needs all the publicity it can get.

And seriously, how could Julian Zullo not win? Hot, an excellent footballer, hot, doing an engineering degree and hot?

Now THAT'S a superstar!