The next season of "American Idol" doesn't start until January. But Ryan Leonard, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Pennsylvania, is already an "Idol" winner of another kind. He and his friends made a lip-sync video to the tune of the Beatles'"I Want to Hold Your Hand" in which two young men try oddball antics in a fruitless bid to win the attention of the same girl. The video trumped the competition -- a male duo dancing and banging pillows to an angst-filled love song by Vanessa Carlton -- by nearly 1,000 votes to win the title of best music video on "Google Idol," a new Web site with no affiliation to either Google Inc. or News Corp.'s Fox Television.

Move over Taylor Hicks. Reality television is moving to the Web with a host of online video contests and games modeled after reality television. The series, ranging from elaborate online dating games to interactive game shows, offer anyone a shot at the limelight. Large companies are creating new online ventures using reality contests, and existing online video sites are using the contests as a way to set themselves apart from the pack.

Time Warner Inc.'s AOL, in partnership with the producer of reality-TV hits such as "Survivor" and "The Apprentice," recently launched an online reality contest called "Gold Rush." The grand prize: a million dollars in gold. In the program, which runs through November, anyone can log on to compete in online trivia challenges to qualify for offline final rounds that are filmed and streamed as "webisodes" on AOL.com/goldrush. In one contest, viewers match celebrities such as Justin Timberlake and Shaquille O'Neill to their tattoos (a cross and a Superman insignia, respectively). Microsoft Corp.'s MSN division recently wrapped up an online reality baseball series called "Fan Club: Reality Baseball," where viewers acted as the team manager and made decisions about the player lineup. A real minor league team, the Schaumburg Flyers, then played according to their votes and MSN posted highlight clips and clubhouse videos, viewed more than half a million times, back on the site.

Other reality Web programming relies on user-generated content. Contestants submit their own videos and the winner is chosen through online voting. The winner of a nine-week series "America's Dream Date," hosted by video site GoFish.com will be announced Wednesday. Ten men and 10 women, chosen from a pool of more than 400 who submitted videos, are competing for a five-day date in Paris by uploading videos of themselves doing everything from playing the harmonica to swing dancing with actors in sailor suits. Heavy.com, a New York-based media company that hosts dozens of online shows, is launching reality Web shows where cast members compete for votes by posting videos or performing for camera crews. In "Heavy's Angels," launched last week, 20 girls will vie for a new car by posting video-diary entries. "Manly Man Games," a show where users will compete in office-inspired contests like office-chair skateboarding, is set to start later this year.

The reality Web programming is helping Nick Schmidt, who says he resembles actor Jake Gyllenhaal, fulfill his ambition to be a TV star. "I am too old to be on MTV's 'The Real World,'" says Mr. Schmidt, a 27-year-old accountant from Champaign, Ill., who is currently the third-ranked male in "America's Dream Date" with 88 votes this round. "So, I'm thinking of this kind of like 'The Bachelor.'" Mr. Schmidt's recent video submissions include a segment where he uses the sign language for "beer" and tests whether wearing scented body spray attracts women in a bar.

Much like the plethora of reality programming on television, reality Web show vary wildly in both concept and quality. Some, like "Gold Rush," resemble game shows where the first rounds are open to anyone. Others are essentially large-scale popularity contests where a large pool of contestants is narrowed down through elimination votes and user-generated content is interspersed with professional segments narrated by a host.

On GoogleIdol.com, a site founded by Ben Petro, a Web developer in Australia, the open call to upload videos in the site's competition categories like "Rock" and "Kids" has been answered by a fair number of teens with braces and Webcams, who must first post their video to Google Video before uploading the link to Googleidol.com. (Google Inc. says it doesn't mind that its name is being used because it enhances and popularizes Google video content.) On recently launched Bix.com, users can even create the terms and prizes for their own competition like one "Rant" competition where contestants are asked: "In 25 to 45 seconds describe something that you find incredibly annoying." (With the most views currently is a bit on women who are afraid to sit on public toilet seats.)

Reality television has been linked to the Web for years, giving fans an online outlet to root for their favorite would-be chef, model or inventor. Mark Burnett, whose reality TV production company has promoted shows like "The Apprentice" and "Rock Star" with exclusive content and contestant blogs on Yahoo and MSN, says the new reality Web programming has the potential to reach a wide audience because it's available at all times of the day. "The Internet is a new type of prime time," he says.

The programming also represents companies' attempts to profit from the rise in popularity of video sites such as YouTube and MSN video. Advertisers have been reluctant to advertise on some video sites, concerned their ads will appear next to inappropriate or copyrighted content. But in a contest format, user-generated content is often handpicked and bundled with professionally produced segments. And much like reality television, opportunities for product placements abound. AOL's Gold Rush has five corporate sponsors including Best Buy Co. and Coca-Cola Zero that can embed their products in challenges. In one challenge, for example, players are asked to watch a short ad for Coke Zero for help in answering a series of trivia questions.

The reality Web shows are commanding small audiences by TV standards. AOL says that several hundred thousand people have registered to play "Gold Rush," a fraction of the more than 30 million people who tuned into a typical episode of "American Idol" last season. But they are generating buzz around the water cooler. Erin Farris plays "Gold Rush" during breaks at work. "If I was free to sign on the moment the new challenges were posted, I would have a chance," says Ms. Farris, a 24-year-old consultant in Denver, whose pop-culture prowess has helped her sail through challenges like matching celebrities like Nicole Richie and Bill Gates with how much they earn. The experience isn't always seamless, she says, and during peak usage times she often has to wait for the programs to load over the broadband network on her computer or for her answers to be recognized.

Viewers who endure spotty access and sometimes fuzzy screens may, however, find some talent. "America's Dream Date" contender Dennis Fuller, who goes by the name Denton Rose, has been picked up by talent agency Abrams Artists since he started participating in the show. "It's all kind of happened unexpectedly," says Mr. Rose, who has campaigning to attract viewers for his levitation tricks and workout videos by passing out fliers in Denver grocery stores and night clubs.

In addition, unlike reality television stars who audition in person, online stars can always fudge the facts -- and often do. Michael Downing, chief executive of GoFish.com, says that with voting wrapping up later this week, the company is asking the top contestants for copies of their driver's licenses to verify their identity. "We want to ensure that all these people who have been participating aren't completely duped," he says.