It's the most persistent question I hear: "When will reality TV go away?"

The response I think in my head but am too polite to say aloud: "When you stop watching it."

Everybody and his brother claim not to watch reality shows, but that's just not the, um, reality. While many of the new summer reality programs flopped, millions still watch classics such as CBS's "Survivor," returning on Sept. 20 for an edition set in China.

While we have seen a decline in networks starting the fall season with reality shows the past couple of years (usually more come on at midseason), that's changing this fall. CBS introduces the controversial "Kid Nation" on Sept. 19 and NBC rejiggered its fall schedule over the summer, adding "The Singing Bee" to a lineup that already included "The Biggest Loser" and game shows "Deal or No Deal" and "1 Vs. 100."

A huge swath of Fox's fall schedule is made up of reality shows, including returning series "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" and "Don't Forget the Lyrics." New to the network are "Search for the Next Great American Band" (premiering Oct. 19) and two shows premiering within the next week.

'NASHVILLE'

This one is from the executive producers of "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County," so you know it will be more of a manufactured reality show that looks like a TV drama.

"Nashville" (9 p.m. Friday, Fox) purports to show struggling musicians trying to make it in the country music capital, but the program begins inauspiciously with an announcer who uses every cliche imaginable:

Nashville is "a town that doesn't give second chances."

"There's no such thing as a sure thing in Nashville."

"Is there room for one more star in the Nashville sky?"

Enough already!

The would-be stars include Rachel, daughter of former Steelers great Terry Bradshaw. She's seen packing up at dad's house in Texas, getting ready to make the trip to Nashville, but, by the end of the episode, it's clear it's not her first time there. She knows half the cast, including slick player Clint, an oily corporate jet salesman she has a crush on even though she has a boyfriend.

Clint encourages Rachel to dump her boyfriend, but when she does, he starts hitting on other girls. Clint is a dog.

Mika is fresh off the bus from Kentucky, and although she has a boyfriend back home, she doesn't object when Clint puts his hand on her bare leg.

These pretty people with problems live separately but hang out together, attending a performance by Chuck, a former car valet who's trying to get a deal with a record label.

The fakeness of "Nashville" is astounding. Not only does singer Matt give Mika a tour of the Grand Ol' Opry -- the auditorium just happened to be open? -- but two heart-to-heart talks require characters to walk to the middle of bridges spanning the Cumberland River with the city skyline in the background.

In a scripted drama, picturesque settings aren't a distraction, but on a supposed reality series, it shows just how staged the production is.

'KITCHEN NIGHTMARES'

The premiere of "Kitchen Nightmares" (9 p.m. Wednesday, Fox) has its own issues with realism -- after constant bickering, there's a miraculous last-minute turnaround that's unbelievable and seems designed to give the raucous hour a happy ending -- but it's far more entertaining.

Like Fox's summer competition series "Hell's Kitchen," "Kitchen Nightmares" is also hosted by chef Gordon Ramsay, the foul-mouthed Brit. His new show is sort of an "Extreme Makeover: Restaurant Edition," with fewer acts of charity and an unending stream of bleeped curse words.

In next week's premiere, Ramsay goes to Peter's Italian Restaurant on Long Island, owned by Tina and supposedly managed by her lazy, selfish "250-pound, spoiled baby" brother, Peter. Forget about "The Sopranos" reinforcing Italian stereotypes; Peter's actions do more harm than anything fictional ever could (and, no, it's not the way he was edited).

Ramsay is disgusted by the food at the restaurant, the disrepair of the walk-in cooler and the condition of the food it contains ("It looks like something in a science-fiction movie," Ramsay marvels). He sets about making improvements, giving the kitchen staff the tools they need to do the job and, most importantly, he stands up to Peter, whose tough-guy, do-nothing attitude has demoralized the staff.

"Kitchen Nightmares" is another reality show that encourages viewers to wallow in the train wreck it displays; if that's appealing to you, then this "Nightmare" is one tasty dish.