Who DOESN'T Want to Be a Superhero?

What with everyone off at Nerd Prom, I'm not sure how many people were able to break away to watch last night's premiere of Who Wants to be a Superhero?, but I know I'm happy to see the return of ham-bone acting and unfortunate Spandex.

I was only able to catch the last half of the show yesterday, but I was on time to see the elimination of Braid, who I guess was some sort of Medusa-style idea. From what I saw, I can't say I'm sorry to see her go, but it did make me think of something I realized during the first season. Setting aside the fact that I'm a geek and a show like this is basically candy-coated crack, I enjoy Superhero not in spite of its silliness and corniness, but because of it.

It's nice to see a reality show where the contestants are encouraged to explore the better parts of human nature. Back-stabbing, ego and selfishness are a quick way to get yourself the boot. Say what you will about the Redenbacherian levels of corn dished out by host Stan Lee, but I love hearing someone say, "Look, we can be better; we can be heroes everyday. Why don't we give it a shot?"

Schmaltzy? Sure. But I'm always amazed how much the possibility of elimination affects the contestants - a lot of times they get upset because they disappointed Stan and themselves. All these powers but they'd still couldn't save him! And I'd be lying if I said this show didn't make me and my wife misty more than once before it was through. Damn you, Lee!!!

Here's a quick look at who slipped into a bodysock this time around:

• Braid: Eliminated!

• Mr. Mitzvah: Kind of a jerk, right? And he lays it on kinda thick - I keep thinking of the anteater from the "Ant and the Aardvark" cartoons. At least he's in character.

• Whip-snap: She's got a kind of Grace Jones vibe going, which I really dig. Hopefully she won't make any silly slip-ups that'll give her a too-early elimination like Monkey Woman (I was pulling for ya, MW!)
  

• The Defuser: Ladies and gentlemen, my current favorite. He's a little too gung-ho, but he's a cop from Austin (represent!) and he's got a neato back-story. But dude, ratchet down the intensity - it's just changing a tire. Pretend you're playing disc golf or something. If Defuser is eliminated, though, it's all about this guy:

• Mindset: He's chubby, bald and has a rubbery and expressive face, and it all adds up to awesome. Seriously, I can see him going all the way.
  

• Hyper-strike: Huh - I didn’t know wearing a headband was a super-power.

• Ms. Limelight: Well, she's cute, I guess. But mostly, there's a Limelight-shaped blank spot in my head. We'll see if she makes more of an impact in later episodes.
  

• Basura: She’s gotta know her name is Spanish for "garbage," right? Let's see ... "turns trash into treasure and reshapes rubbish into robots." OK, creo que si.
  

• Hygena: Maybe she can team up with Basura, a Fire and Ice sort of thing.

• Parthenon: Seems like a decent enough guy, but just kinda bland. And you gotta be able to carry the skirt, and I'm not sure he can.

So, who ya got?