"I'm so freakin' hooked, and there's only been two episodes," Abbie Whitcomb, a 19-year-old freshman psychology major, bursts out as she waves her hands frantically in the air. She is not alone. Whitcomb and five of her friends have gathered on a Wednesday night in February in her cramped, colorful dorm room in Johnson Hall to watch the latest episode of "Temptation Island." Cattycornered on the top shelf of her closet rests a 13-inch television set. "Temptation Island" is just one of four primetime real-life series to air this season. The others are CBS's "Survivor II," ABC's "The Mole," MTV's "The Real World" and "Road Rules." These shows test the average American physically, mentally and sexually. "Temptation Island" casts away four serious, unmarried couples to an exotic Caribbean location. With them are 30 single contestants who are looking to break the couples apart. The four male characters are sent to a separate part of the island than the four female characters. After two weeks of being tempted by several single, supermodel-like contestants, the couples reunite on the sixth and final episode to decide if their relationships will last. Anticipation is rising in the room as the clock clicks one minute closer to 9 p.m. Whitcomb's roommate, Allyson Hickey, a 19-year-old nursing major, sits on the bottom bunk against the wall. Beside Hickey on the bed is Mike Coleman, a 21-year-old public relations major, who says he normally watches "West Wing," "Temptation Island's" rival show. He says he has never seen Fox's newest hour-long reality series. "West Wing," NBC's political drama, beat out "Temptation Island" in ratings by more than a million viewers during "Island's" premiere. Whitcomb sits anxiously awaiting the start of the show on a tie-dyed, flip-out chair in the middle of the room. "Mandy and Billy are my favorite," Whitcomb says. "I can't wait to see what they're doing tonight."
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