'GOD OR THE GIRL' Show mixes religion and reality television

Despite the concept and title, the show is not scandalous.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
"God or the Girl," a new reality show about young men wrestling with whether or not to become Catholic priests, may sound like a sleazy series that promises cheap thrills and rote religious bigotry.
"Reality television has a well-deserved reputation for being sensational," said Kiera McCaffery of the Catholic League.
"I had visions of a seminarian in a hot tub with a bunch of women," said Joe Adair, one of the show's characters.
Judge not, lest you be chastened.
The show's producers screened "God or the Girl" last month at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C. The consensus, said McCaffery, "from sources we respect, is that it's unobjectionable and a fair portrayal."
"God or the Girl," beginning Easter Sunday at 9 EDT on A & amp;E, is a journey of the heart, not the flesh.
Making the decision
Adair, 28, is a student counselor at John Carroll, a Jesuit university in Cleveland. He has been in and out of the seminary twice. Dan DeMatte, 21, lives with nine other celibate men at Ohio Dominican University. Steve Horvath, 25, chucked a high-paying job in the financial sector and a girl "he wanted to marry," to become a missionary. Mike Lechniak, 24, and his girlfriend, Aly, are both active in their Scranton, Pa., parish.
And while Lechniak says he "received the call" as a high school sophomore, he frets over "the loss of a female companion for the rest of my life."
So while the title may be a bit polarizing, it is not without a kernel of literal truth.
"What I struggle with is the mandatory celibacy," said Adair. "But I've always had this unfolding desire to serve the church. If I'm married or a priest or single, I'm still serving God."
Becoming a priest requires a vow of celibacy. Being a Catholic does not, within the confines of marriage, of course.
Backing the show
Producer Darryl Silver started pitching his idea for the show two years ago. And although several networks liked the concept, they were reluctant to commit.
"Nobody wanted to pull the trigger," he said, "because if the show went the wrong way it would be absolutely scandalous. The last thing you want is this thing to go south and the Catholic Church picketing your network."
Silver initially sought cooperation from dioceses around the country in casting the show. But the church declined to help, he said.
"Everyone was suspicious," said Silver. "Although we wound up casting these guys without them, in continuing forward we always kept a dialogue open with the Catholic Church."
And if the title smacks of titillation and sexual innuendo, maybe that's not such a bad thing.
"We talked about [the title] a lot," he said. "It's not exactly what the show is about. But in retrospect I think the [title] is important because the point is to get people to watch the show."
If viewers tune in thinking they're going to get "a sermon on 'Temptation Island,'" said Silver, at least they're tuning in.