Sorority Life 2, Episode 1: Will the Legacy Hold?

Overhead shots of Buffalo, N.Y., and the university campus start out the season of Sorority Life 2, making this almost look like a real show.

Talia, Amy, and some other sorority broads stand on a lawn on the campus of the University of New York at Buffalo. All are members of Delta Zi Omega, or DZO as it will be referred to for the rest of the season in these recaps. Talia is the president and has a voice that grates on me like nails on a chalkboard. She says the sorority is 15 years old and she's proud of that, since the average life of a sorority is about seven years. Amy is the vice president and says they are looking for girls who are down to earth, into academics, and also into having a good time.

For the 50th time (and we've only seen a "Meet The Greeks" preview and 20 seconds of this episode) the girls stress that they are known for partying but also do community service. They have 14 sisters, but five or six are graduating this year so they are looking for some new blood.

Janel, who is a cross between Mariah Carey and Rachel from Road Rules Campus Crawl and Battle of the Sexes, is the sorority social chair. She seems to have taken it upon herself to make sure the rushees are cool enough to be a part of "her sorority." She says the sisters like to be selective but there's no "one look" to the sorority sisters.

Now it's time for "Meet the Pledges in Their Natural Environments."

Brooke, a sophomore legal studies major, and a roommate are at a pet store. Cute little puppy, too bad he probably came from a mill. They decide to get a fish. And Brooke's decided to rush the sorority because it seems like a fun way to spend college.

Karissa's a junior medical technology major and sees the sorority as not just your regular club to join.

Melissa is a legacy because her sister Loren is still in the sorority. A legacy is someone whose mother, sister, or grandmother was in the sorority before. I've got a funny story about legacies, in a minute.

Meanwhile, Erin is a transfer student and wants to join a sorority because her sister was in one.

The sisters get a table at the student union and whore themselves to potential rushees. That's where they meet Mackenzie, who wants to rush because all her friends are guys. Apparently this is a problem, although I don't see it.

The sisters run into Nicole outside the union. She's the sister of Natalie, a former DZO who is still much loved by her sister. She's also the clone of Jennifer Grey pre-nose job and hair straightening. Seriously. It's uncanny. Anyway, the sisters engage in small chat with Nicole, who casually mentions that she has to get a bid since she's a legacy. Apparently there's a rule that all legacies get automatic bids. Hmmm...

The sisters are a little miffed that Nicole would just assume that and they realize they have two legacies already and were only planning on having six rushees. That's four spots left to fill. Ha! I knew college would be good for something.

Talia says they wanted a small rush class so they could get to know their potential sisters better.

Meanwhile at some sort of tailgating festivity, the girls run into Nicole and Natalie. Natalie's the life of the party and Nicole just kind of hangs back. The sisters are confused. Nicole later says she was slightly intimidated by the sisters - and her own real sister's shadow, it seems. She also says she's not that worried, since she has a bid in the bag already.

Back at the DZO house, even the sisters seem to be living by the motto that, "If it's on the lawn, it is lawn furniture," as they relax in recliners on the porch. They decide that maybe it's time to change the rule that legacies get automatic bids.

OK, are you ready for my story? When I started college, my university-chosen roommate was a girl who was a legacy at a particular sorority there (her mother had been a member). I only lived with this girl for about three weeks before a wonderful resident assistant quietly made arrangements for her to find another place to live. But for those three weeks (or at least for about the three days we actually spoke) all I heard about was this sorority and about how great it was and how they had to let her in.

Well, like I said, she moved out, but I found out through the grapevine that at the end of rush SHE DIDN'T GET IN.

I felt vindicated.