BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — What in the world would have possessed Christopher Knight — best known as middle son Peter on "The Brady Bunch" — to parade his May-November romance with "America's Next Top Model" winner Adrianne Curry in a TV "reality" series.

"Midlife crisis?" suggested Curry.

"It probably actually is," Knight agreed.

Three decades ago, Mike and Carol Brady would never have imagined this for their middle son.

He's 47. Almost 48. Old enough to know better.

She's barely 23. And, judging from her previous stints in "reality" TV, not smart enough to know better.

Their relationship (at least as it plays out on TV) can be described in a word — ick. And watching "My Fair Brady" is the sort of thing that will make your skin crawl.

"I'm doing it for the fun," Knight insisted. "I'm doing it for the experience. I'm doing it for the personal exploration."

He insists, "It's not a desperate act" contrived to revive his long-dormant acting career . . . but he's not that convincing.

The couple met during the fourth season of VH-1's "The Surreal Life," a ridiculously bad "reality" show that forces has-beens and never-weres to share a house — sort of "The Real World" with the most minor of minor celebrities. They're now in love, or so they tell us.

Which is just lovely for them, I suppose. But why do they feel the need to inflict it on the rest of us?

No, they're not starved for attention. Not at all.

On the believability index, that's right up there with — he loves her for her mind.

"My Fair Brady" takes us through the trials and tribulations of this lovely couple as they move in together. Actually, Curry moves in to Knight's immaculate condo, which is a problem right away because she's a slob. And he's more than a bit anal-retentive about such things. Not to mention more than a bit controlling.

Cameras follow them through all of this. Well, almost all.

"The door shuts at our bedroom when they need to get out," Curry said.

Still, too little is left to our imaginations.

"They're not invited into our lives at that point, although Adrianne is rather sexual all the time, so there's a strange gray area that exists all the time," Knight said.

(Thanks, Chris. I was searching for a tasteful way to describe Curry's persona and "rather sexual all the time" is that. Although it somewhat understates it.)

Their differences in age and temperament make the relationship somewhat rocky at times — well, maybe it's the "reality" show's need for drama — but help does arrive in the form of someone we're assured has a background in relationship counseling: Florence Henderson, Knight's "Brady Bunch" mom.

I am not making this up. I'm as stunned as you are.

Still, there will be at least one person interested in watching "My Fair Brady."

"I'm totally fascinated with why it is that I'm in this relationship — a relationship which I didn't think I'd be interested in," Knight said.

Well, maybe you and Adrianne can sit at home and watch it together. Just don't put video of you watching yourselves on VH-1 a few months from now. Our televisions might explode.

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com