Utah's image gets a workout on 3 shows

It was just a few months ago that Utah was in a tizzy — at least if you believed media reports — because of a TV show.

HBO's "Big Love" revolves around a family of polygamists living in (gasp!) Sandy. And there was a certain Chicken Little element to some of the local reaction: "People will think we're a bunch of polygamists! Tourists won't come here anymore! The sky is falling!"

Even Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. weighed in on the issue. (At least he opined that "Big Love" wouldn't affect Utah tourism.) But the sky didn't fall. Life and television went on.

As it turns out, Utah is more in the TV spotlight now that it was when "'Big Love" premiered on HBO last spring.

There are real-life Utahns in two reality shows — ABC's "The Bachelor: Rome" and NBC's "The Biggest Loser." And Utah — albeit faux Utah — has played a major part in the Fox serial drama "Prison Break."

Last week, those three shows had a combined audience of about 25 million viewers; "Big Love" averaged fewer than 4 million viewers.

About the best thing you can say about all of Utah's current TV exposure is that it's breaking down a whole lot of stereotypes about the Beehive State. Whether that's a good thing depends on your point of view.

Desiree Valentin, a 22-year-old Salt Lake Realtor, has certainly turned Utahns' reputations as strait-laced puritans on its ear. What with all the moves she's been putting on the fake prince in "The Bachelor: Rome" (Mondays, 8 p.m., Ch. 4) and her annoying habit of calling him "baby," Valentin has made quite an impression on viewers, prompting Internet message-board postings like this:

"I can't (expletive) stand her, baby. Vegas, baby! Yeah, baby! She makes me want to shove chopsticks in my eardrums, baby!"

Not that you can blame the posters. Valentin expanded on her Episode 1 behavior by telling "Prince" Lorenzo Borghese in Episode 2, ''I'm the total type that's going to show up at your work just to surprise you — have a little fun in your office" at any time "morning, night. It's all good."

She went on to say, "I am a little kinky, baby. I thought he was totally down for it."

Again, not exactly prim.

Utahns also have a reputation for being nice. And "Biggest Loser" (Wednesdays, 8 p.m., Ch. 5) contestant Heather Hansen has been breaking down that stereotype, too — she has clearly been cast as the villain.