This seems like a really bad trick to pull on anyone:

Still, ''Invasion Iowa," Shatner's new prank reality show on Spike TV, made me more uncomfortable than not. The four-part series, which premieres tonight at 9, and airs each night this week, dupes the farm town of Riverside, Iowa, into believing it is the filming location of Shatner's new sci-fi movie. Riverside has long identified itself as the future birthplace of the fictional Captain Kirk, and so its citizens are thrilled to have Shatner and his crew filming on site. Dazzled, the locals work on the shoot and play key roles in the movie. What they don't know is that it's all a ruse for a reality TV show, that Shatner and his entourage are there simply to reveal just how pathetic and hungry for fame Riverside (pop. 928) truly is.

From the producers of ''Joe Schmo," this one could be called ''Town Schmo." Those locals who fancy themselves to be actors undergo humiliating auditions, and the worst of them are cast in the movie. Then they are led to believe they are talented, and that they could actually become Hollywood stars.

Following the pattern started by the WB's Superstar USA, the scope of the embarassment caused by these Reality Mockumentaries is only going to continue to increase. That is, until someone sues them for a boatload of money and actually wins.

The sad thing is that I doubt it will ever happen. There is little doubt that those producing these kinds of programs are making sure that the participants sign away all their legal recourse for any damages, including embarassment.

I'm pinning my hopes on the fact that Lawyers tend to be very crafty when dealing with the possibility of large amounts of money.