Viewers Value "Dad," "Big Brother"

Dads, big brothers, fiancées. Can't say reality TV doesn't promote family values.

NBC's Who Wants to Marry My Dad?, in which four telegenic kids seek a mate for their telegenic father, was the most watched unscripted show for the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The short-run series, concluding next week, married itself off to 9.64 million (10th place), edging the Wednesday edition of CBS' Big Brother 4 (11th place, 9.6 million viewers) for top-dog status.

And while Big Brother 4 isn't really about siblings, it is about people forced to live as a dysfunctional family of sorts. As such, its Tuesday episode brought in 8.7 million (17th place) sympathetic viewers; the Friday installment, 7.7 million (28th place).

Strangely, the prospect of eight engaged couples battling it out Battle of the Network Stars-style for a fantasy wedding didn't engage viewers. The premiere episode of NBC's Race to the Altar plodded its way to 58th place (5.7 million), running behind repeats of My Wife and Kids (26th place, 7.8 million) and George Lopez (34th place, 7.1 million) on ABC.

Reality fans also rejected The Family--again. The ABC show, about an East Coast clan battling for a $1 million fortune, returned to prime time after being banished from the schedule in March. Suffice to say, absence did not make the audience's heart grow fonder--75th place, 4.7 million viewers.

Elsewhere, the penultimate episode of NBC's Last Comic Standing killed--19th place, 8.5 million viewers. The series crowns its cut-up champ Tuesday night in a two-hour finale.

NBC's For Love or Money 2 stayed in the money (16th place, 8.8 million viewers), while CBS' The Amazing Race 4 showed strong legs (21st place, 8.1 million viewers).

Fox's Paradise Hotel did okay business. Its two episodes averaged 6.6 million viewers.

In the name of bigger numbers, perhaps Paradise producers should have impaled one of the guests--with rebar, a boat anchor or even a javelin. The ploy worked for the self-explanatory Fox special 101 Things Removed From the Human Body--35th place, 7.1 million viewers.

Likewise, a well-placed arrow might have sharpened interest in CBS' Cupid. As it was, the Simon Cowell dating show continued its dull pace--6.8 million viewers, 38th place.

The Cowell-less American Juniors on Fox did no better--6.7 million viewers (41st place) for Tuesday's competition show, 6.1 million viewers (49th place) for Wednesday's results show.

Among other reality shows, NBC's The Restaurant cooked for 7.8 million (24th place), and the Peacock's Dog Eat Dog ate up 7.3 million (30th place).

ABC's teen-aged reality show, America's Funniest Home Videos (13 years old and counting), showed the youngsters how it was done--a repeat broadcast cracking the Top 25, with 7.9 million viewers.

CBS scored with a 48 Hours tribute to comic Bob Hope, who died last week at the age of 100. The 30-minute retrospective was watched by nearly 9 million, good for 13th place.

A prime-time golf special, ABC's Battle of the Bridges, shot for par--46th place, 6.3 million viewers.

For all the new, unscripted shows on the air this summer, it was old, scripted shows that dominated the Top 10. CBS' CSI reigned above all, with 13.2 million viewers.

Overall, CBS was the week's most watched network, landing the top five shows and averaging 8 million viewers. NBC trailed with 7.2 million; followed by Fox with 5.7 million, and ABC with 5.67 million. UPN topped the WB, 2.8 million to 2.4 million.

Here's a rundown of the 10 most watched shows for the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen Media Research:

1. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 13.2 million viewers
2. Without a Trace, CBS, 12 million viewers
3. 60 Minutes, CBS, 11.1 million viewers
4. CSI: Miami, CBS, 10.47 million viewers
5. Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS, 10.45 million viewers
6. Law & Order, NBC, 10.2 million viewers
7. King of Queens, CBS, 10 million viewers
8. Law & Order: Criminal Intent, NBC, 9.9 million viewers
9. Friends, NBC, 9.8 million viewers
10. Who Wants to Marry My Dad?, NBC, 9.6 million viewers