After being dumped on national television for a record-setting third time, the reality TV diva known as New York is back looking for "love" (read: fame and money) on VH1's "I Love New York 2." As a sucker for just about any trashy reality TV show, I enjoyed all of New York's former appearances on seasons 1 and 2 of "Flavor of Love" and the first season of this, her eponymous show.

But truth is, "ILNY"'s first season was a mixed bag. New York herself had some trouble transitioning from scheming bitch to likable leading lady, and the guys were almost uniformly unlikable (the one exception, Tango, revealed himself to be the worst of the bunch when he humiliated our girl in the reunion episode). And many of the middle episodes were dull filler.

Thankfully, the two episodes of "ILNY2" that have aired so far have vastly improved on the original. Offensive gay lackey Chamo has been replaced by a silent, goonish bodyguard. New York and her mother, the indispensable Sister Patterson, are in top form, dishing it out but also remaining oddly charming. And best of all, there are guys I can root for among the bachelors.

First and foremost, The Entertainer, a rough, buff admitted sex freak who won the online voter poll. Clips from future episodes hint at a bit of ‘roid rage, but hey, we can't all be perfect. Even more muscly Buddha seems like a ringer for the Final 2, but as he reminds me an awful lot of last year's Onix, we'll see how long he lasts. Mama's boy Punk needs to learn how to dress better, as his typical attire makes him look chunky, but in the pond-swimming challenge he revealed one of the most ripped bodies I've ever seen. And he's alternately presumptuous and desperate, but there's something likable about Tailor Made. He seems to be the house villain, and if he's the most annoying thing they throw at us this season we'll be lucky.

Unfortunately, the season previews show that's not the case. Chance, last year's runner-up and the physical embodiment of every negative black stereotype ever, will be coming back, probably entering the game mid-season like New York herself did on "Flavor 2." Blech. Critics accuse New York of being disingenuous and a camera whore, but Chance is 10 times worse. Everything about the man is fake.

I'm also troubled by three of the other cast members, who are clearly being exploited. White dork Cheesy is the closest they could come to the magic that was last season's Mr. Boston, a clueless honky whose social ineptitude included picking his nose at elimination ceremonies, on camera. Cheesy seems somewhat more malevolent than poor Boston, as he stabbed his roommate in the back not once, but twice, in the most recent episode. More disconcerting are It, who I think must be mentally handicapped, and Midget Mac, whose stature has been the subject of much scorn from Sister Patterson. To give credit where it's due, New York herself is candid about her personal struggles to view Mac as a legitimate romantic prospect and not just some novelty she can string along for ratings. (It should be said, Mac is an entertaining guy.) But I don't think the show's producers intended him to be anything but a joke-when he does interviews, they don't re-set the camera from its regular height, leaving just his nose, eyes, and forehead on screen. Maybe that's the way Mac wanted it, but it seems pretty humiliating to me.