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Posted: Tue., Mar. 19, 2002, 8:00pm PT

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Inside Move: (M)ass medium

Stars, pseudo-celebs cash reality checks

Reality TV has spawned a hot new subgenre: Call it "B-Level Celebrities Making an Ass of Themselves in Primetime."

Viewers apparently can't get enough of the format. NBC's "Fear Factor" last week scored its highest-ever ratings (7.6/19 among young adults), thanks to a celeb edition that included stunts by such stars as Alan Thicke, Stephen Baldwin and the Backstreet Boys' Kevin Richardson.

Fox, meanwhile, scored big March 13 with "Celebrity Boxing," which attracted 15.5 million viewers -- making it the third-highest rated entertainment special at any net this season.

"Celebrity Boxing," which will surely spawn another installment this May -- pits the likes of bottom-barrel personalities such as Tonya Harding and Danny Bonaduce opposite Paula Jones and Barry Williams.

"Work is work," says one insider. "These are famous people with no money or famous people with no press."

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