We love our reality stars – no matter what

They’re not trained actors or actresses. Most of them aren’t celebrity-bred. And yet we can’t get enough of them – even the irritating ones.

Reality TV stars have come into our homes, entertained us and sometimes annoyed us, but we keep watching.

Why? Because they’re real people.

Although some reality shows may be somewhat – or severely – scripted and skewed to make for a more entertaining television experience, there’s a little piece of all of us that can relate to the struggle and desire of at least one “Average Joe” or “American Idol.”

We all have the desire to live out a dream. Whether it be to win someone’s heart or rock out on stage, it’s there.

I raise an eyebrow at the perfect-looking bikini-clad females on “Fear Factor” and sometimes wonder what would happen if someone not so attractive was chosen as “Joe Millionaire” or “The Bachelorette.”

But it’s not necessarily reality stars’ looks that we relate to. We’re used to seeing model-thin women and buff boys strutting their stuff on our television screens. What we’re not used to is the real emotion that bubbles up in the “Big Brother” house or the disappointment that comes with being fired by Donald Trump.

I’m not talking about the obviously planned cat fights or the alliances gone bad. I’m referring to the glimpses of humanity that come with reality TV.

If we didn’t like these overnight reality stars, we wouldn’t prolong their 15 minutes of fame so that we can see them on the “Today” show or “Good Morning America” after being bumped, fired or dumped from their respective shows.

We wouldn’t glance at the cover of magazines in the grocery store checkout line to see if Ryan and Trista are still together.

And we certainly wouldn’t sit on the edge of our sofas to see who’s going to win the “Battle of the Reality Stars,” a revival of the ’70s “Battle of the Network Stars.”

Reality ratings have dropped recently,, but I’m blaming it on the summer slump and bet that Bravo will draw an audience with its six episodes of the battle that began at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

While some are saying that the reality boom is coming to an end, I don’t believe it.

Yes, I hammer the “has-beens” and already rich who are using reality television to make another dime, but I was glued to the screen watching “I Want to Be a Hilton” and have a feeling I’ll get sucked into Amy Grant’s “Three Wishes” at some point. After all, who can resist watching people’s dreams come true?