There aren’t really any celebrities on “Celebrity Rehab.”

With obvious candidates like Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse out of the question, VH1 was able to get eight people who may or may not be celebrities to take part in this revolutionary new reality show.

Hosted by Dr. Drew Pinsky, this new show, which premiered Jan. 10, is unlike anything that has ever been on television before. The addiction medicine specialist and licensed physician heads up a rehabilitation program aimed at curing the addictions of Z-list celebrities. Among the cast of characters are Brigitte Nielsen, Chyna, Daniel Baldwin, Jeff Conaway, Mary Carey, Seth Binzer, Jessica Sierra and Jaimee Foxworth.

If none of these names sound familiar, it’s all right. To put it in laymen’s terms, the celebs we are getting are the big, European woman who dated Flava Flav, the girl from wrestling, a Baldwin brother, that guy from “Grease,” a porn star, the lead singer from Crazytown, an “American Idol” reject and one of the girls from “Family Matters.”

So it’s not the most pristine group of celebrities around, but it sure is entertaining to watch.

Television viewers who enjoy voyeurism finally get a rare glimpse into the actual treatment process in rehab. On the A&E reality show, “Intervention,” we see everything right up until the actual treatment. But now VH1 and Dr. Drew are offering raw footage of what it’s like to kick drugs if you’re famous. The debut episode showed each guest checking into The Pasadena Recovery Center, along with a brief look of home video footage of these celebrities indulging in their addictions. One look at Jeff Conaway and the massive amounts of pills he is on, and it will scare you straight from ever doing drugs.

The show is aimed at giving this in-depth and personal look into the tribulations of overcoming drug addiction as a blueprint of what not to do if you become rich and famous. All of these stars seem to be burnt-out, washed-up and trying to chase that high of fame they once had with drugs and alcohol. But the quizzical part is what the celebrities attempt to gain from being on a show that will document the gut-wrenching obstacle of overcoming their addictions. It doesn’t seem that the offers for work would be coming in anyway after this show, so perhaps it’s to get back a piece of relevancy that these celebrities once had.

They were plucked from obscurity and placed in this show simply because they are celebrities. But the important aspect is whether or not they actually want to get clean. Sincerity on reality television is kind of an oxymoron. But the professionalism and genuine sense of care that Dr. Drew emits seems to be, in fact, real. The fact that he is a reputable doctor and specializes in addiction gives the show a greater sense of importance.

While watching the show, it’s hard to figure out if what is felt is entertainment or emotion. It’s not like these celebrities were in this clinic and going to get high when the cameras were turned off. It’s a three-week excruciating process for eight addicts, and it’s real. You will feel sorry for these people who once had so much, but now have so little, but you won’t feel pity.

This is one reality show that isn’t about celebrities living together, trying to lose weight or finding love; this is a show about changing and rebuilding lives. “Celebrity Rehab” is a shockingly interesting concept that is hard not to watch. Hopefully if these celebrities can overcome their addictions on national television, other celebrities will follow suit.

Or at least Courtney Love.