Red Sparrow

Tommy Lee Goes to College is an NBC reality television show that began broadcasting on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 and on VH1 on Friday, August 19, 2005. It features Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee attending the University of Nebraska and attempting to fit in. Six episodes were produced. The show features Lee, who is a high-school dropout, facing collegiate challenges like finding a roommate, trying out for athletic teams, trying to join a fraternity, studying chemistry, and trying out for the marching band. Even though the show is considered a "reality show," much of the plot is scripted. Contrary to what is shown in the show, there were casting calls for parts in the show. The show featured silly things like Lee starting a fraternity called "House of Lee," and its newly recruited members breaking into the art museum at night to vandalize and install their own artwork. A disclaimer at the end of the show revealed that while Lee attended classes, he did not actually enroll at the University of Nebraska and that certain situations were generated or edited for comedic effect. The administration of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln decided to host the reality show in the hopes that it would increase positive exposure to the university for recruiting and public relations purposes.