You know what the month of May brings don't you? May flowers? Bidding school farewell for a summer of freedom? Exotic summer vacations? All valid guesses, but not the one I had in mind. My thoughts have turned to what new TV shows we can look forward to for the summer and maybe beyond.

A few years ago, MMA was not a sport that was held in very high regard.  Most people held their noses when speaking of it.  The presumptive Republican nominee for President even called it human cockfighting. 

My how things have changed.  Spike TV has become the home of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and now CBS has welcomed EliteXC, a new MMA organization that has signed a who's who of fighters. Kimbo Slice, Phil Baroni, Murilo "Ninja" Rua, Ricco Rodriguez, Frank Shamrock and Gina Carano are among the household names on their roster.

"CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights" will debut live from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday, May 31, from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. (ET).

Prime time on CBS!  It doesn't get much more respectable than that!

I'm just kidding about the name, but where there's reality TV, you'll find the Hulkster. As "out there" as he has been in recent years, I'm surprised that "Hogan Knows Best: The Divorce" isn't on a drawing board somewhere. Who knows…maybe it is.

The real title for this show is a modest "Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling," and it will be an 8-episode series, according to CMT's recent press release. Ten celebrities will vie for the title of "Celebrity All-Star Wrestling Champion." Along the way they will develop ring personas and, most importantly, learn to wrestle. 

Watching celebrities learn to wrestle ought to be a hoot. I would like to nominate Dustin Diamond as a contestant. His claims to fame since the demise of "Saved By the Bell" have been his big d**k and his big mouth. Diamond made a horse's ass of himself on not one, but two seasons of "Celebrity Fit Club" as a whiney crybaby with delicate sensibilities. Chances are he would be equally annoying as a trainee wrestler, but who wouldn't love to see him get a Hardcore Holly-style introduction to pro wrestling. The only drawback would be his penchant for calling his lawyer every other minute and his miserable disposition.

"Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling" is set for a fall debut on CMT. 

Just in case you haven't had your fill of Hulk Hogan, "American Gladiators" returns for a summer run on May 12 with a 2-hour premiere. 'Nuf said. You either like this one or you don't.

This is a VH-1 series where the celebrities seem to have become "celebrities" by virtue of being on other VH-1 shows. Okey dokey. Unless you really, really, really enjoy magic, you might want to skip this one.

This one might fall into the same category as "Celebracadabra." I'm not a big fan of the circus. That being said, Chyna Doll/Joanie Laurer has been mentioned as one of six celebrities who will train for eight weeks to compete under the Big Top, which may be a reason to watch it. Viewers will hold the fate of the competitors in their speed dials. 

"Celebrity Circus" will debut on NBC on June 11.

One of my very favorite reality shows was "The Mole." CNN's Anderson Cooper hosted this combination adventure race and game show when it first appeared several years ago. If you've never seen it, one of the players is really The Mole, who tries to sabotage the game.  Anderson Cooper's broadcasting britches are probably too big for a mere game show these days, but he was an outstanding host. I'm delighted to see it back on the schedule, but sad to see it's on opposite Raw on Monday nights beginning May 26. *heavy sigh*

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As always, check local listings for time and channel.  Happy viewing and see ya next week.