Junior Johnny Carsons

His dad, a steelworker who quipped in one episode that his son "would become president someday," handles lighting, props, and technical matters. Both parents serve celebrities a home-cooked meal.

The college freshman has even invited the mayor to appear. In one of Essany's skits, he switched jobs with Valparaiso mayor David Butterfield for the day. Mr. Butterfield had to learn how to write jokes, book guests, and produce the TV show. Essany headed to City Hall. When he got there, he jokingly started up the mayor's car. Then, he says, "I hear sirens, and I realize I have been set up. A police officer asked for my driver's license. Since I don't have the license, they arrested me."

Like Essany, Leonard spends most of his free time writing and producing, with help from his clan of friends, all college students who are spending their summer break filming.

"We hand the tape to ABC Family, and they make minor changes. But they've given us creative control," Leonard says.

He and his buddies launched the community-access show "just for fun" almost four years ago when they were in high school.

At first, "like 10 people watched," he says. But the show quickly became popular among students. A friend sent his tape to ABC Family, and they offered to pick up the program. Their daily audience has grown to 240,000 people.

Like Essany, Brendan has turned his home into a TV studio - and his family is thoroughly involved. His older brother and brother-in-law are the camera operator and sound man.

Many of his ideas for skits come from his experiences as a teenager.

"We figured out that the best way to do the show was to be ourselves. The way we act is the way we act off camera," he says, adding that daydreaming brings out his creative side. "I come up with a lot of ideas during classes because it's so boring, my mind wanders. In my math class and history class, I will come up with the best ideas."

For instance, Brendan offers "survival tips" during the show on topics like how to get out of an awkward conversation. He and his friends also made up new I.M. acronyms such as GGSSC (Gotta go, swallowed shaving cream) or ICBIWOOP (I chuckled, but it was out of pity.)

"We have a minor disdain for amateur boy bands," Leonard says. "So we made up the skit called 'BOYling Point' making fun of boy bands. We dressed up as a boy band."

He got interested in TV partly because of his father, NBC correspondent Mike Leonard. In high school, he says, "my friends and I caught the 'Blair Witch Project' craze" and "made little horror films."

Socializing with friends makes the 14-hour days worthwhile for Leonard.

"I couldn't do it if it was just a show involving myself. My friends and I will film and then hang out together more. It's not a job to us."

Overall, the networks are taking a small gamble with these programs, Edgerton says, because channels are flooded with options for the MTV audience. But, he adds, like other reality shows, "they are cheap to produce."

For their part, viewers say they can relate to the goofy, amateur style of stars on "Essany" and "Leonard."

"Watching the show is like hanging out with my friends. They are genuine people," says Lauren Ringel, an 18-year-old from Augusta, Ga., who watches both "Leonard" and "Essany."

"[My friends and I] go out on the weekends and do stupid funny stuff like Brendan Leonard does," she says. "We will sit in the Dr. Seuss section of the Barnes and Noble and read Dr. Seuss books to each other. We find our favorite childhood books and read them out loud."

It's that weekend demeanor that Brendan strives for. "If you watch the show and say, 'It looks like they're having fun' - then we are doing our jobs because we are having the time of our lives."

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