We’ll be out of town on Friday, so we thought we’d get the ball rolling early.

Damn that Heather Havrilesky (no, the other Heather Havrilesky)! I was bound and determined to avoid a spate of upcoming reality shows that centered around the insanely wealthy. Instead HH(Heather Havrilesky) casually tosses off a review of the shows this weekend at Salon.com and I am compelled to watch.

Three upcoming programs — MTV’s “Rich Girls,” HBO’s “Born Rich,” and Fox’s “The Simple Life” — reflect the fascination and ambivalence we have for the wealthy. How well or badly they come across, of course, is determined largely by the prejudices of the producers, and whether they intend for the close-up on America’s most wealthy to incite thoughtful discussion or shameless rubbernecking.