Hundreds came. A dozen were called to the Playboy Mansion. One was chosen to be Miss July 2002. This is an expanded look at the Fox TV special, with the nudity kept in. We watch the screening process, the orientation, the make-up and wardrobe tests - and the gamesmanship and one-upsmanship as the 12 vie for the centerfold, with first-person interviews interspersed with cinema-v?rit? camerawork of the would-be Playmates' stay in L.A.

The reality moments are interesting - the buxom one who has trouble finding clothes that fit her breasts, the two who are too modest to get naked and choose to drop out, the unscripted moment when Hefner slips unannounced into the house and welcomes the group, the one who wakes up the morning of the first photo shoot moaning "I have a zit." Or the post-night-on-the-town late-night skinny-dip in the heated pool where the dippers suddenly realize that they have to get out of the pool and it's cold out there. Interesting point: When it's time to cut the group from 10 to seven, Hefner says, "Let's focus on the seven, not the three."

The drama and suspense are built in classic reality-TV fashion. As long as you don't look at the video cover.

The winner's Playmate profile ends the tape, adding 15 minutes to the total running time.