For some unknown reason, Paris Hilton – the Los Angeles socialite whose career has appears to have been solely based on the sheer ability to look vapid and ignorant in front of cameras – is looking for her new BFF in the Middle East, smack dab right in Dubai, of all places.

The reality show, her third as her previous attempts to secure a new best friend, is said to be filmed in the emirate state over 17 days in July. She’s apparently going to be bringing the guy she’ll be dating around that time and will likely be the usual reality show fare: competitions, rewards ceremonies, a “You’re Fired” eviction and eventually someone gets a rose or $1 million, whatever the final reward really is.

Here’s a good snapshot of what Heckler Spray has to say about all this:

But anyway, now that Paris Hilton has found idiots willing to be her BFF in America and the UK, it’s now time for her to set her sights on a place that she’s almost comically unsuited to – Dubai.

Here’s a better descriptionof the show from Variety (must have been a slow news day for Variety, of all publications, to cover this):

But given Middle East sensibilities, Hirschorn said the Dubai production won’t be quite as racy as the U.S. or U.K. editions.

That means, for example, alcohol — normally a reality TV staple — won’t play a role on this version. And the production has promised to adhere to local cultural sensitivities. Swearing, sexually explicit conversation or risque clothing will be kept to a minimum.

The production had to receive several layers of approval before moving forward; even Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, had to give his blessing.

According to Hirschorn’s partner, Stella Stolper, Hilton has never been to Dubai before — so part of the show will include her initial reactions to her first trip to the United Arab Emirates.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and bet a few dirhams that her first reaction will be on how extremely hot it will be when she decides to go outside. Look, if its 45 degrees Celsius in the middle of May, it’s not going to get any cooler in July.

Furthermore, by adhering to the area’s cultural sensitives, I’ll be interested to know what exactly she’ll exactly do once she’s here. The middle of the summer is traditionally a period in which the UAE population vacates the region for much more moderate weather, leaving a bevy of empty shopping malls and hotel rooms in their wake.

I normally wouldn’t care or write a blog post about Hilton, but as it happens, I was in the Dubai Festival City mall yesterday and stumbled upon the Paris Hitlon handbag store, a picture of which you can see at the top of this post (Note: this store could have been re-branded for the show, as “Nicky Hilton” is the only store that shows up in the shopping directory). The UAE’s shopping malls aren’t that much different than the one’s we’ve got at home, but a dedicated Paris Hilton-branded store? You definitely don’t see that everyday.

Obviously, I will watch this show. But not because I will desperately want this person to gain a good friend through the eyes of a competitive reality TV show, but because I’m absolutely stunned that this person continues to keep herself in the public eye.

It is arguable that we’ve already begun to see the end of Hilton’s career in the spotlight, and her show in Dubai will only add another nail to that coffin. In her heyday, she was celebrated and widely-mocked for her style and excess, during which the world’s economy soared and grew on the backs of credit. Today is a different story, one in which excess is not only frowned upon, but almost shunned completely. After all, who cares about the girl with a new diamond ring or designer dress when millions of people are suddenly finding themselves in a rare position of struggling to make ends meet.

Of course, its those types of situations that would force people to do things they wouldn’t normally do for a buck. Like entering a reality TV contest to become Paris Hilton’s “best friend.”