In 2008, Utah got real.

It was the year the spotlight shone on the Beehive State -- not for polygamy, Jell-O wrestling or Osmond Christmas melodies -- but for spawning reality TV competitors.

This year more than ever -- certainly since Bountiful's Neleh Dennis started the Utahns-on-reality-TV craze by becoming a runner-up in 2002 on "Survivor: Marquesas" -- the state's fiercest competitors showed off to the world how much they can outlast, outwit and outplay in the world of "unscripted competition programming."

David Archuleta's meteoric rise through the ranks of "American Idol" in the early summer was just the tip of the iceberg. Here's a list of who made the reality ranks in 2008.

Miss America: Reality Check (January, TLC) » Miss Utah, Jill Stevens of Kaysville, joined the 51 other Miss America contestants in a new realilty show that put them all in one house to see what happens (not much, apparently).

Stevens, a combat medic with the National Guard, wasn't able to heal judges' perceptions of a soldier as Miss America, getting eliminated in the pageant after the first competition -- the swimsuit competition, no less -- although she was named the "America's Choice" semi-finalist. She was notable for dropping to the stage and doing push-ups when her name was announced. (Jack Palance would have been so proud.)

American Idol (May, Fox) » Little David Archuleta from Murray exploded on the scene and nearly stole the crown from Missouri's David Cook on the highest-rated show of the year. Most argue Archuleta sang better than Cook in the finale, and that's not just sour grapes. Archie may have come in second, but the 18-year-old is now a bona-fide pop star.

So You Think You Can Dance (June, Fox) » ABBA would be proud -- we're a state of dancing queens (and kings). Not one, but four, Utahns landed in the list of last season's 20 finalists for the dancing competition.

Matt Dorame, 22, and Thayne Jasperson, 27, came from Salt Lake City's Odyssey Dance Theatre company. Chelsie Hightower, 18, Pleasant Grove, is a teacher at the Center Stage Performing Arts Studios in Orem and lasted the longest on the show. The fourth contestant was Gev Manoukian, 21, a hip-hop/break dancer from Centerville.

Nashville Star (June, NBC) » Charley Jenkins, 30, is an aspiring country musician from Murray, but unlike that other Murray contestant who went to superstardom, Jenkins was booted early from the country-style "American Idol" show.

Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for the Next Elle Woods (July, MTV) » Rhiannon Hansen, Logan, had the looks, the pipes and the personality to become the next lead in the Broadway version of "Legally Blonde." She went as far as third place before being sent home.

High School Musical: Get in the Picture (July, ABC) » Here the star wasn't someone but a place -- Murray High School, the setting of a new reality show in search of a musical talent based on the Disney movie franchise (all of which also were filmed in Salt Lake County). The entire series -- which ended up being a flop in the ratings -- was filmed at the school.

The Next Food Network Star (August, Food Network) » Utah's Kelsey Nixon was in the top four before she was sent home from this popular cooking show. But the spunky blonde did win the hearts of viewers as the season's most popular contestant.

Last Comic Standing (August, NBC) » Marcus (yes, just Marcus) is a popular West Jordan comic who made it big on the stand-up comic competition, coming in second place. Guess his Bobcat Goldthwait impersonation wasn't enough to impress the judges.

America's Got Talent (August, NBC) » The Slippery Kittens Burlesque Slippery Kittens Burlesque group from Salt Lake City showed they had more talent than just for semi-nude convulsions. They had a knack for entertainment on a national stage, becoming one of the show's 40 finalists.

Dogtown (September, National Geographic Channel) » The Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab was the focus of a series about saving abandoned or abused animals. The new season started off with its most well-known case -- 22 dogs abused by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick's illegal dogfighting operation.

American Idol (again) (September, Fox) » David Archuleta must have left an impression. For the show's upcoming season, for the first time ever, producers picked Salt Lake City as one of its audition cities.

Series co-executive producer Nigel Lythgoe said he was so impressed by last year's SLC auditions for "So You Think You Can Dance," he thought the city could produce a lot of hopefuls for "Idol." He was right. A number of Utahns are rumored to be heading to Hollywood for the new season.

Project Runway (September, Bravo) » Salt Lake City fashion designer and Filthy Gorgeous boutique store owner Keith Bryce made it on the popular competition series for fashion design. He didn't win, but one of his clothing designs was included on an episode of the "Sex and the City" clone, "Lipstick Jungle."

Deal or No Deal (September, NBC) » Not exactly a reality show, but it's worth mentioning that the first person to win the top $1 million prize on this popular game show was a Sandy mom. Jessica Robinson, 27, made history by beating the odds and telling a cheering nation and her husband on TV the sex of their baby (a boy, by the way).

Then she spent most of the episode telling host Howie Mandel how she couldn't wait to move back to Texas.

Dancing With the Stars (November, ABC) » This is one show owned by the Utah professional dancers who perform on it.

Park City native Julianne Hough -- who now belts out country tunes -- won two seasons in a row and danced this season. But this time it was brother Derek who would take the crown with partner Brooke Burke.

Wife Swap (December, ABC) » The Kukta family from Utah, a group of sweepstakes-entering maniacs (they spend 10 hours a day entering any and all raffles and sweepstakes), swapped their mom for one in Florida who would rather spend her time on the party circuit with her husband. Hilarity ensued.