Did you ever think it would be fun to rent an RV and drive cross country with your family? Imagine it: No television, no cell phones, no distractions; just you and your spouse and the kids, seeing America.

I know, it sounds horrific to me, too. But for the families participating in NBC's "Great American Road Trip," it's the reality television summer vacation of a lifetime.

The show's premise is this: Seven families, from very different walks of life, are each given an RV and a road map. Their journey starts in Chicago, at Wrigley field, and winds west on historic Route 66, ending in Santa Monica. But it's not just a matter of getting to Cali first; along the way, the families will be competing in challenges to win the right to keep driving west.

Oh and the family who wins goes home with $100,000. As contestant Silvio DiSalvatore says, "A road trip? A chance to see America? Plus 100,000? I was elated." Who wouldn't be? The money will almost make up for the trip.

But just to clarify: "The Great American Road Trip" isn't about the money. "This is not a race," host Reno Collier tells the participants. "This has nothing to do with the destination. This is all about the journey of you and your families. What's better than that, huh?"

How about a week in Hawaii?

Fortunately, the families participating in this cross country RV ride don't share my cynicism; they're all excited to be here and ready to roll. These 28 people -- 14 adults and 14 kids -- are a wee American melting pot. There are the Katzenbergs from Westport, CT (dad shows up for the Wrigley field kickoff in a polo shirt and blue blazer), the Pollards from Newton, AL (who show off their gun collection), and the Ricos, from Katy, TX (Erica Rico describes her husband as "Just like Clark Griswold, just the Mexican version"). The other families -- the Cootes, the Faverleys and the Montgomerys -- are variations on the same themes.

But the most captivating of the contestants is easily the DiSalvatore family, from Yonkers. They arrive at Wrigley field clad all in black; dad Silvio looks like a refugee from an 80s hair band. "As long as I have a blow dryer, a giant mirror, and electricity, and my brush, I'm happy," he says in his thick New York accent. "We are typical New Yorkers," his wife Amy says, "with a little twist."

I cannot wait to see them hang out with the family from backwoods Alabama.

Equally mesmerizing, though, are the Katzenbergs. Marc and Hyleri are engaged; they are making the trip with Marc's son Andrew and Hyleri's daughter Sami. Hyleri waves her engagement ring in front of the camera and asks, "How many carats is it, sweetie?" Marc uncomfortably replies, "It's, uh, seven." "Wow!" Hyleri says, adding, "We're not as high-maintenance as we might appear to be. We just look it."

The families pull their RVs out of Chicago, and the predictable banter begins: Amy and Silvio DeSalvatore fight about who will drive ("I'm a liitle nervous about Silvio driving the RV," Amy confesses, "I'm not very comfortable with him even driving a car."), while the Pollards are awed by all the big buildings in Chicago ("Oh my gosh, there is the Sears tower right there!" "No way!"), and the Coote's son Jake hangs out the window screaming at passers by ("It's gonna be a long trip," mom Jennifer says).

After a long day of driving, the families all stop at the State Fairgrounds in Springfield, IL, to spend the night. "All of us ended up with this great immediate connection," Erica Rico tells the camera. Amie Pollard adds, "I think that these good feelings really could last throughout the trip." But she adds, "I say this knowing that in reality, anything could happen." And since this isn't just reality but reality TV, something is certain to happen.

The first challenge is a race: One adult from each family wears a gigantic mask of an American president while running an obstacle course and carrying a wad of paper votes. The rest of the family helps the President get to the finish line without dropping the votes. The Coote family misunderstands the rules and nearly doesn't finish in time; the DiSalvatores accuse them of cheating. A small shouting match ensues and everyone looks uncomfortable -- although the shouting is mostly Amy DiSalvatore apologizing and Keith Coote saying he accepts. You're going to have to try harder to create drama, NBC.

The three families who came in last in the challenge -- the Montgomerys, the Katzenbergs and the Favereys -- have to compete in a second challenge, in order not to get sent home. The challenge consists of putting one family member inside what looks like a big hamster ball and push the ball through an obstacle course. The Katzenbergs are beaten out by the other families, so we have to say goodbye to them. But Hyleri finds the silver lining: "Truthfully, I ordered a wedding dress and I haven't even tried it on yet. So I don't know, maybe this is God's way of saying, 'Go home and plan you're wedding!'"

We'll miss you, Katzenbergs. But we're excited to see what happens next week.