Brady Bro's Surreal Comeback

It's been 20 years since Chris Knight — aka The Brady Bunch's Peter — has been active in showbiz (not including various Brady-related projects). But after a successful career in the computer industry, the man who made "pork chops and applesauce" part of the pop-culture lexicon is putting himself out there again. First, he got in shape on Discovery Health Channel's Body Challenge: Hollywood. Later, VH1's The Surreal Life (Sundays at 9 pm/ET) kindly provided him with a new — and much younger — girlfriend. (For more on his unexpected coupling with America's Next Top Model's Adrianne Curry, click here.) Here, the Brady boy dishes the Surreal dirt...

TV Guide Online: You're "the stable one" this Surreal season, much like Erik Estrada was last year. Coincidentally, you did Body Challenge together before this.
Chris Knight: When we were doing the Body Challenge, Erik exited for two weeks to do Surreal Life. So [before doing this show,] I called Erik and I called Dave Coulier [the Full House alum from Season 3]. They both said, "Definitely do it, but be very careful." And, most importantly, "Don't drink." Um, I drank after four hours. There was just no way to live in that house without drinking. Luckily, I never really got out of hand — I think. Although Adrianne seems to tell me that maybe I did. But she says I'm a cute drunk, so I guess that's OK.

TVGO: In the first episode, rapper Da Brat comes to get you after the drunk, naked Verne Troyer (aka Mini-Me) has just urinated outside your door. Were you thinking, "Get me out of here"?
Knight: It was, like, "Uh, OK... eleven more days of this? I'm not sure I'm going to be able to handle that." [At least] there's nothing boring about being there. I suffer a little ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), so the environment was liberating because they took care of everything. You don't have a wallet, you don't get to drive, you don't get to decide what you're doing; they create your environment. For someone like me, that means that I can be distracted by less.

TVGO: With The Surreal Life behind you, what will you do next?
Knight: I'll be doing a movie in March. It's a low-budget film by Bryan Michael Stoller, an independent filmmaker. I want fictional or scripted programming — movies, sitcoms, I don't care... I wouldn't mind hosting stuff, but I'd rather not. I think that might be an endgame. I'm hoping that, out of this, I'll end up having a seat at the table as an adult.

TVGO: During TV Land's recent Brady reunion, Maureen McCormick said she found you "very attractive" back then.
Knight: News to me! For five years, we drove in to the studio together because her mom couldn't drive and we lived near each other. And all I was there for was to help Barry [Williams] get access.

TVGO: Did you just say "get action"?
Knight: No. Well, "action" ultimately, but [I said] "access." She had no time for Barry and his Don Juan [act] because she was too young for it. She was just too numb to it, and that just really, really frustrated him.

TVGO: What would you give to never have a fan sing "Time to Change" to you again?
Knight: Oh, let 'em. You know something? In reality, it's always time to change. There's really an interesting, significant message there, wrapped in a schmaltzy little tune. If it makes their day, go right ahead. I'm immune to it at this point.