Taking the Pitts!

There are several reasons to feel a little sorry for 20-year- old twin brothers Matt and Mike Schlepp.

Firstly, they were born with the sort of looks which inevitably inspire the word 'geek'.

Secondly, they spent £15,000 between them on cosmetic surgery to make them look like the film star Brad Pitt.

Thirdly, for two months they went through agonies, unable to eat proper meals after their operations.

Fourthly, after all that effort they still look nothing like the handsome Brad.

And fifthly, they claim to be delighted with the results.

Matt and Mike, 'aspiring actors' from Arizona, were the first subjects of a programme named I Want A Famous Face. It was aired in America this week on the cable channel MTV, but will be shown in Britain if it proves a success.

Future participants include: A 19-year-old modelling hopeful who has breast implants, lip implants and liposuction to look like Pamela Anderson;

A 23-year-old transsexual who has breast implants, cheek implants, an eyebrow lift, eyebrow bone shave and his hairline lowered to look like Jennifer Lopez;

A 21-year-old who has a body-lift to look like Kate Winslet; and a 32-year-old Elvis Presley wannabe who has a chin implant, lip injection and a skin peel.

For starters, Matt and Mike invested their money on nose jobs, chin implants, porcelain veneers on their teeth and cheek implants in the quest for Pittdom.

'It was more than worth it,' Matt told the programme. 'I would do it ten times over. It has definitely helped me get more girls. I'll walk and get that double-take from girls and hear the whispering that follows.

'I've had such a dramatic change that girlfriends I hadn't seen in a while couldn't stop staring, and said they wanted to cry! If that doesn't make you feel good, then what would?'

His brother recommended surgery to anyone who had any problems with their appearance.

'I never knew that I could be as happy as I am right now,' he said. 'I feel on top of the world by the few tweaks that I went through. Go through with the surgery now because you don't want to go through life always feeling down with the way that you look.'

The participants were selected after MTV, also culpable for The Osbournes, advertised on its website. All of them are now hoping to have a future in showbusiness. The show has been criticised in America, particularly on the Internet. 'This show is not entertaining, it's infuriating,' said one viewer

'People like this don't deserve their 15 minutes of fame. And the fact that MTV is glorifying this twisted, sick way of thinking is even more repulsive.'

British plastic surgeon Alex Karidis said he would never recommend operating on someone in the hope of making them look like someone else.

'This is pure sensationalism and it is not what plastic surgery is all about,' he said. 'Plastic surgery is about refining what you have. Every person is unique.

'I would be worried about somebody's mental state if they came to me and asked me to make them look like a certain celebrity.'

MTV's Marshall Eisen defended the show saying: 'We do not interfere with the process, we do not pay for it and we do not encourage it in any way.

'We followed adults who could make adult decisions and were aware of the risks involved.'