Betty Boop comes between Tampa couple

Coming up Thursday on NBC, "The Marriage Ref" has its first gay couple - two guys from Tampa who are at odds over a life-size Betty Boop statue.

David Salinero thinks Betty is the bomb and wants to keep her in their kitchen.

His partner Michael Wigh says the 5-foot tall replica of the cartoon icon must go.

Hashing out the squabble are comics Kathy Griffin, Tracy Morgan of "30 Rock" and actor Nathan Lane.

Salinero admits that the Boop figure doesn't really match the decor in their home.

"I like her because she's fun, but Michael has never been crazy about her," he says.

Wigh says Ms. Boop, who is wearing a 1940s red car hop outfit and holding a serving tray, doesn't really fit in.

"I'm more conservative than David and I decorated most of our house," he says. "It's a small galley kitchen and there's not much room.

"She's kind of kitschy and takes up space that could be used for a pub table."

Salinero, 44, is a managing editor at Price Waterhouse Coopers and Wigh, 46, is a corporate trainer at Progressive Insurance. Both are Tampa area natives.

They have been together for more than six years and were married in California in 2008 when it was legal there.

Salinero says they were contacted last year by a producer from "The Marriage Ref" who saw their four-minute wedding video on YouTube.

At first, Salinero didn't think of any major disputes to take to "The Marriage Ref" but the issue over Betty had been brewing for sometime.

A film crew visited their home earlier this year to get footage of the Betty Boop artifact, which stands about 5 feet tall. The couple recently went to New York to tape their segment.

"It was a lot of fun and we got to meet Jerry Seinfeld, too," Salinero says. Seinfeld created the show and is the executive producer. It airs at 10 p.m. Thursday.

"They were extremely nice to us," Wigh says. "But we didn't get to hear or see their comments about our issue. But we saw what they were saying about other couples."

Salinero and Wigh can't reveal the outcome but both say the judges were hilarious that day.

MTV LOVE: On MTV's "True Life" at 10 tonight, a young man named Trevor from Tampa is featured on the "I'm Relocating for Love" episode. It's about people who will "do anything for love." MTV did not provide any more details.

TUNE IN TONIGHT

"Dancing With the Stars," 8 p.m., ABC

C'mon, you can watch an hour of dancing before the big college basketball game, right?