FAVORITE REALITY SHOW #3...

1 man, 25 women...

He dates them (sometimes group dates, sometimes 1-on-1 dates) and eliminates a few at a time until he selects his final one. It's actually a lot better than it sounds. And the real fun is going to the Fans Of Reality TV site (aka FORT) and studying screencaps to figure out the final 4, 3, and 2 before the second episode airs! Actually, I like to try to predict the winner as soon as the pictures are up on the abc website. My record is not so bad:

Season 2: Aaron

My pick - Helene

Winner - Helene

Results - Aaron proposed to Helene in the end. They stayed together for a couple of months, but he wasn't ready to settle down.

Season 3: Andrew Firestone

My pick - Kirsten (placed 2nd)

Winner - Jen

Results - Andrew proposed to Jen. They stayed together for more than a year, I think. She went on to be the star of season 2 of The Bachelorette.

Season 4: Bob

(reject from 1st season of The Bachelorette)

My pick - Estella

Winner - Estella

Results - No proposal. Just a promise ring. Stayed together for a couple of months, tops. I don't think he was really looking for a relationship at the time. Just wanted to be on TV.

Season 5: Jesse Palmer

My pick - ? can't remember, but she was eliminated on the first night

Winner - Jessica B

Results - No proposal, but he did give her a ticket to visit him in New York. They lasted a matter of weeks.

Season 6: Byron

My pick - Jayne (I think she was in the top 6)

Winner - Mary (she was a reject from Bob's season, brought in a few eps late)

Results - Byron proposed. They are still engaged, as far as I know.

Season 7: Charlie O'Connell

My pick - Sarah W (3rd)

Winner - Sarah B

Results - Charlie proposed, they stayed together for a few years, never married.

Season 8: Travis

(set in Paris)

My pick - Susan (3rd)

Winner - Sarah S

Results - No proposal. I think they broke up after the cameras stopped rolling.

Season 9: "Prince" Lorenzo

(set in Rome)

My pick - Sadie (2nd)

Winner - Jenn

Results - I don't think he proposed. Whatever the case, they broke up pretty soon after. And he ended up dating Sadie, the runner up, briefly!

Season 10: Andy

My pick - Stephanie W (out at the 6 --> 4 elimination)

Winner - Tessa

Results - Proposal. Called off their engagement a couple of months later, but continued to date. Eventually broke up completely. He dated Marla Maples.

Season 11: Brad

My pick - Bettina (3rd)

Winner - NONE

Results - Everybody hates Brad

Season 12: Matt

My pick - Shayne

Winner - Shayne

Results -

They're still together, according to recent reports.

While the show might not be completely realistic, it's interesting (well...entertaining) to watch. And so is it's spin-off, The Bachelorette, which I'm currently obsessed with. In fact, this season of The Bachelorette is shaping up to be my favorite in franchise history! So that's the one I'm going to blog about in depth...

First, you have to rewind to season 11 of The Bachelor. Brad, a Texas bar owning millionaire, was the one man dating 25 women. In the end, he narrowed it down to DeAnna, a real estate agent from Georgia, and Jenni, a Phoenix Suns dancer from Kansas. He pretty much told both of them that they were EVERYTHING he wanted in a woman and TOTALLY led them to believe they would be his final one. And then he rejected them both, claiming he simply could not see a future with either of them. In other words, he got his time on TV and wanted to go back to being a serial dater and live off of his newfound D-list celebrity status for awhile.

SO, DeAnna was offered the opportunity to have her own show. Be The Bachelorette...Date 25 guys in hopes of finding her future husband. Right now, she's down to her final 3:

Jesse

Professional Snowboarder

Colorado

Made an impression by wearing a very colorful blazer and tennis shoes with hot pink shoelaces on the first night...scored a romantic one on one date where they were serenaded by Natasha Bedingfield...didn't kiss her until this past episode...according to the previews will DECLINE spending the night with her in the "fantasy suite" on their "fantasy date"!

Jeremy

Real Estate Attorney

Texas

received one of three "first impression roses" on the first night, bonded with DeAnna early on over both of them losing a parent (he lost both)... seems to be absolutely perfect for her and says all the right things... according to the preivews, he'll tell her he's fallen in love with her on the next episode!

Jason

Account Executive

Seattle

Single dad to adorable son Ty...Was the first guy she's ever dated that asked her about her mother (who passed away when she was 12 or 13)...Seems to be getting a flawless edit - always portrayed as the good guy/nice guy/most emotionally available guy.

Who will she choose?

Will he propose?

Will she accept?

It's gettin' good!

Check it out Monday night on ABC!

The Bachelor and The Bachelorette fall into the category of "dating based reality shows". Other shows in this category that I've watched include:

Joe Millionaire - A "regular guy" pretends to be a millionaire as he dates and dismisses a group of women (same format as The Bachelor). In the end, he tells the final 2 girls the truth (that he's poor). And then he picks his final 1. If she agrees to keep dating him, they both get money (though she doesn't know this at the time).

Outback Jack - An Austrailian guy takes a bunch of girls to the Austrailian Outback (the real thing, not the restaurant, but YUM!). He eliminates them until he chooses one to continue a real relationship with. This show aired for only 1 season several years ago. The pair got married and recently had a baby.

Average Joe - A beautiful woman is put in a situation identical to The Bachelorette. But when the guys get out to meet her, they aren't hunky, ready-for-TV men. They are, as the title suggests, average Joes. The kind of men you'd see in line at the bank or sifting through produce at the grocery store...or collecting your garbage on a weekly basis. Of course, they throw in a few good looking guys, too. Typically, the girl will narrow it down to one "Joe" and one "hot guy". And the hot guy usually wins. But the relationships never last. Oh so shallow!

For Love or Money - This one was crazy. In the first season, there was a guy and a bunch of girls. The girls were all told that they could possibly win $1,000,000. In the end, they had to choose love or money. The chosen one chose MONEY. And, good call, because the guy was a dolt.

Mr. Personality - A woman had to select the man of her dreams by dating a group of men (just like The Bachelorette, once again). The catch - all the guys were wearing MASKS. Yep, all she had to go by was personality. Fun concept, but a wee bit creepy.