"Reality Love Stories:Where Are They Now?"

[Noreen]

TV love boat owner harbors a grudge





The bachelors weren't the only ones to get the shaft from "The Bachelorette." The owner of a luxury yacht where Jen Schefft had one of her group dates is outraged that the producers of the ABC show didn't give her the big advertising splash they promised in lieu of her usual mega-fee. Now she wants her money.
Laurie Kutscera, owner of the 85-foot Eastern Star, says producers of the reality dating show said they'd promote her vessel in prime time if she'd waive the $30,000-a-day rental fee.

Her crew worked from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m., Kutscera says, while Bachelorette Schefft and several of the bachelors enjoyed the first-class quarters as they glided around Manhattan island.

But when they show aired, "They never mentioned" the yacht, Kutscera tells us. "I feel like we were jerked around."

Jen and the boys' cruise ate up about seven minutes of screen time, and Kutscera was paid approximately $2,500 for operating expenses, chump change for such a luxe craft.

The production studio responsible for the show didn't have a lot to say to us.

"I talked to producers, and we just don't have any comment, says Telepictures spokeswoman Amy Maloney. "We can confirm that they hosted a date on the boat and that is all."

newyorkdalynews.com

[jenoy2001]

Jen Schefft is featured in the latest US Weekly (Charlie Sheen & Denise Richards on the cover) in a two page spread. There's a picture of Jen and Billy Dec (reportedly they're "close friends"). One interesting note: in one caption, Mike Fleiss is quoted as saying that he "felt sorry for Jerry" during the finale. A "close friend" of Jen's also says that Jen and Billy have really great chemistry. Anywho. That's the latest.

[cake]

If anyone gets the TV Guide Channel, check out Reality Love Stories: Where Are They Now. It's hosted by Bob Guiney and catches up on a lot of the Bachelor/ette couples (including the oft-forgotten other success story - Bryon and Mary) and contestants as well as other dating shows (Joe Millionaire, For Love or Money). At the very end they showed I think the party that was hosted for Jerry recently, and there were a bunch of past contestants in attendance: Remember Marcus from Meredith's season? Talky talky Ryan, Keith (not The Gift, the other one), and, duh duh duh, Ian, who *gasp* is "happy to be single". Ryan Schaeffer too, who seems to have a bit of an edge to him that I didn't notice on the show. But, meh, that's prolly just my interpretation. Anyhoo, check it out. It should air regularly over the next little while.

[britty05]

I'm not sure how many people saw this special that aired on the TV Guide Channel last night. It was hosted by Bob Guiney and it featured some of the stars from The Bachelor (specifically, Byron and Mary, Trista and Ryan, Alex Michel, Jesse and Andrew and Jen).

Byron and Mary got the most air time out of everyone. TV Guide joined them at one of Byron's most recent tournaments. They showed them signing autographs, Mary driving Byron's boat, Byron fishing with Mary and them just enjoying quality time alone. It was a really nice interview. They are still lovey dovey and touchy-feely with each other. The long loving glances are still there. Nothing has changed from the show. According to Mary, the FRC was even more romantic than the viewers got to see. Byron said that the producers knew that he was immediately attracted to Mary. They talked about sharing their first kiss on camera and the fact that it didn't bother them that cameras were around when they shared intimate moments because the cameramen and the sound guys became their friends. Byron says they're very happy together and Mary says they're trying to make a reality for themselves. The only tough part is that Byron is gone during the week for fishing tournaments while Mary stays in Tampa for her real estate work. Mary says that every moment that they spend together is very precious. A Sr. writer for TV Guide said that the reason Byron and Mary have worked out is because of their ages and the fact that they've gone through certain life experiences that 20 somethings haven't gone through yet. Byron pretty much concurred with that in comments that he made in the interview.

There wasn't new footage of Trista and Ryan. Basically they talked about Trista doing tv appearances but the fact that she gave all that up for Ryan. Trista said that she never had aspirations of becoming an actress. She also said that they're happy with their life in Vail and that anyone that doesn't believe that the process works for finding a mate, she will tell them otherwise.

As for Jesse and Alex, both said that they were true to themselves on the show and that they have no regrets for doing the show or with how the show turned out. Both are still single.

Bob said that he found the love of his life but not on the show and in the way that the producers would like. He said he met Rebecca on a show that makes fun of The Bachelor.

There was not much on Andrew and Jen. They showed old footage of them in happier times. Chris Harrison was quoted as saying that he would have bet a million dollars that those two would have gotten married. Jen was interviewed at some HBO event and she said that being the bachelorette was tough at times but she can safely say that she would not appear on the bachelor/ette ever again.

Jerry and some of the guys from Jen's and Meredith's seasons were also featured. There was footage of them at that House of Blues event that was held for Jerry. They showed Jerry hugging the adoring women fans that were falling all over him. He asked them if he should be the next Bachelor. Of course they all said yes. A tv guide reporter was there and she interviewed a few of the guys that were in attendance. Ryan M from Meredith's season said that he was still single and looking for someone to settle down with. He made fun of the fact that he was such a talker on Meredith's show. Keith from Jen's season said that he thought the show was a joke and that it's impossible to find love with 15 cameras in your face (he obviously didn't see Meredith's, Trista's and Byron's shows). Ryan from Jen's season said he's definitely wanting to get married and have kids at some point and that he was still available. Marcus from Meredith's season was also there but an interview with him was not shown. The shock of the night was "camera shy Ian" speaking to the reporter. He told her that he spent a month in Brazil after the break-up. He never mentioned Meredith. He said "it's good to be out again and good to be single". Said that that it's difficult going through a breakup so he had to distance himself from all of it. He looked very happy and content. Ian has obviously gotten over Meredith. There won't be a reconciliation there.

So that's it for the show. Like I said, there were follow-ups on couples from other shows but I won't focus on those since this is The Bachelor/ette thread.

Oh, the special is airing at other times this week. Here are few of those times:

Today 3-21 @ 6 pm
3-22 @ 3pm
3-23 @ 1 am & 12 noon
3-24 @ 3pm
3-25 @ 1 am & 6 pm
3-26 @ 2 pm, 5 pm and 9 pm
3-27 @ 11 am.

Note that all times are EST.

[cafegirl]

here's a "scathing" article about the Bachelor/ette series... the Author doesn't hold anything back...

Let's just call
the show 'Bitchlorette'

Folks tuned in for true love. They got suckered.

By Lynda Liu

In the span of a few weeks, Jen Schefft morphed from ABC’s "Bachelorette" into a much-reviled Bitchlorette, displacing "The Apprentice’s" Omarosa as America’s most hated reality TV diva.
For once, ABC lived up to its promise of delivering the “most shocking rose ceremony ever” but with a price. The gasps heard around the world (or at least in TV land) were followed by the clicking off of television sets as fans vowed never to be suckered by the series again.
Can the "Bachelor"/"Bachelorette" franchise be saved?
The prognosis is poor. Clips of the next installment, debuting next Monday, March 28, and starring the unemployed identical twin of C-list actor Jerry O’Connell, look more like lost footage from "Girls Gone Wild" than a fairy-tale love story.
Producers seem to think they can boost sagging ratings with more sex. (With Schefft, they seemed to be after the most bang for her bust with prominent displays of cleavage around every camera shot. This certainly made for an interesting subplot as fans speculated about the dramatic increase in her cup size since she won—and lost—bachelor Andrew Firestone’s heart).
What producers are missing in their attempts to doctor the show is that sex doesn’t sell when it comes to this series. It’s all about character.

Here’s what ABC can learn from some of the past nine protagonists:

Bob Guiney ("Bachelor IV"):
He was the underdog in "Bachelorette I," the overweight funny guy who made it past more rose rounds than anyone expected. A few weight loss pounds later, Bob became the "Bachelor" and began making out with the women as if they were the Twinkies he had been depriving himself of.
The revelation was that Bob, underneath all the jolly fat, was a bit of a sleaze. He ultimately dumped his final rose pick and married a soap opera actress whom he met doing press junkets.

LESSON: Don’t sell us on a guy’s big heart and personality and then show us that he’s nothing but a big jerk. We can get that in real life without having to tune in. Also, the only thing worse than a good-looking, cold-hearted bachelor is a bad-looking, cold-hearted one.

Meredith Phillips ("Bachelorette II"):
She skipped Grandma’s funeral to vie for Bob’s heart, only to be dumped near the end. In retrospect, she said she realized she had been too guarded and wanted the chance to open herself up to love.
How could viewers not embrace a woman claiming to have had a life-changing epiphany because of reality TV? Unfortunately, watching her as the bachelorette was like watching a train-wreck in progress.
Apparently blind to neon “commitmentphobe” signs that blink across men’s foreheads, she picked Ian. She also broke the other finalist’s heart, telling him she would be honored to be his wife only to dump him in the final ceremony. (Ian reportedly dumped Meredith recently, just short of a wedding, proving that karma still exists in reality TV.)

LESSON: Make sure your bachelors/bachelorettes resolve their issues (translation: get therapy) before the show. We don’t need to watch someone self-destruct (again, this can be accomplished in real life without turning on the tube). We want a happy ending, not a demonstration of a Dr. Phil talking point.
Jesse Palmer ("Bachelor V"):
No proposal at the end, just the choice between one mentally unstable blonde and one immature bubblehead. We never believed your heart was in it, Jesse, and ours never was either.

LESSON: When shallow is too deep a word to describe the bachelor and his finalists, you know you’re swimming in the wrong end of television programming.

Byron Velvick ("Bachelor VI"):
Byron was looking for love and appears to have found it. He’s being touted by ABC as the first bachelor who will make his way to the chapel. So what’s not to love? It’s in the hair.

LESSON: Byron spent more time and energy on his hair than most of the women he was wooing. Female viewers cannot relate to this. We would never have believed in Cinderella and Prince Charming if we knew he had more haircare products than she did in the bathroom cabinet.

Master Class from Jen Schefft ("Bachelorette III"):
She should have quit while she was ahead. When she and Firestone broke up, viewers assumed that simple, solid Midwestern Jen must have had her heart broken by the rich party boy. She had America’s sympathy.
We were even willing to ignore that awkward moment when Andrew got down on his knee, and Jen clawed the big, fat Harry Winston ring out of his hands before he could propose.
She should have left well enough alone, but Jen needed more than her 15 minutes. Her turn as the bachelorette became a self-indulgent narcissistic ride (“So tell me three reasons why you like me.”).
In the end, she egged poor John-Paul on as he proclaimed his undying love for her, lighting up like the fourth of July with each of his compliments and beaming at his proposal (Me, you want to marry me? I must have worth! See, Andrew, other men are proposing to ME!).
After allowing him to gush on, she informed him that they had no chemistry.
Then Jerry, the last man standing, walked in, and she assured him she had no doubts whatsoever. Oddly enough, seconds after he had fallen on bended knee and popped the magic words to her, she suddenly discovered she did have doubts! She asked for more time and waited until live television to let him know that they would be better as friends.
In the real world, there are words for people who do things like that, but none of them would make it past the FCC censors.

LESSON: There’s a reason that mean Nellie Olsen was never the star of "Little House on the Prairie." No one likes a bitch. Viewers want the fairy tale. Don’t cast the Wicked Queen in the role of the beloved Princess.

While viewers may have tuned in to the "Bachelor" franchise initially for the same reasons people rubberneck at accidents—that is to make sure they don’t miss out on anything—viewers kept watching because they wanted a good love story. You can’t have that without a decent cast of characters.
Most people know that anyone who thinks they’ll find true love speed-dating on national television probably isn’t coming from the most stable part of the see-saw. Still, we don’t want to watch people with so much baggage that they would sink all chances at true love.
Viewers want to believe in the fairy tale. If you give them what they can find in their everyday lives (or an even crazier/sleazier/shallower version), they are going to be angry at you for wasting their time. Eventually, they will tune out.
After the Jen Schefft debacle, the men she led on weren’t the only people feeling used. When viewers feel that way, too, it’s more reality than anyone wants to get from television.






March 24, 2005 © 2005 Media Life

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/New...3thursday.html

[cake]

Trista and Ryan are in an infomercial for "Billy's Bootcamp", a workout video. I was surfing by the channel; didn't see Trista, but HEARD her very distinctive monotone voice. Ha. Flipped back and there she was, and Ryan. They aren't the main part of the video, but appear briefly to give their celebrity endorsement. Vivica Fox also gives hers.