ABC/CRAIG SJODIN
Just got off the phone with Mike Fleiss, creator of The Bachelor, my favorite show of all time. There, I said it. I’m a slave to the franchise: I know the names (and special talents–I’m talking to you, backflip guy!) of all the participants; I become increasingly invested as the season progresses (don’t even think about asking me for plans on a Monday night); and I truly believe that these people fall in love with each other, at least during filming. I interviewed Mr. Fleiss for a piece I’m writing for Modern Bride–can’t say, yet, what it’s about, but look out for it in an upcoming issue–and let me tell you, the guy was freakin’ fascinating. He kicked off the whole reality show craze when he created the show Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire, which ended in scandal when the man Darva Conger had married–actually married!–turned out to have a 10-year-old restraining order against him, and to add even bigger insult to injury, a mere $2 million in the bank. But Fleiss knew a good thing when he saw it–do you remember how many people talked about that show, even in the pre-Twitter days?–and went on to create The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, The CW’s Hitched or Ditched, and More to Love, which airs on FOX two weeks from now. Hail to Mike Fleiss, my official drug dealer. I’m hooked on whatever he’s smoking.
July 14th, 2009 at 10:11 am
A friend sent me to one of your articles. Very moving. I also noticed that there are no comments, so here goes: Do we really need shows that help attractive people get laid? Or better yet: Why would an intelligent person like yourself watch them, let alone write about them? And since they are basically fiction, that makes it even less interesting since the concept of “reality” is what should be separating these shows from the soaps…
-PM
July 14th, 2009 at 10:29 am
PM, I agree with you completely; I have no idea why I watch these shows, either. In my case, I think it’s as simple as the fact that it’s brainless mind-candy, and I like mind-candy. I also like to read Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky and watch The Wire, so I’m careful not to let my brain atrophy completely.
July 15th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
OK. Here’s a secret the world will now know. Your UNCLE MICHAEL is hooked on The Bachelorette!!! “Moderator” Chris – evidently only needs a ten word vocabulary to survive and prosper. “It’s the last rose…”
July 15th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
To be fair these “attractive” people make really bad choices. Over and over again. That’s one of the reasons I watch.
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:12 pm
You should be the next Bachelorette. They need a smart chick on this show. As far as More to Love – which I call the Fat Bachelor, it irks me that they are advertising these women as “real, average American women”. Um, no. I have no prejudice against people who are fat. However, these women are not “average”, they are quite heavy. Cut the shit, Fleiss.