Are reality junkies ready to travel back in time 10 years?
A long long long time ago, on a network that was either brilliantly copied, or continually copied, reality shows crept up that resembled game shows. The audience was live, and the contestants didn’t display their talents, but they competed for love, as in Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire, which had a beauty pageant spin, and although the name of the show escapes me, there was a show where multiple couples were matched up, then lived together. This is from the same network that ran the dating show where the bachelors were in full masks, and where the bachelor who was a little person, picked from bachelorettes who were both little people, and normal sized. Let’s not forget Joe Millionaire, which wasn’t a live show, but you get the idea.
At the same time, other networks ran a show called For Love or Money, various versions of that. The Bachelor/Bachelorette series seems to be the only show truly going strong from that time, but the concept has been revisited and the results are interesting.
What I like about it:
Three Bachelors: Yes, I know The Bachelor did this in Byron’s season, but they
competed for the same women, these guys are competing for women chosen exclusively for them. Which reminds me, what happened to the show “Three” about women? I only caught one or two episodes.
Twelve Women (times 3): Each Bachelor has his choice between twelve women. It looks as if each bachelor will send home three women initially (one from each match maker) and then one woman home each week going forward (respectively). Thirty six women total.
Three Matchmakers: This I love. The women are specifically chosen by matchmakers who make it their profession to match people up. I think this is brilliant. If someone is causing drama, the matchmakers tell them to knock it off. Everything you’re screaming at home, they say to the girls. Thank goodness.
Eva Longoria: Eva Longoria is the creator of the show. Who doesn’t love Eva? Eva and I have a little thing in common, we were married on the same calendar day, and we’re both divorced. How sad is that? Guess 07-07-07 isn’t as lucky as we thought. I wonder if she met someone interviewing bachelors for the show. I think the idea is brilliant, personally. Maybe she saved the best one for herself? Come on, I’m sure the thought crossed in to her mind at least once. She’s human.
What I initially don’t like about it:
Blind Dismissal: Similar to The Dating Game and a show from 10 years ago that appeared on another network, the bachelors make their first eliminations without seeing the woman prior. This is done in three groups of four, twelve total. The dismissal takes place in front of a live audience and they seem to have found a use for the partitioned elevator inside of Glass House. That is how the women enter and exit the stage.
Live Audience: I’m not sure if we know the participants well enough for a live audience thing this early on. I can see it working once we know everyone better though.
The Skinny: The contestants look super tiny on the live shows. Very very very thin! I hope they are not that skinny in person. The reality star host Guiliana Rancic (married to reality star co-host Bill) is extremely thin, but she's had some public health issues.
Drama: Because of the pressure of the live audience, and because the matchmakers are able to call people out and give advice, it looks like there is a lot more drama than I would have expected between the women. Then again, the bachelorettes chosen for The Bachelor are chosen by producers and although I’m sure they are looking for some chaos, they are also looking for some common unity. This situation is different because I’m confident the matchmakers are not intentionally building a house of compatible personalities. Also, the matchmakers seem to be choosing very different types of women. This should be interesting. I’m intrigued enough to set me DVR to make sure I don’t miss an episode. Are you?
