And So It Begins...

Happy New Year, Bachelor fans!  It's hard to believe that winter vacation has come to an end after a couple of glorious weeks away from work.  It's the Bachelor Premiere Eve, which for some is more exciting than Christmas or New Year's Eve.  In less than 24 hours, we will be re-introduced to Brad Womack, the 38 year old, Austin, Texas Native.  Some interesting facts about Brad: he has a twin brother Chad and another brother Wes with whom he owns a chain of bars in Austin.  They seem like college type, party, dive bars.  They have names like "The Chuggin' Monkey," "Dizzy Rooster," and "Uncle Flirty's."  I have never been to Austin, but if I ever go, I will certainly have to add these to my to-do list.

In case you are not up to speed on your Bachelor history, Brad was the star of Season 11.  He got down to the final two ladies, Jenni Croft and DeAnna Pappas.  After Brad sent Jenni home in tears, we were all ready for Brad to propose to DeAnna on the finale.  Only, that's not what happened.  After spending Monday after Monday investing ourselves in this incredibly addicting fantasy world of reality romance, Brad did the unthinkable - he rejected both women.  Later on, we found out that DeAnna's father was flown out right before the finale (which took place in some exotic tropical location) by ABC because Brad would not propose without asking permission first.   But in the end, he felt it wasn't right to propose or choose either woman, despite having strong feelings for both. He wasn't in love and didn't think it was right to lead them on.  

An uproar followed. Women across the country and the world were horrified.  How could anyone with access to 25 of the most incredible, hand picked ideal female specimens not be able to choose one at the end?  Brad blames it on a fear of rejection, something he claims to have worked on.  At the After the Final Rose show that season, DeAnna admitted to still having feels for Brad, despite what happened on the finale.  She said not a day had gone by where she hadn't thought of him, and she was hoping that their reunion would elicit an explanation from Brad or provide an opportunity for Brad to win her back.  Instead, Brad gave confusing answers, putting DeAnna into an emotional state. As they parted after an awkward interview, Brad whispered into DeAnna's ear, "I'll miss you more than you'll ever know."  Why the guy didn't even attempt to date DeAnna without proposing IS rather confusing.  But perhaps, like many men, Brad was simply poor at telling these ladies he was just not that into them.  Or that he wasn't ready to commit to marriage and multiply with them.  Is that really such a crime?

And PLEASE don't feel bad for the rejects.  Jenni Croft, then 28 years old and a Phoenix Suns cheerleader, had a great life both before and after the show.  Pretty soon after the show aired, she got back together with an old boyfriend and is now married.  That didn't take long.  But even more impressive than Jenni's comeback, was DeAnna's.  She certainly doesn't have anything to complain about.  DeAnna became the next Bachelorette, earning her own crop of 25 suitors.  At the end, she chose Jesse Csincsak and the two became engaged.  DeAnna was sure she had met her soulmate, the love of her life, yadda yadda yadda.  The two split, but not before DeAnna landed a gig as the co-host of a cable television show about wedding planning called Get Married.   Soon after her split with Jesse, he began to date Holly Durst, a rejectee of the Matt Grant Bachelor season.  DeAnna remained single and busy traveling back and forth between LA and Georgia to film her show.

After several months of hot and heavy dating, Jesse and Holly parted ways.  Soon after there was Bachelor/Bachelorette reunion in Las Vegas and somehow DeAnna and Holly ended up become best friends.  They were probably comparing notes about their ex, but these two ladies became inseparable.  Holly began to date Michael Stagliano, an adorable, fan favorite reject from Jillian's season of The Bachelorette.  Lucky for DeAnna, Michael had an identical twin brother Stephen, who Holly introduced her to (funny how she ended up with another twin after Brad). DeAnna and Stephen quietly began dating and then like most semi-Hollywood romances going strong, it was announced in August 2010 by Us Magazine that DeAnna and Stephen were engaged.  Holly and Michael were engaged as well but the really scary part was that a double wedding was in the works along with a reality tv show.  If you really want to be freaked out, watch the eery video of this fearsome foursome filmed shortly after the announcement of the double engagement.   

Meanwhile, Brad was getting hate mail and being scorned by women everywhere.  He stated in an interview that he couldn't really go out in public for a while.  He went through some serious therapy and claims that he is now in a proper place to find his wife.  Fans everywhere are skeptical.  Perhaps in the hopes of winning back the public's favor, Brad has even insisted that he has found love this season.  My guess is that it's in his contract that he will pick someone this time around no matter what and stay with this person for 6 months to a year or he will get sued.  I don't blame him for trying.  But I do blame ABC for painting such a depressing picture of what single women in their late 20s and early 30s have as a chance to meet an eligible guy.

As I have stated before on this blog, the fact that ABC could not find a single other eligible male to carry the show is extremely sad.  They have dozens of people whose sole job is to interview and seek out eligible men to come on and compete on the show - are they saying there wasn't a single guy out there who could do this other than someone who has already been the bachelor?  How depressing is that?  Rather than believe this, I'm just going to believe that the truly wonderful single guys left out there either a) do not have the time to take off to participate in a show like this b) think the concept of dating 25 women at the same time in the hopes of finding a wife is absolutely ludicrous or c) have never heard of The Bachelor.  

In addition, I am sure that the contestants chosen for this season of The Bachelor do not reflect the fact that once a woman has hit the age of 30, she is less desirable than a woman who is 24 - 27.  Because having 20 out of 25 bachelorettes be under 30 when the man they are competing for is 38, is just wrong and sends a really bad message.  Women in their late 20s and early 30s have a much better idea of what they are looking for both in life and in a mate - and a man who is 38 and still single may certainly have some baggage and a fear of commitment that no 24 year old could cure.

That said, I'm signing off until after tomorrow night's show. It's going to be another crazy season of 6:45 AM train rides to work while typing up my blog posts, but hopefully it will be well worth it.  Good luck returning to work for those who have been out.  Let me know what you think this season will bring.