Somebody Needs to Tell Brad Womack he's on a Dating Show

The girls competing for Brad's heart on The Bachelor get a first class ticket to a tropical paradise and yet they still bitch and moan. Why? Because they’re insecure about how Bachelor Brad feels about them. Fair enough, they can cry all they want as they gaze at the sunset from their five star palace paid for by the hungry advertising execs of ABC.

In one episode, Brad is having second thoughts about one of the remaining "women,” as he likes to call them. He is worried she’s too dramatic. I think someone needs to tell this guy he's on a dating show. He seems confused.

In one episode the show has taken the Brad and his “women” to Costa Rica. I get the audience is interested in seeing beautiful aerial shots of Costa Rica, it's a stunning country. But another helicopter date? Seriously? I want to speak with the Associate Producers on this segment. Disappointing and lazy work people.

Okay now I'm certain Brad doesn't know he's on a dating show. In one episode he actually tells one of the women competing for his affections not to "play games" with him. Dude! You're the bachelor on a competitive dating show! The whole damn thing is a game. How can he not know this?

Somewhere on a story board in the ABC Network offices there is a box that says “Ali- Scared of Bugs.” And one episode we got to see how that story line was played out.

During the casting process of The Bachelor clearly one of said applicants answered “bugs and bats” which is why the producers set up a one-on-one date with Brad and Ali to a dark cave with you guessed it, bugs and bats.

Guaranteed, over 50% of the reason why The Bachelor is suddenly in Costa Rica is so the producers could find the biggest bugs and bats on earth and freak this woman right the $#!* out.

And I have to mention the “We are sinking” comment Brad made during his and Ali's dinner. The two of them were for a lack of a better term "sinking" with nothing to say to each other and awkward silences. It was clear Brad was not going to be giving Ali a rose. But the best part was that their dinner was taking place on an actual sinking table on the water. Trash TV doing high brow double entendres. Priceless.

Except for the predictable and overdone helicopter date, generally speaking the date scenes work really well for The Bachelor. Because it's a TV show, the dates have to be entertaining so they do over the top crazy Fear Factor style dates. They don't go bungee jumping and repelling down 100ft buildings because it's a great first date activity. They do it because it’s great TV. However it's also not necessarily a bad way of judging someone's character.


This blog was first posted at http://technorati.com/entertainment/tv/article/the-bachelor-season-15-the-very/#ixzz1Dtv9CVGs

Emily Maynard: A PWD

If you have any doubt that producer's don't 100% manipulate reality TV shows, look no further than the second episode of The Bachelor this week. How many times did we the audience here about Bachelor contestant Emily's Maynard's story about finding out she was pregnant a week after the love of her life died in a plane c rash?

Well let's count. Considering there's only been two episodes in total. The tragic love story has probably been told over 5 times. The intense repetition brings us so close to the story that by the time Emily actually reveals the story to Brad (The Bachelor), the audience feels as though they too lost the love's of their lives in a plane crash. And hey, perhaps some audience members have, but statistically speaking most have not.

They featured the story at the beginning of first episode, then throughout that episode about two more times. In the second episode, with teary eyes, Emily tells her fellow contestants the story again. This scene is referred to as a PWDS, or Producer's Wet Dream Scene #1. The PWDS #2 was when she revealed the story to Brad.

So knowing this and considering all the one-on-one dates the Bachelor goes on, is it any wonder why show producers would organize his date with Emily to include a private jet ride?

It's cruel, but a terrific story element. We know why she's nervous, but Brad doesn't. Brilliant build-up for the reveal to Brad.

The upside is that if she's anything like she comes across on TV (a cute southern bell who’s down to earth but lacking of self-awareness), she probably didn't even see the connection.

And if she doesn’t figure it out and instead thinks it was just gosh darn coincidence that she ended up on the date involving a small plane, when then gee whiz them producers did some golly good casting.

“Golly that’s a strange coincidence!” She may think."Out of all the dates Brad get's to go on, he chooses one that involves a plane ride without even knowing my story. This is fate. and I'm going to make-out with him."

And then she did. And it was a great PWDS #3 for the second episode of the Bachelor.