The Bachelor Retrospective

With all the recent Conspiracy Theories from RealitySteve about the current bachelor, Jason Merrick, I have been thinking a lot more about the show than normal.  I have also been writing about it quite a bit since the current series has generated such a tremendous amount of buzz.

(Bachelor Bob Guiney with wife Rebecca Budig - DailyCeleb.com - All Rights Reserved)

In previous blogs and HairBoutique articles I have discussed the fact I have been watching ABC's The Bachelor since the very beginning of the series.  I'm not sure why but it seems a good percentage of the bachelors and bachelorettes come from the Texas area.

In fact, the very first bachelor, Alex Michel had family in Texas.  His father worked as a high level executive for a large corporation in the Dallas area and I knew some people who knew both Alex's dad and Alex.

It's not that I'm a Reality TV junkie.  I never could really get into Idol or Survivor although I do catch some episodes from time to time, especially when I have a writing assignment tied to one of the contestants or the show's host.

(Jesse Csincsak and DeAnna Pappas - DailyCeleb.com - All Rights Reserved).

Listed below is a retrospective on some of my thoughts about the various bachelors through the run of the show.

Bachelor #1 - Alex Michel

It was the very first season of the show and a lot of the formats which are very firmly in place currently were not there at that point.  Things seems a little chaotic but it was the beginning of my addiction.  I loved the show even though I was a little skeptical of Alex.

I was disappointed when he chose Amanda Marsh because I loved Trista Rehn but not surprised to hear after the show was over Alex kept calling Trista and finally dumped Amanda.

According to recent reports Alex Michel is still single but has been a consultant for Match.com.  Which makes some sense I guess.

Bachelor #2 - Aaron Buerge

The second bachelor was Aaron Buerge who lived in Springfield, Missouri.  I grew up in St. Louis and spent some time in Springfield with an ex who was going to school at Southwest Missouri State University, or whatever they call it these days.  I also vacationed at the Lake of the Ozarks which is a hop, skip, jump from Springfield.

I could relate to Aaron's background working at a bank in a small Southwestern Missouri city.  I was shocked when he dumped his choice, Helene, at a coffee shop.   Although throughout Bachelor history there has not been a single Bachelor who has gotten married as a result of the show, this was only the second Bachelor so there was still hope it would end with happily ever after.

Bachelor #3 - Andrew Firestone

Continuing the reign of Bachelors starting with an A in their name, Andrew Firestone was my favorite until a very reliable source ran into him in Las Vegas where he was attempting to pick up women in the bar.  She called me from her cell to tell me she had spotted him and gave me the juicy details.

She had a chance to meet him, at which point, he hit on her.  Since she knew who he was she ran the opposite direction.  Therefore I was not surprised when it didn't work out with him and Jennifer Schefft who went on to be a Bachelorette.  No real reason was given at the time of the break-up but I was suspicious that he had zipper problems.  I could be wrong but that was my thought at the time.

Bachelor #4 - Bob Guiney

Bob Guiney was definitely one of my favorites when he was the fourth bachelor.  I campaigned for him via my website and sent an email in to ABC to let them know Bob should be the man.  Of course ABC could care less what I think but it never hurts to share your thoughts.  Of course I was upset when Bob promptly dumped his selection, Estella Gardiner.

Bob had a happy ending in his own private life by marrying Rebecca Budig but I really thought Bob was not interested in show business but finding his true love.  That didn't seem to be the case although I'm happy Bob has found joy and a love.

Bachelor #5 - Jesse Palmer

I never related to Pro Football player Jesse Palmer or any of the bachelorettes so even though I watched the series, I was surprisingly blase about it.  Maybe I was disillusioned after Bachelor Bob or the ongoing succession of bachelors who didn't stay with their Final Rose Ceremony picks.

Bachelor #6 - Byron Velvick

After Jesse came Byron Velvick, a professional fisherman.  He was handsome and seemed like a good guy.  I loved the twist where they brought back two of the previous bachelorettes.  I was even more impressed when Byron selected Mary Delgado who had been eliminated by Bachelor Bob.  Mary was gorgeous and she and Byron seemed like a true love match.

Supposedly Byron and Mary are still together but they made the news recently when they had a physical altercation and the police were called.  No wedding has ever happened although they have said that one was in the works.

Bachelor #7 - Charlie O'Connell

Bachelor Charlie O'Connell was interesting because he was the brother of Jerry O'Connell and I am a fan of Jerry's work.  I also liked the fact the show was moved to a different location with the bachelorettes staying in a condo rather than a big beautiful mansion.

I also was rotting for Sarah Brice, Charlie's Final Rose Ceremonyy Selection. Sarah who is a nurse and Charlie, an actor seem to have a real relationship and are still together reconciling in late 2008 after a brief breakup in 2007.  They have claimed to have wedding plans on the Horizon.

Bachelor #8 - Dr. Travis Lane Stork

Dr. Travis Lane Stork also was not all that exciting as a Bachelor to me although I faithfully watched.   He was supposedly a big draw because he was a doctor.  My reaction?  Yawn. I was more interested in Dr. Stork when he started dating Country Star Carrie Underwood. If Carrie thought he was hot then obviously I had missed something?

Although Carrie is very secretive about her love life it was revealed by insiders that she was involved with Dr. Stork for approximately 8 months before ending the relationship.

Bachelor #9 - Prince Lorenzo Borghese

Prince Lorenzo Borghese offered a new twist on the bachelor series.  The show was shot in Europe rather than in the United States and the entire feel to the show seemed off to me.  I watched but was never caught up in the drama nor did I have a favorite at the end of the show.

Of course shortly after the series ended The Bachelor and his Final Rose Ceremony selection ended.  No surprises there.  Prince Lorenzo Borghese faded off into the distance.

Bachelor #10 - Andy Baldwin

Bachelor Andy Baldwin re-ignited my interest in the Bachelor series.  I watched with glee as the perpetually hot Andy worked his way towards the winner, Tessa Horst.  Andy and Tessa stayed together for eight months and then broke up.  Andy called her the "love of his life".

It was recently revealed he dated Marla Maples, the ex of The Donald.  Supposedly the are kaput but still "very good friends".  I've heard that one before.  Haven't you?

Bachelor #11 - Brad Womack

After Andy, Brad Womack was a bit of a let down because Andy was so hot.   Brad has a bar in Austin, Texas so that made him more noteworthy in my book.  He also had a twin brother which added spice to the series.  Finally, he was the first bachelor to not select either of the two finalists.

It was Brad Womack who left DeAnna Pappas standing alone at the end which triggered a major media buzz or gigantic proportions.  In some respects I felt bad for Brad because he appeared to follow his heart and not select either woman.  However, everyone wants a happy ending whether we believe its crap or not.

Bachelor #12 - Matt Grant

Matt Grant was a British bachelor and I have never been a fan of British men.  Of course that is my opinion and I know a lot of women find the British accent a big turn off.  I was also convinced that the winner, Shayne Lamas, really only wanted to be on TV.  Her famous father said as much to her on air.

No surprise when Shayne apparently dumped Matt for some hot millionaire.

Bachelor #13 - Jason Mesnick

The final and current bachelor is Jason Mesnick.  I liked Jason a lot on The Bachelorette series with DeAnna Pappas but there are now rumors he is going to do something incredibly slimy and use Melissa to get to Molly.  Or even worse, he is going to dump both women for DeAnna.  Since the show isn't over yet, only time will tell what really happens.

Final Questions

There are a lot of questions I could ask but I'll save them for another blog day.