| The Bachelor: Reality TV's Love & Hair On The Air! |
| Karen Marie Shelton |
| Date: 3/26/2002 |
Introduction
 "The
Bachelor," an original one-hour primetime reality television
six-episode series that gives one lucky man and 25 lucky women the
unique opportunity to find true love, premiered on Monday, March
25 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.
This new program replaces "The Chair"
which had originally been scheduled for this time and has since been
cancelled. (Photo of The Bachelor - Alex Michael - ABC/CRAIG SJODIN
- Copyright ABC all rights reserved - 2002 ABC, INC.)
After an extensive nationwide search, one of
America’s most eligible bachelors was revealed on March 25th on
the new ABC reality romance show. Alex Michael (shown above) an attractive, accomplished
businessman (with, I might add, very GQ hair) comes from a
supportive, close-knit family. This Bachelor is reported by
the producers to have a great sense of
humor and a greater sense of adventure, both of which he will need
as he embarks on a quest to find true love.
Well educated and charming, Alex begins this search in
earnest when introduced to 25 attractive, successful and talented
women from all walks of life (shown below).
Although they had never met the Bachelor, these
women were given an opportunity to learn about him beforehand and
see his photos. (Photo of The Bachelorettes - ABC/CRAIG SJODIN - all
rights reserved - 2002 ABC, INC.)
During the premiere episode, the Bachelor hosted a cocktail
party and was introduced to all of the 25 bachelorette women for the
very first time.
 By
the end of the first evening, he faced the daunting
task of selecting 15 women whom he would like to know better for the
course of the entire show.
Once Alex made his initial selections he presented
each one of his choices with a single red rose. (Photo of Alexa
on the left & Amy on
the right were two of the first 15 selected - BC/BOB D-AMICO).
 Being
obsessed with hair I immediately  scooped
out all the hair styles on the 25 initial bachelorettes.
Obviously the women were picked with Bachelor Alex Michael's female
tastes in mind. Since the goal of the show is to find Alex a
wife, it makes sense that the producers would cater to his initial
visual needs. (Amanda on the
left & Angela on the right
from the first 15 - ABC/BOB D-AMICO).
 Although
anything can happen on these reality shows, just look at Marry A
Millionaire, it is obvious that ABC is trying to do a better job of
making a matrimonial match than other shows from the past. (Angelique
- One of the first 15 - ABC/BOB D-AMICO).
 I was very impressed with the healthy and shiny manes that appeared
on the majority of the women on the first show. I am not sure if
a staff of hairstylists helped to dress the tresses but whatever the
reason, the show started off on a good hair foot. (Long haired
blonde beauty Christina was one
of the first 15 - ABC/BOB D-AMICO).
One thing that was especially interesting to me was
the large number of bachelorettes with shoulder length or longer
locks. Even more notable was the fact that of the fifteen women
that he chose for the first cut, Alex selected eight who were
brunette, one who was "cinnamon brunette" and one who had
a dark auburn/brunette hue.
  The
remaining five bachelorettes had various shades of blonde hair. No vibrant
redheads were in the group.
There also was an absence of funky or Goth colors
including pink, orange, blue and white. Also MIA were wild
streaks, multi-colored hair or other unconventional hues. This hair
color phenomenon would make sense since one of the women interviewed
on the first episode made the comment that "Alex seems like the
type of guy who wants a classy lady". (Kathryn
- left & LaNesse - right -
from the first 15 - ABC/BOB D-AMICO).
 Although
the women could either accept or decline the Bachelor’s invitation
to continue on the journey, every
one of the 15 women (Alexa, Amanda, Amy,
Angela, Angilique, Cathy, Christina, Kathryn, Kimberly, LaNesse,
Melissa, Rhonda, Shannon, Tina and Trista) that he chose
accepted the rose, many with a kiss. (Shannon
shown to the side was one of the first 15 - ABC/BOB
D-AMICO).
The women who accepted the roses will move into a
sprawling mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean for much of their
courtship with the Bachelor.
 During
the subsequent five episodes, via a series of dates and social
gatherings, the number of romantic hopefuls continues to narrow,
from 15 to eight, then four and, ultimately, to the one woman who
captures his heart. (Photo of Melissa shown
- from the first 15 - ABC/BOB D-AMICO).
 Although
Melissa shown above, Rhonda (left), and Cathy (below) all have the
shortest of the chin length bobs, the rest of the first group of
bachelorettes have shoulder length or longer locks. (Photo of Rhonda
shown - from the first 15 - ABC/BOB D-AMICO).
Other than Rhonda who has a slight side sweep of long bangs, none of the other bachelorettes have bangs
of any kind. This is interesting in light of the fact that
bangs are very big for 2002. I also noticed that the sizzling hot shattered,
razored cuts of 2002 were not present on any of the first finalists.
 There
wasn't a crop or short shaggy capped do in the lot.
Does this mean that Alex prefers women with longer hair? It
would seem to be the case. Although the majority of the women
have longer locks, none have hair that cascades longer than mid back.
(Cathy - from the first group of
15 - ABC/BOB D-AMICO).
 Also
notable is the fact that only one of the women, Kimberly, had hair
that was not worn sleek, smooth and very straight. Absent from the
first group was any curly girls.
Kimberly appeared on the first show with wavy hair
that might have been shaped by one of the hot new crimping tools or
a great set of hot rollers. (Kimberly shown
to the side - from the first 15 - ABC/BOB D-AMICO).
As the show unfolds it will provide an in-depth,
behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of each participant
involved in this unique dating process. During the show's six
episodes the Bachelor will have more time to get to know the
bachelorettes.
 The
Bachelor travels to exciting, romantic locations with the ladies
that he selects, introduces them to his closest friends and his
family and visits their hometowns to meet their parents, all in an
effort to identify the woman with whom he is most compatible. (Tina
- from the first 15 - ABC/BOB D-AMICO).
 At
the end of the journey, this young man will have had an
unforgettable experience, made new friendships and, quite possibly,
found true love. We will also get to watch the entire event.
OK, so we explored the hypothesis that Alex is
attracted to classy women who have longer hair. This
hypothesis will be proven or disproven as the show progresses and
Alex continues to narrow his choices to just one woman. (Trista
- from the first 15 - ABC/BOB D-AMICO).
But the big question is: After all of this,
if he pops the question, will she accept?
 Chris
Harrison (host of HGTV’s popular primetime series
"Designers’ Challenge") guides this romantic journey —
serving as friend and confidant, as the Bachelor and the women learn
more about each other. (Photo copyright ABC - ABC/BOB D-AMICO -
2002)
"The Bachelor" is produced by Next
Entertainment in association with Telepictures Productions for ABC.
Mike Fleiss ("Magic Secrets Revealed") is executive
producer. Information courtesy of ABC Media. A special thanks
from HairBoutique.com. |