Ben Flajnik Begins His Search For a Love
I get a smile every time I think about this reality series for as far as reality shows go, this one is scripted to an art. It airs on Monday nights, 8pm/c on ABC.
Since I only have a quick, somewhat snarky review of the first show in this series, some background below.
Ashley did not, keeping up with the refreshment, choose Ben. Ben was one of the final two choices and is now the star of the show on this season's Bachelor.
Below, I shamelessly quote the ABC web site when the announcement that Ben was the next Bachelor was announced. It gives as good an over-view of the fellow as most anything.
Millions of viewers shared the heartbreak of Ben Flajnik (pronounced Flannick) when his soulful and heartfelt proposal was rejected by Ashley Hebert in the emotional finale of last season's The Bachelorette. Now Ben is ready to put all the disappointment and hurt behind him in order to move on with his life, his phenomenal success as a businessman and his search for the right woman to be his wife and to start a family with, as he stars in the next edition of ABC's hit romance reality series, The Bachelor, when it returns to ABC in January 2012.
The 28-year-old bachelor has fallen in love three times (Ashley being the third), but has only proposed the one time; that one failed proposal won't stop him from trying again. He is confident that, having found love on The Bachelorette, he will find his soul mate and a lasting, love-filled relationship this time on The Bachelor.
Ben, whose easy going charm and sense of humor made him so popular and relatable to viewers, is part of a very close knit family, including his mother and sister. Unfortunately his father, Joseph, with whom Ben was best friends, died almost four years ago. Always supportive, his father personified the kind of husband and father Ben wanted to be. Ben grew up in Sonoma, California, leaving for Tucson before he started high school because of his dad's work. His mother is a teacher of third grade "gifted students." Ben stayed in Arizona to attend the University of Arizona, majoring in music production with a minor in business. He quickly found success in the business world, working in Internet advertising after he graduated college. After his father died in 2007, Ben moved back to California, and he plans to stay in northern California for the foreseeable future.
A rare, modern Renaissance man, Ben dabbles in a lot of hobbies and crafts, such as crab fishing, sailing, golf, skate boarding, surfing, playing piano and singing in a tribute band. He is also quite handy with a hammer and saw, and loves fixing and building things, as well as landscaping. The woman who will share his life will also have to share one of his other great loves: his Jack Russell Terrier, Scotch.
Finally, still without shame, I give links to two of my posts on The Morton Report. This is a post about Ashley's final three. This is a post about that Bachelor mainstay, "The Men Tell All".
So how was the first show?
Heh.
Well it was typical but with a few surprises. The purpose of the first show on The Bachelor(ette) series is to bring a whole slew of contenders so that a whole bunch of them can get eliminated right from the start. The pattern is to have some interesting, silly, intriguing presentations bound to pull in the viewers. Only this time they really went overboard.
I didn't mind the grandmother who came along with her granddaughter. You have to know the producers gave permission for this else all the others would be bringing in their overbearing mothers, clench-fisted fathers, shrew-eyed brothers. I didn't mind the big hat thing that had one contender wearing some kind of stupid big hat supposed to make her stand out. I actually thought the beauty contestant wearing her winning sash to be a bit clever, meant to impart to viewers that this is a self-centered woman that Ben should avoid.
But that ersatz lesbian scene was just over the top. Not to be a prude, I wouldn't have a problem with this is this show aired at 10pm. To have this sort of thing going out over the public air waves at the family hours of 8 and 9 pm was almost illegal as I see it. Oh they didn't have two females kissing or anything but it was chock full of inuendo. It was only a matter of time, really, before that boundless bevy of females was resourced for every man's fantasy, women in and making love with each other.
Tasteless. Men aren't watching this show, producers, cut it out.
Below, the original 25 contenders:
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| Brittney Age: 26Occupation: Medical Sales RepHometown: Colorado Springs, CO Casey S. Age: 26Occupation: Trading ClerkHometown: Leawood, KS Courtney Age: 28Occupation: ModelHometown: Scottsdale, AZ Dianna Age: 30Occupation: Nonprofit DirectorHometown: San Gabriel, CA Elyse Age: 24Occupation: Personal TrainerHometown: Chicago, IL |
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| Amber B. Age: 23Occupation: Labor and Delivery NurseHometown: Port Coquitlam, Canada Amber T. Age: 28Occupation: Critical Care NurseHometown: Waverly, NE Anna Age: 25Occupation: StudentHometown: Ontario, Canada Blakeley Age: 34Occupation: VIP Cocktail WaitressHometown: Rutherfordton, NC |
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| Jenna Age: 27Occupation: BloggerHometown: Loveland, OH Jennifer Age: 28Occupation: AccountantHometown: Cache, OK Kacie Age: 24Occupation: Administrative AssistantHometown: Clarksville, TN Lindzi C Age: 27Occupation: Business Development ManagerHometown: Ocala, FL Lyndsie J Age: 29Occupation: Internet EntrepreneurHometown: London, England |
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| Monica Age: 33Occupation: Dental ConsultantHometown: Yuba City, CA Nicki Age: 26Occupation: Dental HygienistHometown: Hurst, TX Rachel Age: 27Occupation: Fashion Sales RepHometown: Southhampton, MA Samantha Age: 26Occupation: Advertising Account ManagerHometown: Pittsburgh, PA Shawn Age: 28Occupation: Financial AdvisorHometown: Cincinnati, OH |
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| 3rd over-Sheryl Age: Age is just a numberOccupation: Grabbing life when and wherever I can 4th over-Shira Age: ??Occupation: ActressHometown: Massapequa Park, NY The first three are repeats. |
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| Emily Age: 27Occupation: PhD StudentHometown: Chapel Hill, NC Erika Age: 23Occupation: Law StudentHometown: Charlottesville, VA Holly Age: 34Occupation: Pharmaceutical Sales RepHometown: Salyersville, KY Jaclyn Age: 27Occupation: Advertising Account ManagerHometown: Newton, MA Jamie Age: 25Occupation: Registered NurseHometown: Dryden, NY |
I only have a few notes from the first show aired on 1/2/2012. Lindsay received the first impression rose, which, in the history of the show, indicates nothing. I smile that contender Jenna says her occupation is "Blogger". What a hoot. And how much money does Jenna get from this job I must wonder.
We'll be keeping tabs on this series as the "Journey" continues and as "Connections" are made. Those are buzz words by the way.
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