The Bachelor
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The Bachelor is a reality television dating game show that debuted in 2002. This United States show airs on the ABC network. It stars a wealthy bachelor wooed by thirty women. The bachelor narrows down the thirty and eventually selects one. The show includes series of group dates until there are few remaining bachelorettes, then they go on individual dates with the bachelor, and finally overnight dates and meetings with the bachelor and bachelorettes' families. The Bachelor may determine whether he would like to propose to the winner or not.
The series quickly became a word-of-mouth hit, with dialogue such as "Will you accept this rose?" and "Most dramatic rose ceremony ever!" becoming popular reality TV catchphrases. The runner-up from the first season, Trista Rehn, later starred in The Bachelorette, a spin-off show in which the situation was reversed. Over time viewers began to grow cynical of the "true love" premise, as every couple from the first five seasons broke up, in some cases very badly. To sustain interest, a number of twists were introduced. The fourth season featured Bob Guiney, popular comic relief from the first season of The Bachelorette. The fifth season featured NFL player Jesse Palmer. The sixth season had yet another new twist, as the women of the house were forced to choose between two eligible bachelors. They chose fisherman Byron Velvick; he ultimately ended up with none of the original women, as season four contestant Mary was returned to the show and captured his heart.
As the ratings began to seriously deteriorate, the show was moved to a new timeslot and city (New York City). The seventh bachelor is Charlie O'Connell, who had appeared on the series Sliders with his brother Jerry O'Connell. The new rules were that there "were no rules", as women fought over group dates, Charlie was allowed to give women roses on group dates instead of waiting for the rose ceremony, and the ceremony itself became a forum for bickering and arguing between the female contestants.
The show was renewed for an eigth season, set to debut in January 2006.
Host: Chris Harrison
This is the list of the Bachelors on the program:
- Season 1: Alex Michel
- Season 2: Aaron Buerge
- Season 3: Andrew Firestone
- Season 4: Bob Guiney
- Season 5: Jesse Palmer
- Season 6: Byron Velvick
- Season 7: Charlie O'Connell