Reality TV Romance in Bloom
Take Trista and Ryan from ABC’s reality series, “The Bachelorette”. Some people guffaw that Trista and Ryan have had more than their fifteen minutes of fame. But the reason we remember Trista and Ryan is because their relationship has actually lasted! At least so far.
Remember these casualties of the reality TV romance?
Legend has it that Bachelor Bob Guiney (originally dumped by Trista during the first season of “The Bachelorette”) unceremoniously dumped his pick, Meredith Phillips (at Trista and Ryan’s wedding, no less). He then went and married “All My Children” star Rebecca Buddig, so I guess he wasn’t too much of a commitment phobe.
I was also disappointed when Bachelor number two, Aaron Buerge, and school psychologist Helene didn’t work out. They seemed so sincere. They had a messy break up, apparently.
And then there was Andrew Firestone and Jen Schefft. Nice couple. I had really high hopes for them. But alas it didn’t work out, so Jen briefly dated reality TV alum, “Apprentice” winner Bill Rancic. That didn’t pan out, so Jen threw caution to the wind and did “The Bachelorette”. She found love with Jerry– for about fifteen minutes. A break up live on national TV is never a pretty sight.
But dating shows aren’t the only place to find reality romances. CBS’ “Big Brother’ has had a few romantic trysts– remember Mike “Boogie” and Krista from season 2– that one featured a live marriage proposal during the season finale. And Will and Shannon found love that same season! Or how about “Big Brother 5’s” Diane and Drew? Love was in the air! Sadly, these romances were often just part of a strategy. As we all know, they fell apart once the shows ended.
MTV’s reality shows “The Real World” and “Road Rules” are known for their romances, or should I say hook-ups? While most of these fizzle out once the show ends (even Real World Philly’s Shovanda and Landon didn’t last, sniff sniff), there are a few exceptions: Real World San Francisco’s Rachel Campos and Sean Duffy from RW Boston are married with three beautiful children. And Holly and Chadwick from Road Rules found God and each other. And it’s all due to reality TV!
My vote for the strangest reality romance goes to “Surreal Life’s” Flavor Flav and Brigette Nielsen. It was deemed so strange, that they continued their romance with another VH1 series called “Strange Love”.
“Surreal Life” has also spawned another relationship– between “America’s Top Model” winner Adrianne Curry and Christopher Knight (a.k.a Peter Brady). All the girls that that had a crush on Peter Brady in the 70’s are having a fit over this one, because Adrianne is young enough to be Chris’ daughter. But as long as they’re happyâÂ?¦
Finally, my favorite reality TV couple of all time is “Survivor All Star’s” Rob and Amber. They’re both so darn attractive and they’re still holding strong and planning their wedding. Expect an extravaganza like Trista and Ryan’s. It’ll be a media blitz, but I’ll be watching. In fact, I wonder where they’re registered atâÂ?¦..
