Ali and Roberto have called it quits. Count me among those who are not suprised.

It has not been a good year for Ali Fedotowsky. First she had a head injury in a kayaaking accident. Then she injured her leg kickboxing which required surgery on her femur. By August, she had left her job at Fox5 News San Diego and postponed the wedding. In October, she said there are no wedding plans. On Nov. 1, she was fretting about needing another knee surgery. And on Nov. 7, it was announced the Style Network wasn’t giving her a TV show after all (the show had been announced in April.) The only work I see she has now is on a shopping website called OpenSky. She has a PR firm, and a manager, but her website has been “under construction” forever.

Ali and Roberto didn’t seem to have a lot in common to me. She was bent on a show business career, signing with William Morris soon after her engagement, and then she had a gig on Fox 5 San Diego (now over.) He’s an insurance agent and a jock. What was there to talk about at dinner?

Who knows what went wrong. I think they are very different people, from their politics to their values. She’s much more of a free spirit, while he’s pretty traditional. She’s into clothes, fun and celebrity, he’s into sports and work. They lasted 18 months — probably not long enough under their contract with The Bachelorette to even keep the ring.

Here’s hoping next year is better for Ali. I suspect she’ll be moving to LA (if she’s not already there.) If she really has her heart set on a TV or broadcasting career, she should consider acting and speech lessons while she’s recuperating. She’s very telegenic, enthusiastic and facially expressive, and instantly recognizable, but her voice and speech cadence need a lot of work. The Bachelorette may be a short-cut to a media career for some, but it’s not a substitute for talent. Self-promotion and PR reps will only get you so far.

We've got big snow in the mountains and fierce winds in Denver. If you're in the neighborhood of either and looking for something to do tonight, and a fan of vintage clothing or the Bachelor/Bachelorette, head up to Breckenridge for the opening party for Vintage Sweet and Chic, at 215 South Main.

The store is co-owned by former Bachelor contestant Ann Csincsak, married to former Bachelorette winner and snowboarder Jesse Csincsak, and Katie Meyer. A bunch of former Bach/B'ette contestants will be there, as well as Evel Dick from Big Brother and some current and former Survivor contestants.

Here's a list of attending reality TV folks:

Read the rest of this entry »

The X-Factor seemed to start off on a bad note when it dropped British judge Cheryl Cole. Replacement judge Nicole Scherzinger didn't seem to me like a good fit during auditions. But now that it's clear the judges' role is not just to vote every week, but to train their assigned group of contestants, I've changed my mind. I can't see Cheryl Cole coaching any of these teams to musical super-stardom. Nicole may be lacking in the magnetic personality department (as she was on DWTS, which she won) but after watching the judges' home segments, I think she'll be a winner as a coach.

It was definitely a struggle to stick with the show through the weeks of auditions. L.A. Reid and Simon were the only reasons I kept watching. For the most part, the contestants were either very physically unappealing or far too young. But in the end, with tonight's selection of the final 17, it was worth it and made for pretty riveting TV.

The X-Factor is not the same as American Idol. To say it’s more emotional is an understatement. It’s like Queen for a Day on steroids. There's the homeless guy, the garbage collector/recovering drug addict (sober now 70 days); the emotionally battered wife/mother; the precocious 13 year old going on 30; the 14 year old reincarnation of Taylor Swift; the baby rapper; the hot likeable tart; the overweight, stringy- haired white guy with acne who makes burritos and has a voice that blows away most of the competition, and the 59 year old “sleeper”.

Aside from the non-exciting group category the show handed off to Paula, for entertainment purposes, I think the show got the finalists right tonight. It's not just about the voice but creating a star. What makes a star? The undefinable X-Factor, of course. That intangible quality you can’t define but you know it when you see it. The finalists are all talented, but in addition, they either have a compelling sad-sack story or are immensely watchable. Read the rest of this entry »

Hate her or not, the whiny, obnoxious Rachel was the only finalist who deserved to win. And win she did, by only one vote, which surprisingly came from Shelley (who probably voted for her to to get further back into Jordan and Jeff’s good graces.) And what a surprise (not): After repeating ad nauseum all week he would vote for the person who won round 3 and the most competitions, Adam voted for his friend and fellow newbie, the sleeper/lounger extraordinaire, Porsche.

The season’s biggest losers: Take your pick. Read the rest of this entry »

What a season for Bachelor Pad. Trashy Vienna came close to ruining the season, followed by the supremely self-delusional Kasey and the unhinged Melissa.

Holly and Michael and Michelle and Graham not only saved the show, they elevated it, from what began and for most of the season remained, an almost unwatchable whine-fest. Read the rest of this entry »

Reality Steve has some spoilers on Bachelorette Ashley Hebert’s first dates and several of the 25 contenders vying for her roses.

• Tuesday, March 15: Meet and Greet, 25 guys
• Thursday, March 17: 1 on 1 date-Bellagio, Las Vegas
• Friday, March 18, group date , Monte Carlo Hotel (Jabbawockeez show) Las Vegas
• Saturday, March 19, 1 on 1 date, Ryan “Mickey” McLean , Mandalay Bay (private concert from Colbie Caillat performing her song “I Do”) Las Vegas
• Monday, March 21, 1 on 1 date, Ben Castoriani, Americana at Brand outdoor mall in Glendale (flash mob video), Los Angeles
• First week of April: Filming in Phuket, Thailand

Two contestants who may be around for awhile: New Orleans lawyer Ben Castoriani: Read the rest of this entry »

Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss explains the show’s success today in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Shorter version: The Bachelor owns the romance field, everyone else can just step aside. He’s right about that.

He also has a favorite word. “Goofball.” As in Reality Steve:

EW: Reality Steve spent most of the season predicting that Chantal will be the winner. Once he owned up to being wrong, fans crowed that he had been `Fleiss’d.’ Did you or anyone involved in the show feed him misinformation?

FLEISS: I wish I could take credit but he duped himself. He’s nuts, a goofball. He says these things with 100 percent conviction but he’s right only half of the time. It doesn’t matter that much to us, it’s just that he acts like he knows everything. He’s the Michele Bachmann of reality TV facts. But the leaks are not really coming from production. They’re coming from former cast members. That’s a hard thing to police. The best way to combat him is to let himself shoot himself in the foot.

The Michele Bachmann of reality tv facts? Ouch! But it’s nice to know Mr. Fleiss has his politics right. Makes me like him more. Read the rest of this entry »

The Bachelor season ended not with a romantic proposal, a twirl, and declarations of undying love, but with a breakup. It was no secret Brad would propose to Emily and she would accept. The question was going to be, are they still together?

The final rose ceremony was filmed in South Africa on November 19. The “After the Final Rose” show taped last week, which means while both aired tonight, one occurred four months after the other in real time. A lot can happen in 4 months.

As soon as the ATFR began, Chris Harrison, looking tired, stressed or botoxed, take your pick, announced that the couple had already split once since leaving South Africa, and hadn’t seen each other in the past month. Later, Chris throws in another bombshell: Brad and Emily were supposed to get married on the ATFR show, which had been planned to film in Anguilla, where the couple fell in love. But Emily called it off.

Chantal came out first, looking terrific in red, then Brad came out, and Chantal, like the good-sport she is, asked the pertinent questions aimed at getting closure. It didn’t go the way she wanted.

Emily also looked beautiful, with a new hairdo in a darker blond (or maybe just added lowlights) and a shorter cut. We also got to see she has a personality, something the show tried to hide all season. She was tough, spontaneous, and funny — who would have guessed? She complained about her “edit” — the boring, poised lady edit — and insisted that if she had gotten the dates Chantal got, she would have had fun too.

So why did they break up? According to Emily, it was Brad’s temper. They have been having knock-down -drag-out fights. Emily says she has a temper too. Read the rest of this entry »

Every season, the day after the airing of the Final Rose ceremony and After the Final Rose show, the happy couple from the Bachelor/Bachelorette do a teleconference call with the media and answer questions. When they are done, the rejected Final 2 contestant comes on the call to answer questions.

Another staple every season: The happy couple begins their media tour right after the final show. Usually, they go on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and then a morning show. Then they hit the talk show circuit. Within a few weeks, they fade into obscurity as attention focuses on the next season.

The first sign of trouble in paradise came earlier this week when ABC posted its press release of the post-show teleconference. Brad Womack and the woman he chose, whom everyone says is Emily Maynard, will not be on the call. Instead, host Chris Harrison will be on the call to talk about them (translation: dto do damage control.) After that, Brad’s rejected F2 (Chantal O’Brien) will answer questions. The second sign of trouble was learning that the couple won’t be on Jimmy Kimmel Live after the final show airs. Instead, he’ll be announcing the next Bachelorette.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that interest in Brad and Emily will be greatest — and ratings highest –in the hours and days immediately following the final show’s airing. ABC and The Bachelor aren’t in this for a love story, they are in it for money. The contestants are bound by contract to appear on media shows as requested. There’s no way the Bachelor would give the couple a pass. It’s contrary to their financial interest. So, the question is: Did Brad and Emily break up? And, are they together now, or not? Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks to TV Grapevine for posting this extended video of Bachelor Brad Womack as he brings Emily Maynard and Chantal O’Brien to meet his family and on the last chance dates. It’s pretty obvious from the video that Brad is telling Emily she’s the one. He keeps saying he wants to be Ricki’s real father.

It’s also pretty obvious that Chantal knows on the last chance date that Brad is not choosing her. (Its usually the F2 who gets the shark date. ) I think she has known since their treehouse date — another unromantic date (Outdoors, lots of bugs, no jacuzzi, no real bathroom, no luxury. It was worse than a camping date.) Props to Chantal for being the good trooper and going through with the Final Rose Ceremony knowing she was being rejected. I’m not surprised she turned the Bachelorette part down, even before she had a new boyfriend. The show was not kind to to her in the editing.

Ashley Hebert, who will be announced as the next Bachelorette on the Jimmy Kimmel show Monday night, is a disappointing choice for the role. All we can do is hope the guys are worth watching in her season.

The spoilers ruined this season. First with Reality Steve being wrong about Chantal being F-1, then saying 100% that it’s Emily, and then that Ashley will be the next Bachelorette. Even if he turns out to be right about the last two spoilers, it doesn’t make up for the first false spoiler about Chantal. His cocky insistence it positively was Chantal colored our viewing the whole season, until we learned he was wrong (and he later confirmed it.) It was nice of him to do a mea culpa, but it doesn’t restore his credibility. The only good thing to come out of Reality Steve’s false Chantal spoiler is that next season we’ll return to sleuthing, because Reality Steve’s information just can’t be taken as the final word. Read the rest of this entry »