|
|
| TV Reviews | |
|
|
|
| TV Reviews | |
hearts again flutter This ABC reality show works season after season May 18, 2009
Ever since the runner-up from the first season, Trista Rehn (who remains the only participant to actually marry the person he or she chose on the show), was brought back to star in the first installment of "The Bachelorette," the franchise has held on to fans by having charismatic rejectees from one season return to star in a subsequent one. The new season of "The Bachelorette" is the latest installment in a particularly compelling daisy chain of rejection. In season 11 of "The Bachelor," Brad Womack won over two women—Jenni Croft and DeAnna Pappas—then told both in the finale that he didn’t want to see them anymore (never mind getting engaged or anything). DeAnna returned for season 4 of "The Bachelorette" and in the finale broke the heart of a seemingly sensitive divorced father named Jason Mesnick. (She and the guy to whom she became engaged in the finale, Jesse Csincsak, ended their relationship within a year.) Then Jason was chosen to star in season 13 of "The Bachelor" earlier this year. In the finale he proposed to Melissa Rycroft. A week later, in the "After the Final Rose" special, he told Melissa on air that he wanted to break off their engagement so that he could see that season’s runner-up, Molly Malaney. By the usual laws of succession, Melissa should be starring now in "The Bachelorette," but she has already received a consolation prize: She’s appearing—and thriving—on the current season of "Dancing With the Stars." So the "Bachelorette" producers have instead chosen the second runner-up from that season, Jillian Harris, a 29-year-old restaurant interior designer from Vancouver, B.C., to be the center of attention. Much hinges on the personality and likability of the show’s title character. Fortunately, a viewing of the season’s first episode suggests that Jillian will be able to captivate both viewers and her suitors. "I’m not a princess," she says in a voice-over during an opening montage. "I don’t think I’m drop-dead gorgeous. I think I’m cute. I think I’ve got a huge heart." We even see her doing a Mary Tyler Moore hat toss. (Jillian’s recounting of how Jason’s rejection hurt her, however, suffers by comparison with what we know he did to Melissa.) The producers undercut Jillian’s girl-next-door stance by shooting her in a variety of clichéd hottie set-ups: trying on shoes in a "Pretty Woman"-inspired montage, splashing through a fountain in a bikini and even washing a car in short shorts and high heels. Adding to that bombshell image is the steamy footage of her notorious date with Jason in the hot tub. ("That’s what people do when they’re in love," she tells host Chris Harrison.) During the usual meet-the-suitors cocktail party, Jillian exhibits a flight-attendant-level capacity to react enthusiastically to each guy but still keep ’em moving. "You have to slay a few dragons to find the right prince," she tells Harrison, adding, "Over time, you feel each dragon’s harder and harder to slay." There’s a lot more frog kissing than dragon slaying in this episode, however. The guys, though generally fit and attractive, eagerly make jackasses of themselves in order to attract the attention of Jillian—or the camera. One suitor says he wants to sweep her off her feet and then literally picks her up. Two guys challenge each other to a hip-hop dance-off. Another exhibits an alarming fascination with feet. And one would-be charmer addresses her as "Hot Tub Harris." Although a next-to-last-minute twist falls flat, Jillian remains poised and appealing throughout. (As she says in her slight Canadian accent, "I’m willing to put my heart oat there.") She’s clearly a good sport, willing to give both the frogs and the potential dragons the benefit of the doubt. Fans of the franchise will enjoy watching all the kissing and slaying. The rough cut that ABC provided to reviewers didn’t include the end of tonight’s episode, in which Jillian will narrow down the large field by 10, so we can’t report on whether her choices are interesting or satisfying. But it’s likely that at some point, the narrator will assure us that it’s going to be the most dramatic rose ceremony ever.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
© 2010 Media Life Privacy Statement |
