I thought I didn't have too much TV to catch up on tonight, and then ... what? 20/20 is two hours about The Bachelor? Sigh.
Here are some notable notes:
1. Creator Mike Fleiss is creepy. Really, really creepy.
2. Fleiss reveals that there are casting challenges, but that the No. 1 goal is that viewers "love the guy and hate the girls." Well, rather that they hate some of the girls and root for others.
3. They spent about $20K on dental work for Bachelor Matt (the U.K. dude).
4. Fleiss doesn't think alcohol plays much more of a role on The Bachelor than it does in regular old dating.
5. "The hot tub is major, baby," he says.
6. Trista and Ryan are still really, really happy.
7. "There is sex, but not that much of it," Fleiss says. He claims the guys on average have sex with about three of the women, and that Bob Guiney had the best batting average.
8. Jake and Vienna seem really into each other, but Jake seems like a different person entirely.
9. Melissa Rycroft (also a "special correspondent" for the episode) interviews that she get wrapped up in the whole production. She says though at first, she didn't even feel attracted to him, but she came to believe that she loved him. She says she can't even watch the footage, and in fact, when they show it to her, she goes, "Bleh," like she wants to vomit. She interviews that she realized pretty quickly that it was a mistake. Rycroft says that she knew they were probably going to break up, but ...
"I wasn't innocent, I wasn't a victim, I knew the relationship was over. It was not a break-up on TV, it was Melissa being lied to by everybody. I'm not an angry person, but I was just sitting there so angry at everybody. ... I don't agree with how it was done. I don't think everything has to be on TV to give people closure."
Mike Fleiss: "We got some criticism for that. And I understand that. But I also know that we're making a television show here that's watched by millions of viewers faithfully, and to deprive them of that moment would be unfair." Wow.
10. Melissa says the show helped her heal and Ty (her onetime ex-boyfriend, her husband now) realized what she meant to him, so it really helped them get back together.
11. Bachelor Brad knew he would be one of the most-hated Bachelors ever when he dumped both his Top 2. "I'm that guy." He's avoided the spotlight since then ... UNTIL NOW. Mike Fleiss' take on it: "Let's let him blow both those girls out of the water. ... I think that might be cool."
12. Deanna, who was dumped by Brad, says now she feels like she should have done what Brad did. She actually meets up with Brad so she can tell him this in person.
13. Byron and Mary's story is also recounted. It includes a 911 call. After the show, the tabloids uncovered his background, including an ex who was a stripper who sold her story. At first, they were OK, she was supporting his career as a competitive fisherman. He thinks she gave up too much to become a "sidekick." Eventually, it became a bit ... "combative." He called 911 after she hit him, and she ended up in jail. (By the way, she split his lip with the diamond ring from the show. She says she felt betrayed because someone she loved called the police over not an attack, but an accident. The charges were dropped, but a year later she was arrested again, accused of public intoxication. She says she wasn't even drinking, Byron declines to comment, and the charges were again dropped. The finally broke up last September. Mary says her biggest regret is "not marrying the man I'm in love with," and yes, she's referring to Byron.
14. Meredith Phillips is now a cookbook author and is living with a filmmaker she met in a cooking class.
15. Jesse Palmer is now a college football analyst.
16. Travis Stork is on the TV show The Doctors now.
17. Prince Lorenzo peddles pet products on TV.
18. Jerry has changed careers and become a medical translator for deaf people, and he's now in a relationship.
19. Stephanie Hogan, the widow who was on Jason's season, is still looking for the man of her dreams.
20. Andrew Firestone is now married to a Serbian model who hadn't watched the show, and they have a son who is nearly 1. He worked hard for weeks to create the perfect proposal that included buried treasure. Aww.
21. Bob Guiney is a host on the Game Show Network and performs with The Band on TV. His time on the Bachelor is very ... kissy. He and his pick, Estella, didn't get married, but Bob did marry Rebecca Budig. But he is getting a divorce now. Sad.
22. Lastly, there's a glimpse at the next season, Ali as The Bachelorette. We get a look at stylists helping her figure out her wardrobe from the show. She says her dream guy is Tom from the movie 500 Days of Summer. Mike Fleiss on Ali: "She's got everything you would want in a Bachelorette: really pretty girl, she's emotional, she's one of those TV blondes that the camera loves." Man, the guy can give a soundbite, huh?