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The Bachelor 16: Ben Flajnik

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LoveRocked:
BEN FLAJNIK STARTS HIS SEARCH FOR LOVE ON ABC’S HIT ROMANCE REALITY SERIES,

“THE BACHELOR,” PREMIERING MONDAY, JANUARY 2, 2012 ON ABC

 

A Senior Citizen Who is Madly in Love with the Bachelor and a Woman on Horseback

Mark the Beginning of Ben’s Journey to Find His Soul Mate

 

This Season’s Highlights Include Private Concerts by Platinum Recording Artist Matt Nathanson and Country Music Superstar Clay Walker, Romantic Trips to Puerto Rico, Panama and Belize, plus

A Spectacular Trip to Switzerland for Seductive Overnight Dates and the Emotional Finale

Millions of viewers were shocked, along with Ben Flajnik (pronounced Flannick), 29, the handsome winemaker from Sonoma, when, after summoning the courage to get down on one knee and offer his heartfelt proposal to Bachelorette Ashley Hebert, she rejected him, sending him off heartbroken and angry. But Ben isn’t giving up. He is back as the Bachelor and ready to risk it all again for another chance at love. He begins the search for his soul mate, choosing from among 25 beautiful bachelorettes, when “The Bachelor” premieres MONDAY, JANUARY 2 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET) , on the ABC Television Network. This will be the 16th season of ABC’s hit romance reality series.

In “Episode 1601,” Ben returns to the mansion for the first big cocktail party. He explains to Chris Harrison that, as painful as his experience was last season, he has no regrets. When Ben began his journey with Ashley, he was emotionally shut down due to his grief over his father’s death. Ultimately, he was able to open himself up again to love. Because of that journey, he is a different man and ready to try and find love again.

As the limos pull up, Ben is overwhelmed by how excited these beautiful women are to meet him. An attractive young law student informs Ben that he’s been found guilty – of being sexy! A germ-conscious epidemiologist sanitizes both herself and Ben, and then promptly steals the season’s first kiss. But nothing can prepare Ben for the moment the limo door opens and a senior citizen steps out. Who is this mysterious septuagenarian, and why is she confessing that she is madly in love with him? And just when it seems he has seen it all, a horse trots up with the last bachelorette in the saddle.

Once inside the mansion, the competition for Ben’s attention heats up. An easy-going woman and a sweet divorcee both make an early play for the Bachelor, while the sexy equestrian proves she is equally as charming without the horse. But Ben’s older admirer advises him that he needs a family-oriented woman. The pressure mounts when Chris brings out the “first impression” rose, as one woman after another attempts to win Ben’s heart and the rose. One athletic woman corners Ben for a quick soccer game; a sassy personal trainer demands he do pushups; a gorgeous model seduces him and a charming scholar demonstrates her “gangsta” side by performing a rap she wrote just for him. But drama erupts when the pressure proves to be too much for one sensitive young woman. Another outgoing bachelorette seems like she might be more interested in one of the other women than in Ben. Gossip flies and the conflict escalates, leaving one woman in uncontrollable tears.

After Ben awards one vivacious beauty the “first impression” rose, he thanks the bachelorettes for calming his nerves. He regretfully must send seven women home, leaving 18 to begin an extraordinary adventure with him.

A list of the bachelorettes will be released shortly.

Romantic and adventurous dates will reach new heights this season, testing the ladies’ perseverance in pursuing their romantic objective, along with fun, exciting and exotic dates that will elicit real and raw passions. For the first group date, Ben and 12 of the women audition for and act in a theater production completely run by children. After showing the ladies his hometown of Sonoma, Ben brings the remaining women to his second home, beautiful San Francisco, where one nervous bachelorette struggles to overcome her worst fear when she and Ben scale San Francisco’s Bay Bridge. And the daring Bachelor even invites some of the women to ski down the city’s rolling streets. One lucky lady is taken on a VIP tour of Ben’s San Francisco, which ends with a private romantic concert by platinum recording artist Matt Nathanson at historic City Hall. The pristine mountains of Park City, Utah, are the backdrop for a private concert with country music superstar Clay Walker. A competitive day of fly fishing in a quiet Utah valley forces the women out of their comfort zone. The remaining bachelorettes break out their sun tan lotion and bikinis when Ben whisks them away to tropical Vieques, Puerto Rico, where sparks fly when one sexy woman goes moonlight skinny-dipping with the Bachelor. An exciting trip to the Central American country of Panama leads to a boat ride deep into the Panamanian jungle, where Ben and a group of women spend the day with a local tribe. Then it’s on to the lush tropical paradise of Belize. One nervous bachelorette jumps from a helicopter into Belize’s famous Great Blue Hole. A fun-filled catamaran adventure turns to panic when the women discover they are going swimming with sharks. Finally, after spending passionate weeks in the hot tropics, Ben brings his final three women to Switzerland for a dramatic change of scenery for the exotic dates and the finale. Despite the storybook setting, Ben starts to question his decisions. Will he miss his chance for a happy ending again?

As in the past, women will continue to be eliminated each week, but if at any point along the way a woman should decide that she’s no longer interested in the Bachelor, she can reject his invitation to continue dating. Some lucky women will meet his family, and he will visit their hometowns for a slice of their lives in an effort to determine the woman with whom he is most compatible.

Hosted by Chris Harrison, “The Bachelor” is a production of Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss and Martin Hilton are the executive producers.

This episode of “The Bachelor” will be available on ABC.com the day after airing on the network for users to watch online. For more information on “The Bachelor” visit ABC.com.

“The Bachelor” is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with stereo sound. A parental guideline will be assigned closer to the airdate.

http://tvpressfeed.com/2011/12/abc-details-the-bachelor-with-ben-flajnik-season-premiere/

RealityFreakWill:
Ok, I now know who the F4, F3, F2 and the F1 are. Only thing I'm gonna say here is that Ben is indeed engaged to 1 of these 25 girls. If you want to know who they are, shoot me a PM and I'll tell you privately.

Just a reminder, the season starts on Monday, January 2nd on ABC.

LoveRocked:
Chris Harrison blogs 'The Bachelor' season premiere


Welcome back to a very special edition of The Bachelor. I know you’ve heard that before, but all kidding aside this season is incredibly special for those of us who have put our heart and soul into this franchise. This season officially marks our 10th year on TV. That is an amazing accomplishment in this day and age of network television. There are actually a few of us, including myself, that have been here since the beginning. To borrow a cheesy Bachelor phrase: it’s been an amazing journey. Whether you’ve been watching us since the beginning or just jumped on the bandwagon I want to say thank you! Please know that it’s never lost on any of us that work so hard on this franchise that the only reason we are around is because you have chosen to make us a part of your Monday night ritual. I’m incredibly excited this is our 10th year, because as you saw on Monday night, this season is more than worthy of not only holding up the Bachelor mantle, but also taking it to new heights.

We always start the new season with a look back at how we got here, but for some reason this time going back to Fiji and watching Ben’s proposal to Ashley was strange. I’m not sure if it’s that Ashley and JP seem so perfect together or that Ben has come so far since that day. Kudos to the producers for throwing in some great music this season. The addition of the David Gray tune off the top was solid. You’ll see more of that throughout the season.

I always struggle how to handle the first episode blog so I’ve decided to break it down into sections. I’m going to start with quick comments on arrival highlights and then move on to the party and looking forward. Sitting down and talking to Ben again was great. He arrived a little nervous and apprehensive. Ben is a smart guy who really has his stuff together and I enjoyed my talk with him. When Ben and I talk, you’re really getting his true thoughts and feelings and not just what he wants the public to see and hear. This open, candid demeanor will continue throughout the season and it only adds to the already fantastic show.

“Oh, Ben better eat some cow balls! I’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t.” Well, that moment from Amber T. certainly gets us right into the introduction to the ladies, so now let’s get to my favorite moments from the arrivals. Erika came with the line, “You’re guilty… of being sexy!” Although it was incredibly cheesy, Erika knew her audience: Ben enjoys cheesy, so it worked for her. There is always somebody that comes on this show who just can’t handle the experience and the atmosphere; Jenna is definitely that woman this season. You could tell from the start that she just wasn’t comfortable and wasn’t fitting in. Ben thought Emily the epidemiologist was cute, but what you couldn’t tell on TV was when she tried to spray the mouth spray, it actually went sideways and hit him in the face. Ben, being a good sport, played it off well and went with the bit. Just like the person that doesn’t fit in, there’s also always somebody that gets out of the limo, sees all the lights, and just draws a blank. Congrats, Dianna, you are this season’s “blank girl.” Anna took a huge risk and walked right by Ben not saying a word. I’m assuming Anna thought that was sexy and bold, but Ben didn’t appreciate it at all. Sheryl, the grandma arriving ahead of her granddaughter Brittney, was classic. I loved the move and so did Ben. Obviously it was something that we’ve never seen before.

As good as that was, Lindzi stole the show arriving by horse. It wasn’t just the fact that she rode in, but the way she rode up that did it. She strode up the driveway with so much style and grace Ben was instantly blown away. The only thing that wasn’t cool was the surprise the horse left for our crew on the driveway! If you’re wondering, Lindzi set all that up herself. She had a friend in the area and called in a favor to borrow her horse. Still gotta appreciate Courtney’s line though: “Screw you and the horse you rode in on.”

Let the party begin! Let’s talk about the rest of the highlights from night one. It seems like I brought the first impression rose in quickly but the fact is the party went for several hours before I dropped the bomb. Whenever I bring in that first impression rose, the competition kicks up a notch. Emily killed it with the epidemiology rap — Kanye and Jay-Z, eat your hearts out. I really don’t know what to make of Monica and Blakeley’s relationship. You’ll have to be the judge and jury on that one. As for Monica and Jenna, Jenna just let Monica get the best of her. Monica saw that she could put the screws to her and she did every chance she could. Jenna was already out of her element and Monica smelled blood in the water and attacked. Jenna locked herself in the bathroom and was crying so much we weren’t sure she was even going to make it to the rose ceremony. We had to hold everything up and wait for her. Ben was somewhat aware of the drama and although he was unsure of Jenna, in the end he decided he would chalk up her emotion to first night jitters and give her another chance. I would love to tell you this story has a happy ending and Jenna redeems herself with a strong showing next week but… that’s just not what happens. Wait until you see next week. As for the night one casualties, the one that future contestants should really take note of is Anna — she took the bold risk of the fly-by in the beginning, and Ben took it as a snub. She never stood a chance after that.

As you saw in the big piece at the end of the show, we are off and running this year like never before. The women never even move into the mansion this season. Next week we’re off to Sonoma, where Ben’s vineyard is, and then his hometown of San Francisco. It’s a wild ride, and once again I’m extremely grateful you’re on board. For ten years now I’ve been telling you “this is the final rose tonight.” I would hope by now that your math skills would be better, but I’m very happy they’re not! Let the journey begin… again!  Happy New Year, and as you can find me on Twitter @chrisbharrison.

http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/01/03/chris-harrison-the-bachelor-season-premiere-blog-2/

LoveRocked:
ABC press release:

TEARS FLOW AS THE BACHELORETTES ENGAGE IN RAUCOUS, EARLY CAT FIGHTS FOR BEN'S ATTENTION, ON ABC'S "THE BACHELOR"

Jealousy Explodes During the Season's First Group Date
"Episode 1602" - The 18 remaining bachelorettes travel to the lush vineyards of Ben's hometown of Sonoma, California. Two lucky women - Kacie B. and Courtney --will get romantic one-on-one dates, but will it further their chances of being Ben's dream woman, or will they be sent home? The group date will give 12 bachelorettes an unusual opportunity to show Ben another side of their personalities as they audition and perform roles for a community theater production - written entirely by children. However, it doesn't take long for the women to get under each other's skin and ramp up the drama, ending in uncontrollable tears for some of the bachelorettes, on "The Bachelor," MONDAY, JANUARY 9 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Ben selects Kacie B. for his first individual date of the season and whisks the adorable bachelorette off to the center of Sonoma to show her the sights and recount memories of his childhood. Over an emotional dinner, Ben talks of his father's passing and the role it played in making him the man he is now. Later, at the famed Sebastiani Theater, Ben surprises his stunning date by taking a cinematic trip down memory lane. Highlights of their respective home movies are screened especially for them. Although it is bittersweet for Ben to watch his father on screen, the experience brings Kacie and Ben closer together. But will this mean a rose for her, or will the date end in heartbreak?

The next day, 12 bachelorettes meet Ben at a local park for the first group date of the season. Ben reveals that the women will audition for and perform in a community play. But this dramatic showcase was written by children. The women are called upon individually to perform a series of embarrassing impersonations for Ben and the children. After casting the women in roles ranging from a princess to a weasel, Ben drops another bombshell: the performance will take place that night in front of a live audience. One anxious bachelorette flubs her lines, but recovers nicely and steals the show and a kiss from Ben. When the 12 ladies join Ben at a posh poolside after party at a hotel, Blakeley lures him into a steamy make out session, much to the horror of the other women. Samantha is so disturbed at this shameless ploy for Ben's attention that she escapes to the bathroom in tears. Will Ben figure out the behind-the-scenes drama among the women before he needs to hand out the roses?

Then Ben takes a picnic basket for two and his beloved dog, Scotch, to pick up Courtney, his final date of the week. The Bachelor and this sexy siren share a romantic lunch among the redwoods and bond over their similarities. They meet later at a local winery for a moonlit tractor ride and an intimate dinner under the stars. But is this woman too good to be true?

Finally, the claws come out at a tense cocktail party. One emboldened woman immediately steals Ben from another, a distraught bachelorette dissolves in tears when her alone time with Ben goes awry, and one girl completely breaks down when she feels ganged up on by the other women. Ben does his best to play peacemaker, but will the women recover from their emotional tailspins before the rose ceremony? At the end of the night, only 16 women will remain in the chase for Ben's heart.

The 18 women are:
Blakeley, 34, VIP cocktail waitress, Charlotte, NC
Brittney, 26, medical sales rep, Denver, CO
Casey S., 26, trading clerk, Leawood, KS
Courtney, 28, model, Santa Monica, CA
Elyse, 24, personal trainer, Chicago, IL
Emily, 27, PhD student, Chapel Hill, NC
Erika, 23, law student, Chicago, IL
Jaclyn, 27, advertising account manager, Newton, MA
Jamie, 25, registered nurse, Dryden, NY
Jenna, 27, blogger, New York City, NY
Jennifer, 28, accountant, Oklahoma City, OK
Kacie B., 24, administrative assistant, Clarksville, TN
Lindzi C., 27, business development manager, Seattle, WA
Monica, 33, dental consultant, Salt Lake City, UT
Nicki, 26, dental hygienist, Hurst, TX
Rachel, 27, fashion sales rep., New York City, NY
Samantha, 26, advertising account manager, Los Angeles, CA
Shawn, 28, financial advisor, Phoenix, AZ

Hosted by Chris Harrison, "The Bachelor" is a production of Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss and Martin Hilton are the executive producers.

This episode of "The Bachelor" will be available on ABC.com the day after airing on the network for users to watch online. For more information on "The Bachelor" visit ABC.com.

"The Bachelor" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with stereo sound. A parental guideline will be assigned closer to the airdate.

http://www.abcmedianet.com/assets/pr/html/010312_02.html

LoveRocked:
Chris Harrison blogs 'The Bachelor' episode 2

We are off and running on what has already become one of the most talked about seasons of The Bachelor we’ve ever had. I love waking up Tuesday hearing everybody discuss issues from the previous night’s episode. I also enjoyed getting live tweets from many of you (@chrisbharrison) during the show. I have to admit though, my favorite thing last week was learning that Josh Groban and Snooki were watching the show. Groban had a great tweet saying his love child with Rafael Nadal was on ABC right now looking for love. I always find it interesting to learn who watches the show. Snooki as the next Bachelorette… hmmmm, interesting! There is one thing I left out of my first blog I wanted to cover as it is always one of the most asked questions I ever get via twitter while the first episode airs. Yes, the driveway is wet. We water it down so that it looks pretty on TV. The other reason we water the driveway is we hope that someday it will grow to be a beautiful, big super highway. With that mystery settled again, let’s talk about episode two.

You didn’t get to see much of this, but meeting the women at the house in Los Angeles only to tell them they wouldn’t be moving in was fun. The ladies had their bags packed and were ready to storm the house and get settled. They were extremely surprised but excited to learn that wouldn’t be the case, and instead we were all hitting the road and heading to Ben’s hometown of Sonoma, California. Kacie B. got the first date and it was an amazingly emotional date. First of all we got to see the chemistry and connection between Ben and Kacie, which is undeniable, but what really stood out was how deep this first date was. I’m guessing the home movies they watched that showed Ben and Kacie’s childhood hit everybody hard. Seeing how Ben reacted to hearing and seeing his dad was moving, and it says a lot about the man. That open, raw emotional honesty you saw in that moment is what you will see from Ben all season long. Like I said in last week’s blog, this will only add to what is already a fantastic season.

The group date is never easy, but the first one is especially tough considering it’s 12 on one. Incorporating the community of Sonoma and showing the town was important to Ben, and I think you got a taste of that in all three dates this week — but none more so than this group date. It’s safe to say the thing that stood out the most on this date was Blakeley and her “blessings,” as she called them. Blakeley quickly emerged in the house as one of the more unpopular ladies. This is a situation I often see on this show and it raises some interesting questions. Ladies, are there unwritten rules you should follow in trying to find and fight for love? Blakely put herself out there physically and emotionally and did everything she could to steal time with Ben even after she received a rose. Did she go too far? Should she have dialed it back like Kacie and Courtney did once they were safe, or is it her right to go after what she wants no matter what? After all, are these women there to make friends or possibly find the love of their life? These are issues that will obviously be discussed this week, but the most important answer came from Ben in the form of a rose for Blakeley. She’s safe and that means the house has to deal with her for at least one more week.

Now we move from one controversial figure in the house to another: Courtney. From the moment she walked out of the limo she caught Ben’s eye and from the moment she walked in the house she rubbed the other women the wrong way. This week you got a great look at what will become a recurring theme, and that is the two sides of Courtney. When she’s at the house she doesn’t exactly go out of her way to ingratiate herself with the other women, but when she’s with Ben it’s another story. As you saw on their date, Ben is taken by Courtney and understandably so. The conversation between them is so easy and you can see the spark between them. Ben asked the golden question concerning Courtney several times: “Is she too good to be true?” Again this is something that will continue to play out in the weeks to come as Courtney’s relationship with Ben grows and her relationship with the ladies continues to sour.

At the cocktail party, the mood went from great to awkward to meltdown in a matter of hours. On a bright note Lindzi seems to have overcome the first impression rose curse. Often the person that receives this rose gets excited by the immediate attention but then gets upset and insecure the following week. Lindzi did not fall victim to this and continues to be strong and a front-runner with Ben. Things started to get tense during the cocktail party as the thought of women going home became more real. Yes, a lot of the blame was being thrown on Blakeley’s “blessings,” but I think she became more of a scapegoat as the women realized she had a connection and was getting roses and they weren’t. Jenna is a great example of this. The conversation you saw with Ben was awkward at best. The two of them actually had another conversation later that night you didn’t get to see, and believe it or not it was even worse than the first one.

The night was officially summed up when Ben found Blakeley slumped in the corner of the luggage room crying and walked out only to find Jenna curled up crying in bed. Ben is not a big fan of drama, and this was a huge turnoff for him. He knew things would get intense eventually, but he was hoping it wasn’t going to start this early. One side note about the rose ceremony: It was freezing. It was a very cold night in Sonoma, and if you look closely you can see several of the women shivering as they stood there in the freezing temperatures.

This week was emotional and intense, but I promise you it’s nothing compared to what you’ll witness next week. You got a sneak peek at what just may be the wildest night in Bachelor history. A woman who has a history with Ben and our show will return next week, and the fallout from this is incredible and must be seen. This is an episode that everybody will be talking about for quite some time. Speaking of next week, I hope you’ll join me next Saturday night on ABC as I host the most dramatic Miss America Pageant… ever! You know I don’t just say that about everything.

I leave you this week with a quick shout out to a very special friend in our bachelor family. Kiptyn, who was a fan favorite on both The Bachelorette and Bachelor Pad, had surgery on his neck late last week. The good news he’s back home resting. Kiptyn, we wish you a speedy recovery.
For more behind the scenes info, interviews, blogs, and never-before-seen clips, check out the official Bachelor website every day.

http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/01/10/chris-harrison-the-bachelor-episode-2-blog-2/

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