My first time watching the Bachelor was a few season ago when my beautiful Niece Jamie King was a contestant. Although, I tend not to watch very many reality tv shows from what I’ve seen from ABC upcoming show Bachelor Winter Games it has a great mix of drama and a bit of comedy that kept my interest.
(Disclaimer: I WAS INVITED TO AN ALL-EXPENSE PAID TRIP TO LOS ANGELES COURTESY OF DISNEY TO ATTEND THE #BLACKPANTHEREVENT & #ABCTVEVENT IN EXCHANGE FOR MY COVERAGE. NO OTHER COMPENSATION WAS PROVIDED. ALL VIEWS SHARED ARE COMPLETELY MY OWN)
LET THE WINTER GAMES BEGIN!
BACHELOR NATION BECOMES BACHELOR WORLD WHEN ADVENTUROUS ROMANTICS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE SEARCH FOR LOVE AMIDST FRIENDLY COMPETITION, ON ABC’S ‘THE BACHELOR WINTER GAMES’.
Hosted by Chris Harrison, ESPN SportsCenter anchor and sports journalist Hannah Storm and KABC-TV sports anchor and correspondent Ashley Brewer there to help report on all of the exciting action. The Bachelor Winter Games is a fun and exciting twist to the franchise. Of course, the traditional rose will be presented at the end of each episode. However, what makes this show different from other shows is it brings past bachelor and bachelorette from across the globe for a friendly competition. In these games men verse men and women verse women in a friendly competition of winter sports games such as sking, target shorting etc. At the end of each round winners earn a date card and for an extra added twist at the end of this season one winner will be crowned the winner of the first ever Bachelor Winter Games.
Photo Credit – Natasha Nichols / Houseful of Nichols
I recently had an opportunity to get a sneak peek of The Bachelor Winter Games that aires Feb 13, 2018, and interview Chris Harrison. Mr. Harrison is best known for his role as host of the ABC reality television dating show, The Bachelor since 2002, and its spin-offs The Bachelorette since 2003, Bachelor Pad from 2010 to 2012, Bachelor in Paradise since 2014, the first season of Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise in 2015, and Bachelor Live in 2016. What’s more, he also helps produce several of the shows. During our roundtable interview, we discussed several different topics. However, what I found most interesting it what it takes to create a show with so many moving parts. Below are some highlights from our interview.
What made them decide to create The Bachelor Winter Games?
“Here’s what we’re gonna start with. Let’s make this Global Celebration of Love. OK, let’s define that and figure out what that means. And so what we figured out was, The Bachelor is a phenomenon here obviously in the United States and it’s one of the biggest franchises in the history of TV, and it has been for almost 2 decades. But it’s actually huge around the world and I’m not sure you guys know that but a lot of people don’t know that from all corners of the world from Japan, China, Finland, Sweden, from Russia, the UK, and Australia and New Zealand and Canada.
And so, we have all these franchises around the world. And so we thought how do we kind of open the door to that? And how do you kind of take advantage of this huge phenomenon, not just in the States but around the world so we thought, let’s bring out our Stars a la Bachelor’s Paradise. But then let’s get Stars from around the world. And so that’s what we did. We kind of decided it would be this pseudo-Olympic Village where we’re gonna get the biggest Stars from around the world join the biggest Stars from our Show, bring them together, let them live in one house, let the mayhem ensue. And then for some reason, let’s put these people on Skis cause most of them have never skied.”~ Chris Harrison
There is a whole lot of kissing on the Bachelor, which made me wonder do people go through a medical background check prior to coming on the show?
“Well first of all, you can do whatever you want. You don’t have to kiss anybody and you’re not under contract to touch or be touched. But to your point, yes. Everybody goes through very stringent tests of all kinds. Believe it or not, Mental as well. Look, let’s be honest. There are some grey areas but let’s also be honest. If I lock the doors right now, half of this room is crazy. And when I say half, I mean 75%. So it’s really numbers. It’s a numbers game. “~ Chris Harrison
Chris has worked with hundreds of people does he keep in touch with past contestants?
“I do. A lot of them. Whether intended or not, I run into a lot of them, like I was at a Concert last Monday and ran into Christine Schulman and just ran into Graham Bond who’s a DJ here in town. But a lot of them are my friends whether even back in the day, it’s Tristan and Ryan are dear friends of mine, and Andrew Firestone is one of my closest friends. Bob Ginny, and even now Ben Higgins and I talk all the time, Kate and Jo Jo.
Yeah, one of the weirdest things about this job is I’ve had 16 years of these people that have come into my life and that I’ve taken care of. I’ve married some of them and watched them have babies and created these families with them and on the off-camera side, we’ve had deaths and divorces and love affairs and marriages. We’ve kind of done it all and that’s not even the Television Show. And so yeah, we’re kind of a traveling band of Gypsies in this family that’s kind of stuck together, which is pretty special. It’s neat. I have some really good friends because of this show.” ~ Chris Harrison
Here is a little fun Fact . . .How many applicants does Chris get for each show?
“It depends. Thousands and thousands. But also, we cast now 24/7. I mean, 12 months of the year we’re casting. And we have this kind of Rolodex built up. Say out of the blue, Ari’s our Bachelor. Well maybe we have a girl who a couple of years ago, we ran into and she’s like yeah, who are you interested in? I always loved Ari. You remember that girl we met in Kansas City who loved Ari, I think she’ll be great. We’ll go back and we’ll reach back into the well to find people or maybe someone had a boyfriend at the time or a girlfriend so long story short, the casting is huge. ~ Chris Harrison
The Bachelor Winter Games,” beginning Tuesday, FEB. 13 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EST), on The ABC Television Network, streaming and on demand.
Episode 101” – Baby, it’s cold outside when 25 bachelors and bachelorettes from around the world meet in the streets of Manchester, Vermont, for a grand celebration of unity and love on the premiere of the new highly anticipated four-episode series. Chris Harrison hosts with ESPN SportsCenter anchor and sports journalist Hannah Storm and KABC-TV sports anchor and correspondent Ashley Brewer there to help report on all of the exciting action. Bachelor royalty Trista and Ryan Sutter make a special appearance, serving as grand marshals to kick off the festivities. Following a featured performance by up-and-coming country music sensation Ruthie Collins, the singles move into their Bachelor villa at The Hermitage Club at Haystack Mountain in Wilmington, Vermont, and the games of love begin.
Back at the Bachelor villa, Chris Harrison reveals that the winter challenges will begin with a biathlon the next morning. Only the male and female winners will be awarded a date card and the opportunity to ask a potential love interest on a romantic escapade. With suitors searching for love from international versions of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” franchises, chemistry quickly heats up across borders, with an American man sharing a passionate kiss with a woman from New Zealand before the first night is over. The immediate connections among the group make the next day’s inaugural challenge as intense as ever. With Hannah Storm and Ashley Brewer there to help cover the day’s activities, a particularly entertaining biathlon takes place, ending with two lucky winners skiing off with a date card and a decision to make. One winner makes a difficult choice, leading to a full-on meltdown from a Bachelor Nation fan favorite. While one couple heads to Wilmington, Vermont, for a night out on the town, another departs for a charming date where sparks fly as fireworks light up the sky. Later, at the first dramatic cocktail party, Chris Harrison delivers a bolt from the blue – five people will have to say goodbye at the end of the night, leaving alliances to be made and romance to be had if anyone wants a chance to stay in the game.
“Episode 102” – In the next episode that airs THURSDAY, FEB. 15 (8:00–10:00 p.m. EST), romantic connections are well underway as the participants arrive at an ice rink for their second winter games challenge – speed skating. Chris Harrison and Hannah Storm are at the anchor desk with Ashley Brewer on the sidelines to recap the qualifying rounds where some stumble, some speed and some trudge to the finish line. After a surprising twist, two unexpected skaters win a coveted date card. One winner and his lady of choice go on an adventurous tubing date where concerns are brought up that lead to a relationship-defining conversation. Another couple takes a picturesque horse-drawn carriage ride and establishes a deep bond in a woodburning hot tub. One bachelor ends a short-lived courtship for another lady; but everyone knows that in Bachelor world when one door closes, another is always ready to be opened, especially when Jordan from New Zealand finally shows up to the villa. At the rose ceremony, the remaining participants have no idea what to expect until Chris Harrison makes an important announcement that sends some people scrambling in order to avoid being sent home.
Below is cast for “The Bachelor Winter Games”:
USA Men
Ben, 29, “The Bachelor” Season 20
Dean, 26, “The Bachelorette” Season 13 (Rachel Lindsay)
Eric, 29, “The Bachelorette” Season 13 (Rachel Lindsay)
Jamey, 33, “The Bachelorette” Season 13 (Rachel Lindsay)
Josiah, 29, “The Bachelorette” Season 13 (Rachel Lindsay)
Luke, 33, “The Bachelorette” Season 12 (JoJo Fletcher)
Michael, 37, “The Bachelorette” Season 9 (Desiree Hartsock Siegfried)
USA Women
Ashley I., 29, “The Bachelor” Season 19 (Chris Soules)
Clare, 36, “The Bachelor” Season 18 (Juan Pablo Galavis)
Lesley, 30, “The Bachelor” Season 17 (Sean Lowe)
Bibiana, 30, “The Bachelor, Season 22 (Arie Luyendyk Jr.)
Lauren G., 27, “The Bachelor, Season 22 (Arie Luyendyk Jr.)
International Men
Benoit, 31, “The Bachelorette” Season 1 – Canada
Christian, 34, “The Bachelorette” Season 1 – Switzerland and Germany
Courtney, 31, “The Bachelorette” Season 2 – Australia
Jordan, 34, “The Bachelor” Season 2 – New Zealand
Kevin, 33, “The Bachelorette” Season 1 – Canada
International Women
Ally, 24, “The Bachelor” Season 3 – New Zealand
Jenny, 34, “The Bachelor” Season 1 – Finland
Laura, 29, “The Bachelor” Season 1 – United Kingdom
Lily, 21, “The Bachelor” Season 3 – New Zealand
Nastassia, 26, “The Bachelor” Season 3 – Sweden
Rebecca, 26, “The Bachelor” Season 3 – Sweden
Tiffany, 31, “The Bachelor” Season 4 – Australia
Yuki, 21, “The Bachelor” Season 1 – Japan
Zoe, 25, “The Bachelor” Season 1 – China
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