The Bachelor - The Hollywood Gossip

Emily Maynard: Sort of Dissed By Brad Womack!

steve@thehollywoodgossip.com (Free Britney) — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:03:04 EST

The Bachelorette star Emily Maynard was apparently just dissed by her former fiance, Brad Womack, in a recent interview he gave. What did the guy say?

Asked about the 26-year-old single mother by his hometown ABC station, Brad allegedly said: “I think I dodged a bullet with that relationship.”

Yeah. If that's true, really not cool Brad.

Good thing Emily Maynard has a whole new group of guys to choose from on the new season of The Bachelorette, since Brad clearly wasn't The One.

Who will she choose now that she's the one doling out the roses for the ABC reality franchise, which airs tonight? That's yet to be determined.

The Bachelorette spoilers we've read and posted so far hint at some of the serious contenders, however, so check out that page if you're curious!

Chris Lambton and Peyton Wright: Married!

steve@thehollywoodgossip.com (Free Britney) — Sun, 06 May 2012 07:32:28 EST

Chris Lambton and Peyton Wright went looking for love on The Bachelorette and The Bachelor, respectively, only to find it years later with each other.

The couple got married Saturday!

Peyton and Chris, who got engaged last year, tied the knot at Wild Dunes Resort in Charleston, S.C. The bride wore a gown by Melissa Sweet.

Their I-dos provide a happy ending for a courtship that started when a mutual Bachelor friend introduced the pair, who came up short on reality TV.

Not that the show didn't provide them other opportunities - in love and work.

The landscaper from Massachusetts and his Dallas-born bride will star in Going Yard, premiering May 12 on HGTV. Chris Lambton and Peyton Wright be traveling the U.S. designing and decorating outdoor living spaces.

Among Lambton's fellow Bachelorette alums invited to the nuptials were Craig Robinson, Tyler Vermette and even Roberto Martinez, whom Ali Fedotowsky got engaged to on the finale of her season, spurning Chris.

Let bygones be bygones, right? Congratulations, Chris and Peyton!

NOTE: For the scoop on the new season, starring Emily Maynard, check out our page compiling the The Bachelorette spoilers, news and more.

Chris Harrison and Wife Gwen: It's Over!

steve@thehollywoodgossip.com (Free Britney) — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:35:10 EST

The Bachelor host Chris Harrison and his wife of over 18 years, Gwen, are divorcing.

The couple announced their separation "after much heartfelt consideration" today.

"Though we have made this incredibly difficult decision to separate, our love and mutual respect remain, and we look forward to sharing in the lives of our wonderful children," Chris and Gwen said in a joint statement Thursday.

Harrison, 40, is best known for hosting ABC's The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. In 2010, he was accused on-screen of hitting on a producer's wife.

At the time, he was hardly ruffled by the "cheap shot" of controversial contestant Rozlyn Papa. "I had nothing to hide," he said. "My wife was there."

The couple live 35 miles from Hollywood with their kids Joshua, 9, and Taylor, 7.

Harrison, who coaches both kids' soccer teams, is "an amazing father," Gwen says. "He's very loving and involved." He's also amazing at his job.

No word if he will also be the next Bachelor, but Harrison will be back running the show for its popular spinoff (see Bachelorette spoilers) May 14.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Burning Love: Yahoo Web Series to Parody The Bachelor

steve@thehollywoodgossip.com (Free Britney) — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:48:16 EST

Yahoo will be introducing a web series that parodies The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, with Ben Stiller, Kristen Bell and Malin Akerman among the cast.

Burning Love, which debuts Monday, June 4 on the Yahoo Comedy Channel, depicts an over-the-top, dramatic and hypersexual reality dating show.

Scarily, this is not that much more absurd than the real thing ...

Burning Love Trailer

Yahoo’s Bachelor parody will follow fictional fireman Mark Orlando, played by Ken Marino, as the hunk searches for the perfect woman to give it to.

There will be bubble baths, hair extensions, spray-tans, bitter competition and genuinely insane women (one of them homeless) along the way.

Former Bachelor Jake Pavelka, hilariously, even makes a cameo.

Burning Love is totally a must-see. For more scoop on the actual series airing this summer, follow this link for all The Bachelorette spoilers so far.

Sarah Silverman Slams The Bachelor as Offensive, Degrading

steve@thehollywoodgossip.com (Free Britney) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:23:27 EST

Outspoken comedian Sarah Silverman has harsh words for women to choose to compete on The Bachelor, calling the enterprise "offensive" and degrading.

While being interviewed on the debut episode of Amanda de Cadenet's The Conversation Thursday night, the conversation turned to the ABC reality show.

She is not a fan.

"I'll tell you what's offensive about these shows... that are on ABC during prime time," she said. "Twenty-five women in JCPenney prom dresses, fully grown, going, 'He took us to a castle!' No he didn't. Producers procured a castle."

"And there's 25 of you, that's how special you aren't," she added.

Silverman, who recently sparked controversy with this abortion tweet, says that the real problem with the show is not that adults watch and make fun of it, but that young, impressionable girls think what they're seeing is worth emulating.

"I think, 'Wow, some young girl is watching this, and there should be a warning saying this is not acceptable behavior.' The biggest thing that a woman should realize is that there is not just one slot for a woman in any given thing."

"I think that's something that society, men and women both, have enforced. It's in the ether that one woman's success can only come at another's failure."

In this case, Courtney Robertson WINNING every time another girl fails to secure a rose, taunting them to their faces or in the confessional afterwards.

No word if Sarah feels the circumstances are on the same, degrading level on The Bachelorette, in which 25 dudes pine for the love of one lovely lady.

Speaking of which, check out The Bachelorette spoilers page for all the dish on the new season, starring Emily Maynard and premiering Monday, May 14.

It may be offensively bad TV, and Sarah Silverman makes good points, but if you know that going in, you can still watch - and ridicule - it all summer long.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Ben Flajnik and Courtney Robertson: "Engaged-Dating"

steve@thehollywoodgossip.com (Free Britney) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 13:26:50 EST

Controversial lovebirds Ben Flajnik and Courtney Robertson of The Bachelor fame say they are enjoying what they've come to call "engaged dating."

The way this season went, that's as good as one could hope for, if not better.

"We're still getting to know each other and taking it slow," Flajnik told People at a fashion show in New York. "[Things] are working out really well."

Courtney Robertson agrees, but says she still has a lot to learn about Ben.

"It's nice to see him in social settings and with his family," says the model. "He is always the life of the party. He's got this great personality."

While the duo is looking forward to a summer filled with travel plans and wedding invitations, they won't be rushing down the aisle anytime soon.

"We're not even there yet," Ben Flajnik said. Added his fiance, perhaps the most reviled Bachelor contestant ever, "[We're] just enjoying each other."

Things are going swimmingly, though, save for minor hiccups. She's finding out what they don't have in common: He "hates bananas," she says.

But she has won him over with her favorite drink: "She's got me drinking those things," Ben says of the fermented tea-based beverage kombucha.

If that's their biggest problem now, they could prove a lot of us wrong.

What do you think: Will Ben and Courtney last?

The Bachelor: Sued For Racial Discrimination!

steve@thehollywoodgossip.com (Free Britney) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:36:12 EST

The producers of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are not exactly coming up roses in a new lawsuit from two African-Americans who auditioned last year.

They were turned down, allegedly, because of their race.

According to court papers, the two plaintiffs went to a Nashville hotel to audition, either as The Bachelor star or as contestants on The Bachelorette.

Christopher Johnson, an aspiring NFL player, claims when he arrived a producer asked him what he was doing there ... then shunned from the process.

Johnson and the other plaintiff, Nathaniel Claybrooks, both say they were taken to the side of the room and left out of the normal audition process.

Neither was called back, they say because of race. In 20+ seasons, there has never been a black Bachelor (which Lamar Hurd seeks to change) or Bachelorette.

They will be filing a class action lawsuit in federal court Wednesday morning. ABC, Next Entertainment, NZK Productions and creator Mike Fleiss, will all be sued.

A beacon of diversity, The Bachelorette returns Monday, May 14, with 25 white guys doing their best to woo beautiful white girl Emily Maynard.

Lamar Hurd: The First Black Bachelor?

steve@thehollywoodgossip.com (Free Britney) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:49:12 EST

Lamar Hurd, a Portland sportscaster, is lobbying - and has already garnered great support - to become the first African-American star of ABC's The Bachelor.

According to his professional-looking audition video (below), Lamar’s assistant Tammy first came up with the idea to submit an application on his behalf.

“Let’s say I wanted to go on it, and was willing to do it, they haven’t even had a black Bachelor,” Lamar said of his initial resistance to apply. But he did!

Lamar Hurd For The Bachelor!

If the video tells us anything, it's that Lamar Hurd is clearly telegenic, comfortable on camera, humble and shirtless a lot. Really, how can he go wrong?!

More importantly, he seems charismatic and charming, yet measured. Fun enough to lure viewers in, boring enough to be a non-polarizing blank slate.

Plus, the racial element would be one heck of a hook for the new season.

Lack of diversity is one of our top five complaints about the show (the other four being overuse of the word "journey", lame metaphors equating bungee jumping to romance, cringe-worthy grammar, i.e. "Ben and I's relationship", and Courtney Robertson).

It’s unclear if ABC would go for a non-white Bachelor, since past runner-ups have been good for ratings, or what the racial makeup of young women would be.

And is America even ready for the first minority Bachelor? Given that they've already had a cyborg on there twice (Brad Womack), we'd say yes. Please.

Would you wanna see Lamar Hurd as The Bachelor?

Ben Flajnik and Courtney Robertson NOT Moving in Together ... Yet

steve@thehollywoodgossip.com (Free Britney) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:47:03 EST

The Bachelor's Ben Flajnik and Courtney Robertson are now a happy and engaged couple, but that doesn't mean cohabitation is in effect. At least not yet.

Us Weekly (who broke the story of Ben kissing random girls, and who Flajnik calls "shady") recently reported that he and Court were shacking up already.

We thought that was probably too soon. Turns it so did they.

A source tells E! News that Robertson "hasn't moved in, but they are spending more time together. She is gradually moving some stuff into his apartment."

"Still, they are content taking it slow at the moment."

Probably for the best. Love 'em or loathe 'em, the two have been through a lot, and need time to figure out if this is even going to work as a relationship.

"She is now back at her L.A. home and they are planning to see each other again next week," the source adds of L.A.-based model Courtney Robertson.

"They are getting along really well, but she's not willing to give up her L.A. home yet."

"It might be soon, though, but they want to just see how it goes and get used to settling into real life and spending a lot of time together first."

Fair. What do you think: Will this thing last?

Lindzi Cox: Happiest Bachelor Castoff Ever!

steve@thehollywoodgossip.com (Free Britney) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:00:13 EST

Lindzi Cox acts like she got away with something.

The Bachelor runner-up, who Ben Flajnik rejected in favor of MODEL Courtney Robertson on this month's season finale, is all smiles these days, as if she dodged a bullet.

When she departed, Lindz did so with an interesting parting shot, telling Ben that he could call her if (and when) everything unraveled with finacee Courtney.

She meant it as a joke, though, and from the looks of it, she's content to move on and forget, more or less, that anything ever happened with Ben.

Lindzi Cox on Good Morning America

Jilted as she may be, the Seattle resident who rode in on a horse has ridden off into the sunset on a high note, and is about as happy as a girl can be.

No bad blood toward Ben Flajnik and Courtney Robertson, no ill will toward the show, no wondering what might have been ... and no looking back.

Safe to say Lindzi Cox is the real winner here?