Spinsterhood Is Powerful

Bad news, "Bachelor" fans. Reality TV's hottest dating show may not survive its sex-change operation. Not that ABC has shared even a minute of "The Bachelorette," which debuts this week. But talk to Trista Rehn, the former Miami Heat cheerleader who dated 25 men simultaneously in hopes of finding a husband, and her report is not encouraging. For one thing, Trista admits she cried. While it is practically mandatory for one of her suitors to break down, to have the Bachelorette herself buckle under the pressure could ruin everything. Even worse, she insists that she was "really conscientious of being honest. I wasn't out there to hurt anyone's feelings." What's the point of "The Bachelorette" if no one gets reduced to a bitter, blubbering fool on national television? Worst of all, Trista gives the distinct impression that she hardly made out with any of the guys vying for her hand. "You will see nothing I am embarrassed about or my family will be ashamed of," she says. "I conducted myself in a good way." What a shame.

Still, viewers will probably get hitched up with "The Bachelorette." The show is already something of a miracle. The first two installments of "The Bachelor"--in which a man picked from 25 women--almost singlehandedly revived the corpse that was ABC (not to mention the bite it took out of NBC's hallowed "The West Wing"). It was one of the rare reality shows that actually gained viewers the second time around: the November finale of "The Bachelor 2" pulled in 26 million viewers. This makes ABC's decision to turn "The Bachelor" into "The Bachelorette" a gamble. Will the primarily female viewers relate to 25 men as they did when the 25 women cried, lied and practically died for the chance to hook up with a wealthy hunk? What's more, "The Bachelorette" is facing major reality-TV competition, including the return of "American Idol" and a new Fox show called "Joe Millionaire"-- which just happens to be about a bunch of women vying for an eligible bachelor. "We sort of expect Fox to take our reality stuff," says ABC Entertainment president Susan Lyne. "They did it with 'Greed' and with 'The Chamber,' but I wish they hadn't ripped off 'The Bachelor' as fast as they did. I just have to believe that at the end of the day, quality is going to win."

Quality--now, there's a word you've probably never heard applied to reality TV. The fact is, ABC is a bit nervous about "The Bachelorette." The network decided to swap genders after the first "Bachelor" generated all sorts of outrage at the sight of seemingly intelligent women fighting over a man. "I was sort of dragging my feet on this one," says Mike Fleiss, the shows' creator. "My theory is if it's working, leave it alone. But the network wanted to silence some of our feminist critics, and rightfully so." Still, Fleiss says he's surprised how similarly the two versions played out. Although he won't say whether any men dissolved into a puddle and burbled, "What did I do to deserve this?"--as a reject named Heather did on "The Bachelor 2"--Fleiss insists that the competition among the 25 men was every bit as entertaining. "You will see guys essentially groveling for Trista's attention--good-looking studs," he says. "Just like the women on 'The Bachelor,' two things are at work: they dig this chick and they're afraid of rejection. And so they react with emotion. It's impressive. It's much better than I thought it was going to be."

The one person who apparently never doubted that "The Bachelorette" would work is Trista. She was a contestant on the first "Bachelor," and she made it to the final cut--until a slimy consultant named Alex dumped her for a surgically enhanced blonde named Amanda. "That really hurt me," says Trista. "He told me he would pick me less than 48 hours before he made his final decision. I didn't see how his mind could have changed from being so sure about choosing me to choosing someone else. I thought I deserved honesty." So why is she back for more? Revenge? "You need to risk getting hurt to find the person you're going to be with," she says--and with such sincerity, you'd think she truly believes it's normal to look for a soulmate while millions of TV viewers watch. "It's definitely not natural, but who's to say it's wrong? I'm secure. I have nothing to hide."

Though she sometimes sounds like a prime-time Gloria Steinem ("It's time to get rid of that stupid double standard and let women embrace their sexuality"), Trista says it was harder to be in the power position on "The Bachelorette" than it was to play a lady-in-waiting on "The Bachelor." She felt the pressure most acutely at each "rose ceremony," those floral finales wherein the Bachelorette bestows a rose on each suitor she wants to retain, leaving the losers empty-handed. "Literally, my body would be overcome by shakes," she recalls. She consulted with Aaron, the second Bachelor, about how to deal with the pressure of the show. "We've become friends now. Aaron was a quality person," she says. (Needless to say, Alex did not call with advice, and if he had, she says, "I don't think I'd necessarily listen.") Anyway, Trista got her Hollywood ending. Though she won't name names, she does say that she met the man of her dreams on "The Bachelorette." "I fell in love," Trista says. "I'm done, I'm finished. I am off the market, officially." Isn't TV wonderful?

But the big winner on "The Bachelorette" isn't Trista. It's Mike Fleiss. Three years ago he became something of a pariah after his show "Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire" imploded thanks to Rick Rockwell, Darva Conger (remember them?) and faulty background checks. Fox yanked the show--entertainment chairman Sandy Grushow called it "ratings crack"--and Fleiss had to start all over again. "My agent is always telling me, 'You should have had all this success three years ago'," he says. Today, thanks to the "Bachelor" franchise, he's got five prime-time series in development, including "Are You Hot?"--a sort of overdriven and underdressed beauty contest--and "High School Reunion," where former classmates get to live together 10 years after graduation. But Fleiss still hasn't gotten over "Multi-Millionaire." "That one evening back in February 2000 when the whole country called each other and said, 'Oh, my God, what am I watching?'--that was an extraordinary viewing experience," he says. "I have that little statue of the bride and groom from Rick and Darva's cake in the highest point of my office. I'm superproud of that show. I wish there was something that good to watch tonight, because I know I'm going to be bored." Not to worry. He's still got Trista. After that, "The Bachelor" returns in March.