The Bachelor, eh?

The Bachelor Canada premiered a couple of weeks ago, adding another reality show in a long line to follow its US counterpart. Let's see if it's more successful than Canadian Idol or So You Think You Can Dance Canada (and we can, thank you very much), or Canada's Got Talent  which were all cancelled, the latter after the first season.

Why you might ask? Because the viewership is limited to Canadians, and we don't support our own shows, unfortunately. The one that baffled and angered me the most was SYTYD Canada because I personally thought it was outstandingly entertaining with better dances and dancers than most of the other sister shows. However, I've come to accept that my taste does not follow the mainstream often, so I've had to take a lot of TV-related disappointment.

Back to TBC. First of all, let's talk about production. Since there's no actual prize involved, that frees up the poor neighbor-to-the-North budget that Canadian shows have to work with for limos and helicopters and glamorous trips to New Orleans and Ottawa. What's more interesting to note is the insane amount of product placement that has to happen in order to beef up the budget of this show. We had to endure about 10 minutes of watching the bachelorettes shaving their legs to promote a shaving company which I won't mention because a) I don't remember (I'm the worst target audience) and b) I'm not being paid for product placement. :) Then on one date where Brad took Ana on a picnic they sat on a huge blanket with pillows sporting the unmistakable Bay franchise colors.

What about our first Bachelor, eh?

Brad Smith is charming, playful and quite intuitive. He caught some flack on the premier for complimenting all the ladies on their dresses. ("Holy Dress!") It disarmed me because his nervousness manifested in a positive way rather than in machismo. Brad clearly doesn't take himself seriously and doesn't need to ooze testosterone even though he's a former CFL player. He embodies the 21st century metro-sexual quite successfully: a man who's into "manly" things but not afraid to show "feminine" interests. I can't believe we still talk about those things.

Anyway, moving to the gist of the whole show: the bachelorette front-runners.

Whitney, aka the Courtney Robertson of this season, received the first impression rose because she took Brad in a vice-grip full-body hug when she first met him. This part-time boxer oozes aggressive confidence in herself and disdain for the other women, saying they're "no competition." That's always charming. Whitney kept her cool when her nemesis on the show, Gabrielle, tried to bait her into a cat fight, but clearly this woman is not a favorite among the others.


 Let's hope that Brad is smarter and more intuitive than Ben Flajnik who chose Courtney to the consternation of most viewers and all the other bachelorettes. That relationship recently ended, supposedly in a save-face "mutual" decision though Courtney has had no problem immediately moving onto Arie Luyandyk from Emily Maynard's Bachelorette season. Maybe they should rename that franchise Swinging Singles because it's just a collection-pool for the real show Bachelor Pad. Anyway...

Gabrielle is not a front-runner but is clearly being kept on the show to stir up drama as Whitney's nemesis. She's unsubtle, grating, outspoken (meaning she won't shut up), abrasive and not really anyone's idea of fun. But her comments against Whitney are entertaining enough to keep her around.

Chantelle who is a giggly, self-effacing, intense pastor has captured Brad's attention by sharing a book of love-quotes from the kids in her camp and doing a burlesque show despite being uncomfortable. She cannot be more opposite to the previous women which speaks more to Brad's wide range of tastes more than anything else.

Kara, the grad student or the JoJo Spatafora of this season (only Big Brother 14 fans will get this reference), in looks not personality, has also made an impression on Brad, sharing a more relaxed chemistry with the bachelor while staying away from the drama spotlight in the show's edit. She might be the dark horse of this competition for Brad's heart and the diamond ring. She's confident without being pushy, knowing that maintaining a good relationship with the other hopefuls will keep her out of their sights.

Last, but not least, is the one I think has the most chances of being picked by Brad in the end, Ana. He made an exception for her at the first rose ceremony by adding another rose to keep her in the running. Then this week, because she didn't get a date with him at all, he created one for her, surprising her at 5:30 in the morning to take her on a plane ride and a romantic picnic on an island. You tell me those aren't signs that Brad likes this woman a lot.

All-in-all, The Bachelor Canada is shaping up to be a successful spin-off of this franchise, with all the drama and adventure, the tears, the heart-ache and suspense that the original brings to the table. Will it be successful enough to overcome the Canadian curse of sister shows? Only time will tell, as solid ratings have not come out yet. Canadian viewers are a tough crowd, with Canadian critics leading the cynical pack.

Stay tuned for next week's critique: Kids and Reality TV.