I Must Ramble...

Cover and details for Forever Amore's release are forthcoming. I'm happy to report I have seen a draft of the cover and it is absolutely beautiful! I can't wait to share it. Until then, I thought I'd discuss something that's been bugging me for some time....

Everyone knows I'm a Bachelor/Bachelorette fan. I watch every season, every episode... Don't ask why. I just have to. I usually don't rant here on my blog, but I thought I'd say a few words about the latest developments in our last Bachelorette, Jillian Harris's (with her boys above), so-called HEA. Did I see it coming? Yeah, sort of. And not just because she picked Ed instead of Reid or Kipton (still scratching my head over that one). I made peace with the fact that she and Ed were very much in love...until I saw the US Weekly cover saying that Ed was playing Jillian as much as the not-so-love-struck, camera-happy country singer Wes throughout the whole process.

Here's how I saw it coming. It's called the Brad Curse. Summing up, The Bachelor/Bachelorette throws twenty-five prospective life partners at one attractive person. By the end, they have to narrow it down to The One & Only. Understandably, there have been some break-ups in the past. The couple rode off into the sunset and found out that they'd have to actually work to keep their relationship going. Who saw that coming??? Some genuine love stories, though, resulted out of a few of them. For example, Bachelorette Trista is still married to her pick, Ryan, and they just had their second baby. Looks like their HEA is working out just fine.

Whether you and Mr/Mrs Right last or not, after the finale, you walk away from the cameras hand-in-hand with your Number One. Bachelor Brad changed all that. He sent his Number Two home crying, but before he could get down on one knee before his Number One, Deanna, he flaked out, sweated and paced, and decided he couldn't do it. Brad walked away without either. No ring. No phone number. No ride home. Nothing. Everyone applauded ABC's decision to bring Deanna back in the driver's seat the next season. Everything's going great...she narrows the field down to two men. Will it be Jesse or Jason? She shocks America by picking offbeat Jesse over single-dad Jason. They're in love. Everything's great. On the After the Final Rose special, they giddily announce an offical wedding date! Wow, they realy are serious. Then before the next season could get too far into the promos, the mysterious news that Deanna dumped her Number One for no known reason dropped. Ooookaaaay.

But no matter, it was Bachelor Jason's turn. His season aired early this year to the highest Bachelor ratings ever! Everyone fell for Jason and his son Ty. Everyone I know had their money on Melissa. And yep, despite the fact that Deanna made another appearance to tell him she made a mistake by picking Jesse over him, he said thanks but no thanks and proposed to Mel. Ty runs out to join the celebration, they jump into the pool laughing in their evening wear, sunset, cue credits. Wasn't that nice? Not two seconds after those credits rolled, host Chris Harrison gravely tells us something's wrong. Jason sits down and tells him he doesn't want Melissa anymore. He wants his Number Two, Molly. Oy. Fans are in uproar as Melissa gets very publicly dumped and Molly takes him back. Everyone pledges never to watch this stupid show ever ever ever again...

...and of course we're all back on the couch for Jason's Number Three and fan favorite, Jillian, nine weeks later. (We swore not the watch another Bachelor, not Bachelorette. There's a "difference.") Fun, flirty Jillian's season is interesting, hyped up by the network. The boys war harsher than any group before them. The country singer is a snake in the grass and despite several warnings from honeys like Tanner and Jake, she still keeps the #?!#?! around. Ed leaves for his job then comes back in a fit of remorse. She takes him back (how is this fair to the others?) and makes out with him on their next date in Spain. Reid has my vote and I'm as torn up as Jill is when he turns out to be Number Three. It's down to Kipton and Ed. Kipton, no brainer, right? No? It's Ed? What the hay? Then Reid rides back in to tell her he loves her. Despite a large amount of hesitation, she follows Chris's advice (how could you, Harrison?) and puts my boy back in the taxi. And then delivers my favorite line of the season: "Ed, you better not ?#?!#?! disappoint me!" Ha, ha. After the Final Rose Jill and Ed announce they are planning a wedding date. Now rumors are he's a player and Bachelor/Bachelorette has lost its shaky credibility all over again.

So...back to my theory. The Brad Curse. See the unfortunate chain of events? With Brad, they brought in a fresh Bachelor instead of a dump-ee from a past season. Brad flakes on Deanna, Deanna dumps Jesse, Jason decides against Melissa, and Ed reportedly plays Jillian. I have some advice for the show producers. Next season, break the curse and do NOT under any circumstances bring in a Jillian dump-ee. As much as I love Reid and Jake and Kipton, let these boys be and please, let's move on to a new chapter in Bachelor/Bachelorette history. Or scrap the show altogether. One or the other because I want a real HEA! Let's remind America that they DO happen...when we do a good background check and bar flakes and bad boys at all costs! Who's with me?