Bachelors’ lousy luck now bides with host
“Please take a minute and say your goodbyes.”
It’s the line Chris Harrison says to the rejected and rose-less at the conclusion of the Bachelor and Bachelorette episodes he has hosted since the franchise’s 2002 inception.
Now he’s the one saying his goodbyes.
Harrison recently announced that he and his wife, Gwen, are ending their marriage.
They made it 18 years, compared to the 18 days most couples on his shows last.
The Harrisons, parents to two children, said via joint statement: “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.” Missing was Harrison’s usual urgency in announcing this, “one of the most shocking moments in Bachelor history!”
Sigh, if the host of the show where no one stays together can’t stay together, how is there any hope for the rest of us?
The Harrisons were never in the public eye. At least they weren’t until Rozlyn, a feisty contestant who was eliminated from 2010 Bachelor Jake Pavelka’s season for having an “inappropriate relationship” with a show producer, accused Harrison of cheating on his wife during a reunion show. Harrison responded via his Entertainment Weekly blog: “Beyond the fact that it’s just flat out not true, that comment was well beyond the line of decency and speaks volumes to the kind of person Rozlyn is. My wife, who I’ve been with since I was 18 ... was in the audience that night and got as big a laugh out of Rozlyn’s comment as I did.”
No one is giggling now. (Well, except maybe Rozlyn.)
While we don’t know Gwen, Chris is practically family. OK, so he’s just the guy who counts roses, clinks glasses to get cocktail party guests’ attention and asks prying questions on reality television. But, still, we wanted better for the Harrisons. If anyone knew how not to conduct a relationship it was Chris, who had so many terrible examples to learn from (like Bachelor Brad Womack ... and then, uh, Bachelor Brad Womack yet again). Only four couples from 23 seasons of shows are still together (and we’re still waiting for
that awful Ben and Courtney to break up — again — any minute now).
Couldn’t the Harrisons give it one more go, Bachelorstyle? Couldn’t they forgo their individual rooms, and stay as a couple in the fantasy suite? Couldn’t they rekindle their romance on a helicopter- tub date? Couldn’t they air all their grievances and get back together during a Women Tell All-esque or After the Final Rose- like reunion special?
If not, perhaps Harrison could be the next Bachelor. Gwen could be a future Bachelorette. And then both could appear on Bachelor Pad in what finally would live up to Harrison’s billing as the “the most dramatic season ever!”
Speaking of seasons, the next The Bachelorette is set conveniently to premiere with Harrison as host Monday — yes, that’s tomorrow — at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.