Sycamore resident Shanae Ankney part of ‘The Bachelor’ cast
The tiny village of Sycamore in the northwest corner of Wyandot County has about 800 residents – and now one reality TV star.
In the season premiere of ABC-TV’S “The Bachelor” broadcast Monday evening, viewers across the nation met Shanae Ankney, 29, a recruiter.
Everyone in Sycamore already knows her, Mayor Anthony Flood said in an interview Tuesday morning.
“We’re a town of 840 people. Everybody knows everybody,” he said. “So in a situation like this, I’m quite sure the entire community and the surrounding counties was probably watching this show last night. Everybody probably stayed up.”
‘Unique experience’ for Sycamore
Having a local resident on a national TV show is “a unique experience,” Flood said.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a small town or a big town,” he said. “Any time you have somebody local to your community that goes off and does big things, and goes off and has experiences like this, we’re obviously very proud of that person, and Shanae is definitely that person we’re proud of.”
Her biography on the ABC show’s website describes her as “a small-town girl with a huge personality.”
“She describes herself as faithful, patient and lovable, and is here to find a man who can keep up with her in all facets of life,” according to the biography. “She is looking for a man with confidence that won’t waste time playing games. She also values her independence, so while Shanae wants to build a life with someone, she also wants someone who encourages her to achieve the goals she has set for herself. Above all, Shanae wants to be able to be herself with a man who will honor and cherish her for the gem that she is.”
Shanae Ankney is expected to get ‘a lot of screen time’
According to Reality Steve, who
writes about reality TV on social media, Ankney plays a notable role on “The Bachelor.”
“Every season has a villain. She’s this seasons,” tweeted Reality Steve, who has 333,000 Twitter followers. “Why Shanae is the villain and the things she did will be shared later.”
Cosmopolitan quoted Reality Steve’s tweet about Ankney being a villain in an online article about “The Bachelor,” adding that she will likely get “a lot of screen time” this season.
The official ABC website for “The Bachelor” adds a few fun facts about Ankney, saying she is obsessed with zoos and loves Christmas so much she keeps her tree up all year round.
According to her Linkedin page, Ankney is director of recruiting for Dublin, Ohio-based OPOC.US, where she has worked for five years, and she is also a licensed cosmetologist.
Flood said Ankney attended Mohawk schools.
“The village is certainly proud of her,” he said. “We wish her a lot of luck and success.” ggoble@gannett.com 419-559-7263