Kristen Dalton and Reid Rosenthal ... make me jealous.

By Gina Carbone
opus619@gmail.com

*April 2012 update* It took me long enough, but I finally noticed that Reid and Kristen are no longer dating. I don’t know how to feel about it. * End update*

How long has Honey Bear been into pageant chicks?

Actually, I guess I know the answer since Reid Rosenthal just announced it during the 20/20 special “Inside the Bachelor: The Stories Behind the Rose.”

"The Bachelorette" has been kind to Reid -- women have been approaching him, instead of the other way around. So did Kristen go after him, without even seeing him on the show? How did they meet?

Reid, who was dumped by Crazy Jillian Harris during “The Bachelorette” season five, has been dating Miss USA 2009 Kristen Dalton since November.

And thankfully, Reid said, Kristen did not watch his show.

Or so she told him.

LIAR.

Reid, she did. She may play dumb, but that’s a pageant trick. Along with Vaseline on your teeth to keep your smile going.

There was even a “New Couple Alert!” about them in December and somehow I missed it.

(But I did get to see him on HGTV, at least for a little while.)

I’m too sad for me. But happy for Reid. He deserves happiness, even if it’s with a blonde pageant chick.

*Update* Did you see this May 15 interview with Kristen? In it she says, and I quote/hurl, “We met during the year. There’s no engagement ring — yet. It’s all just going great. We’re having a good time together, and we are each other’s best friend. We’ll see where it takes us, but, yes, we’re in love.” When I stop clenching my fists in fury I will return to being happy for Reid. *End Update*

This is from the Las Vegas Sun. It's going to look great at the center of my dartboard.

*Update 2* My God it gets worse! Reid himself is quoted in this May 17 interview in the Las Vegas Sun — I knew I hated Vegas for a reason! — gushing over his pageant chick. When asked if a Tiffany box he was giving Kristen meant an engagement, Reid told the reporter “Not so fast! It’s going to happen, but not just yet. It’s a special Tiffany gift to celebrate the end of her reign. She’s had a fantastic year, and we have had an incredible seven months. But she had to give up her crown tonight, so I wanted her to have something else she can treasure forever. Kristen is a girl in a million — exceptional — and she’s the first pageant girl I’ve ever dated. I never thought she would be this wonderful in every possible way. I am a very lucky man.” Wait! What do you mean “it’s going to happen”? Reeeiiidd! Noooooo! Slowwww-mooottion screeeaaaammmm! *End Update 2*

Anyway, the rest of the 20/20 special was hard for me to watch, mostly because I don’t know that I ever really appreciated the creep factor of show creator and producer Mike Fleiss.

Seeing and hearing him — and re-watching clips of his pre-”Bachelor” sketch-fest “Who Wants To Marry A Multi-Millionaire?” — really drove home the back alley roots of this show. Ick.

And that rubbish about how women love to watch other women cry because of the at-least-it’s-not-me factor. That’s not true. And, no, they don’t need to cast villains for other women to hate. They shouldn’t be a casting for specific types.

This is all just Mike Fleiss’ sexism coming out.

At least they are being open about how there’s less reality going on with “The Bachelor” than manufactured drama.

Even with a cameo by Wes Hayden (whose heavily edited smart-aleck limo time was re-run, and who was shown to give a long pause before saying, again, that he did not have a girlfriend during Jillian’s season), the 20/20 show was too ABC soft to take seriously.

I mean, Melissa Rycroft was the one who asked Wes about having a girlfriend. Not exactly an objective interviewer.

Although I am glad Melissa admitted she wasn’t attracted to Jason Mesnick at first and the show was more about “winning” than finding love. She saw herself as a “damaged” girl who just wanted to be loved and accepted. I think that’s the norm for “Bachelor” contestants.

(By the way, Brad Womack made the right call — even if he went about it the wrong way. Stay strong, man! Actually, consider giving him another shot as “The Bachelor.” I respect his integrity, now more than ever. Or is he dating someone now? Another Miss USA? Miss America? Miss Texas? That Laurel chick Wes supposedly dated, too?)

“The Bachelor” franchise still needs a good hard investigative scrub, but it’s going to have to be done on a different network. There’s too much conflict of interest going on with ABC, which is clearly just trying to keep the 8 to 10 p.m. Monday spot open to “Bachelor” viewers for as long as possible. (They get to keep it up with Jake Pavelka on “Dancing with the Stars,” starting March 22.)

And Reid, if you get bored dating a perfect, gorgeous blonde pageant chick who “didn’t watch” your show…

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Get up to date on my full Bachelor/Bachelorette obsession in this nifty archive.

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