Sixteen seasons in, what can ABC possibly do to make its hit matchmaking show sexier?
How about a little nudity? In this promo for The Bachelor 16 (premiering Monday, Jan. 2, at 8 p.m. ET), this season's star, Ben Flajnik, is seen slipping out of his bathing suit to go skinny-dipping with one of the aspiring Mrs. Flajniks. As the clip also reminds us, this guy was the final reject from Ashley Hebert's Bachelorette season. His "final two" status on that show is a testament to his good looks and sense of humor.
Sadly, he wasn't too funny in the trailer for his Bachelor debut. He was too busy meditating on love while walking along the beach or cruising around in his manly, red truck. But his willingness to bare his backside for the cameras livened things up.
Other scintillating moments in this sneak peek include the shocking entrance of…a mystery bachelorette in a barely-there minidress and stilettos. "Who is she?" gasps one of the competitors. The answer is arguably already out on the internet, courtesy of the blogger Reality Steve. Click here if you want the mystery spoiled.
Speaking of Reality Steve, whose real name is Stephen Carbone, the producers of The Bachelor have had quite enough of his plot leaks. It's widely known that realitysteve.com is a great source for inside information about The Bachelor and other reality shows. He has correctly predicted the winner several times, even before some seasons hit the air.
Too bad contestants like Vienna Girardi didn't consult his prophetic powers. Maybe she could have saved herself some heartache. (Carbone named her as the winner before the season aired, though he didn't mention the couple's swift implosion in the weeks following her win.)
According to the lawsuit, though, Carbone's not prophetic; he's paying people off for the information. "Carbone is accused of obtaining confidential information about the Bachelor series by contacting and soliciting information from participants, cast, crew, and other employees of the series," writes Eriq Gardner of The Hollywood Reporter.
Carbone has countered with his own statement, on his website, which states that he hasn't, in fact, been served with a lawsuit. Nonetheless, he offered this message from his lawyer:
"Mr. Carbone has not received any confidential information from the participants whom you indicate may have received recent emails from him, and he has no intention of posting any information from such participants, as no such information was provided. There has in fact been no interference with your clients’ participant contracts, and your assumption about alleged disclosures of information by any such participants as stated in your letter is incorrect."
By the way, if you want to know who has won Flajnik's heart, check in with realitysteve.com's "Bachelor Ben Spoilers" -- while you still can!
