Brooke Williams, no doubt a dating show disaster
Brooke Williams, author of Accept This Dandelion (out now!), imagines how she would fare on a show like The Bachelor.
Brooke: I find dating shows fascinating. Maybe I like watching people fall in love. But part of me has always wondered what it would be like to actually be on one of those shows. I think the result of those wonderings came out in my romantic comedy Accept This Dandelion! Renee Lockhart, the main character, holds many of my characteristics and mannerisms. Plus, she's a disaster on the dating TV show, as I predict I would be.
If I had gone on a TV show similar to The Bachelor, and there was one man and a dozen or more girls involved, I'd place bets on my going home the very first night. I am shy and reserved. I don't think I would fight for time with the man of the hour, as I would need to in order to get noticed. My wit and shining personality (insert sarcasm here) take time to stand out and I doubt I would get a long enough opportunity. Plus, I've always gotten along better with guys, and if I were to be stuck in a room with a group of women, I would soon be an outcast.
If the roles reversed and I was given a room full of men from which to choose, I think I would be much happier. I don't think I know a woman who wouldn't prefer it that way! However, there would be plenty of issues I would need to address. First, I am deplorable when it comes to remembering names. I think the first concession the producers would have to make would be permanent nametags on each man. Perhaps they could just write them on their foreheads with a Sharpie for the duration of the show? I promise, once it got down to the final four I'd have the names memorized …
The other major concern I would have regarding a dating game show is my indecision. If I can make other people decide things for me, I do it. Where do you want to have lunch? What time should we meet? What do YOU think I should wear?! I make so many decisions every day as the mother of two young girls that whenever I can push the decisions off on someone else, I do. But this could be a problem on a dating show revolving around me. Maybe I could ask the opinion of the nearest camera operator? Hey, what do you think … should I let him kiss me? Is he the one? I could see myself choosing both of the final two men and trying to get away with it. Not because I enjoy dating two people at once. More because I wouldn't be able to decide … and I wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.
My character in Accept This Dandelion, Renee Lockhart is a woman after my own heart. She doesn't like the whole hair and makeup thing. Neither do I. She's more comfortable in jeans and T-shirts than dresses and bathing suits. I'm raising my hand right now. That's me! She's a "come as you are" sort of girl, and I wrote her that way because I could totally see myself approaching a dating show in that manner. If I wanted to be honest with the man (or men) on the show, I would put my hair in a ponytail and wear a tracksuit. Because that's what they'd get in everyday life!
The show would send me on all sorts of exotic dates, I'm sure. But one thing I would enjoy doing when getting to know someone is to go roller skating. Not roller blading or ice skating … roller skating! It's something I've been doing since the day I was born. OK, that's an exaggeration, but I've been on skates at least since I could walk. I think it would be a blast to round the rink hand in hand with a guy, getting to know him and schooling him in the art of skating. We could grab a burger and fries after because of all the calories we burned up. Planes make me feel kind of sick, so let's keep it local and simple.
Overall, you stick me on a dating show, you may very well get something similar to Accept This Dandelion. But if you like to laugh, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Find out more about Brooke and her books at www.authorbrookewilliams.com.