ETCETERA
I
NIGHT CAP
My Brush with The Bachelor
By Renee Simlak
Editor's Note: Renee Simlak was one of 25 contestants vying
for a marriage proposal from business development manager
Jason Mesnick on Season 13 (January 5 - March 2, 2009) of
ABC television's reality show The Bachelor.
- n January 2009, I stepped out of the limo and into the
surreal world of reality TV. I put myself out there, on
primetime television, because I was ready to do
something "outside the box" and take a risk.
I was 36 when I participated on The Bachelor. It was
a time in my life where I was seeking a challenge and
wanted to be placed in a situation where I had no control
over the end result. I anticipated an incredible journey —
and that's exactly what it was.
People seem willing to put themselves in emotional
situations on reality TV (knowing they may be embar-
rassed, rejected and/or heartbroken) in front of millions
of viewers for three reasons: fame, publicity and glamour.
It's the chance to do
something outra-
geous and fun; and
it's filled with uncer-
tainty, the unknown
and adventure.
For me, it was
reasons two and
three. On the first
night of taping, I was
with six girls in the
limo driving toward
the mansion to meet
the bachelor, Jason
Mesnick. Before we
met Jason, we each
told the producers
what we wanted to
say and/or do, and
they told us what
they liked or didn't like.
My five-minute greeting with Jason trans-
lated into 30 seconds of airtime. Not everything
I said aired, but I was really glad they kept the
part where I said I grew up in Michigan! After
everyone met the bachelor, there was at least
another 12 hours of taping that day.
It was very tiring at times, but still very excit-
ing just to be there and be in the moment. It
didn't really hit me that I was actually on the
show until the host, Chris Harrison, walked
into the room with the "first impression" rose.
At that moment, all 25 girls looked at each other
and realized that this was real.
As it turned out, I ended up going home on the very
first night. I was among a group of 10 women who didn't
get a rose. But, I had one major scene with Jason where
he asked me about"vision boards"— and that's how I
became known as the "vision board girl."
I told him I believed in the Law of Attraction and had
made a vision board for myself. It seemed quite silly
when the show actually aired and, the reality was, I only
had one vision board — but America may have thought
I had many from the way that clip was shown (with
background music added, which was not there during
the conversation).
People from all over wrote to me on Facebook, sent
emails and approached me on the streets of L.A. wanting
to know more about vision boards. I would Google my-
self and find blogs where fans were writing about me.
Joel McHale from E! Entertainment Television's The
Soup made a joke about me. Talk show host Bonnie
Hunt spoke about my vision boards on her show. And a
little girl who was sick with leukemia sent me a beautiful
necklace she made. I couldn't believe the attention I was
getting from being on the show for just one night!
Although The Bachelor didn't show me precisely as I
am, not realizing my story might be edited, I embraced
Renee Simlak meets 'The Bachelor' Jason Mesnick on season
13 of the ABC television reality show The Bachelor.
the attention. This was essentially what I signed up for.
When I didn't get a rose, I was disappointed because I
wanted to continue the journey and experience more. I
gave the producers a 30-minute exit interview and only
one minute actually aired.
There are hours and hours of tape no one ever sees.
While my stay was short, I made many great friends in
that brief period of time. To this day, many of us keep in
touch — and there are bachelor-bachelorette reunions
every few months.
At the time, I didn't trust some of the producer's inten-
tions but they never put words in my mouth. I would
definitely do it all over again, not have any expectations
and just enjoy the ride.
Reality TV is real because the people on it are real, but
let's be honest — they're making TV after all — viewers
need to be entertained.
RENEE SIMLAK, 39, grew up in Southfield and attended Southfield Lathrup
High School and is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University. She is currently
an event producer in Los Angeles.
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