Joe Millionaire: A New Favorite Show

Fox has done it again. First they gave me one of my favorite reality shows, Temptation Island. Then the same producer of that show, Chris Cowan, comes back with Joe Millionaire. I have been waiting in anticipation for this show. And it didn't disappoint. Fox has a ratings winner. Joe Millionaire was brilliant. I cannot wait for the next episode.

Sure, there were some flaws, but those mostly related to giving away bits of the future. For example, it is clear that a future episode has emerald necklaces given. Part of a girl's hair on her neck was visible. If anyone has a tape of the show, you can figure out which girl it is. I won't say here. You can see future dates, one that involves the Jules Verne restaurant in the Eiffel Tower, one that takes place at the Moulin Rouge, and other Paris landmarks. Quick snaps of the girls are there too, not edited out. The girl I have picked as my favorite to win Evan's heart is in this montage. So I am hoping that she goes all the way or to the final two or how ever it will play out to the finals.

Casting Evan as the bachelor millionaire was genius. He really is a blue-collar schlemiel. Thinking red wine with salmon because salmon is pink had me laughing so hard I almost had an accident. He is kind and sincere, and not pretentious. He really does come off as a Prince Charming, the truth be told he reminds me of the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, the Disney version.

The girls seem to be nice. Yes, there should be a few obligatory gold diggers, but I really didn't notice anything terrible. They really did seem to be astonished and amazed when they saw the French castle. Maybe they did go on the show with the idea of getting an "MRS" degree, but in the very short time they were on the show they did seem to try to break out from the flatness they were cast in. They tried on the gowns and evoked sympathy. What the producers should have done was had 30 gowns to try on so they all could have had a chance to shine, and allowed their personalities to come through, rather to stay in the viewers minds as secondary and tertiary characters who had to fight their way through a mass of gown-seekers. The girls who did not get picked, just like the girls who were eliminated quickly in the first two Bachelors, did not evoke much in the way of sympathy. They were just there, beautiful girls looking like wallpaper, or flowers in the background. I know you have to squeeze a lot of show in an hour minus the time for commercials, but still, it was like this blonde left and this brunette left, but the redhead stayed, and I didn't feel like I really got to know any of them.

Ideally, knowing the pre-show buzz, perhaps from the 20 girls perhaps 15 could have stayed and five could have left, and then next week five more could leave, and this way not only could the show stay on for a few more episodes, but we the viewers could get to know the girls better.

All I know is that this show is the best thing Fox has on its lineup. Well, after Homer Simpson of course. Thank you, Fox. Thank you, Evan. I hope you do find true love with one of these 20 comely lasses, and they will love you despite the fact you only make 19K a year. Lets face it. Evan has everything a girl could want, despite the fact he lied about how much money he has. He has a sense of humor. The joke about the horse being white when he mounted it and it got dirty was funny. He now knows which fork to eat his salad with and which fork to eat his chicken with. And the most important thing about Evan: you can drown in those big brown eyes. Mercy. I really hope Evan and one of those girls live happily ever after. He deserves to find a fairy tale ending.

Oh, wait.

Fairy tale endings only happen on the Disney Channel. This is Fox. The ending is going to be very twisted.

Susan is an incurable romantic living in the NYC area. She can be reached as always at sschechter@earthlink.net.

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