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The Bachelor - Amber’s Boss Gets the Boot

Author Carrie | 04.05.2007 | Category The Bachelor

Andy and AmberDoes this strike anyone else as absolutely ridiculous?

Amber Alachabi, who is sitting pretty in the final four on The Bachelor, is a school teacher in Sugar Land, Texas. She had to take a month off of school to film the show, and permission was granted for her to leave. Of course her Bachelor contract stipulated that she couldn’t go around telling people why she was leaving for so long. Instead of making up an elaborate lie, she said that she was taking care of a “personal issue.” No big deal, right?

Wrong.

You’ve probably heard that parents of the kids in Amber’s class are none too pleased with the fact that she’s appearing on the show. They were tipped off when the camera crews arrived for Andy’s hometown date in Sugar Land, and the school sent home release papers to allow the kids in her class to appear on camera. The Houston Chronicle has been keeping on top of the story, and one parent in particular is very vocal about the show. She says that The Bachelor “does not promote family values, moral values or appreciation of the normal ‘dating’ process.” Well no kidding. But who in their right mind is going to let their kid watch the show? See, this is where parental control comes in.

But there’s more. The school principal, Tammie Carpenter, is being disciplined because she approved Amber’s time off. Apparently Carpenter’s superiors would have denied the request for 22 consecutive days off. There’s no mention as to whether or not Carpenter knew the real reason that Amber would be away, but that’s immaterial. Carpenter was demoted and reassigned to another school after a “handful” of parents complained loudly. A few days later, she resigned from her position.

Check out the links above for a more complete story, and pay attention to the comments from readers below the articles. It seems that this is once again a sign of a vocal minority creating havoc, and administrators catering to them instead of supporting their own employees. A few parents complain, and the school board falls all over itself to take action on something that would go away on its own in a very short time.

Besides, it’s not like Amber got naked for peanut butter and chocolate like another school teacher we’re all familiar with.

Read more on The Bachelor at SirLinksALot! Photo courtesy of ABC.

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What’s so Great About Andy Baldwin?

Author Carrie | 17.04.2007 | Category The Bachelor

ABC’s latest Bachelor appears almost perfect on paper. He’s cute enough. He’s a Navy Lieutenant, he’s a doctor, a humanitarian, a former Sunday school teacher, and he’s an Iron Man triathelete. He’s also sensitive. This past week we saw him attend to an injured Bevin, even accompanying her to the hospital and thereby delaying a group date. Andy was also clearly upset by having to send Peyton home after his two-on-on date.

If the women on the show are any indication, he’s the perfect man. Total marriage material. The kind of guy you’d be proud to bring home to Mom and Dad. The kind of guy you can brag to your friends about, and who looks good in just about anything you put on him.

So why is Andy not resonating with viewers?

It could be his “hands-on” approach to getting to know the ladies better. Not a date goes by where Andy isn’t busily wrapping his arms around someone, or touching their leg, or pulling them in for a kiss. Just this week alone he was seen washing mud off the ladies (and enjoying them washing it off of him), cuddling and kissing just before the Rose Ceremony, cozying up to both Peyton and Tessa on the double-date (sometimes even simultaneously), and hooking his arms around Erin while she was trying to talk to him about shooting guns and driving fast cars.

Andy can’t seem to keep his hands off the women. Even when being introduced to them for the first time, he was very touchy-feely with a good majority of them. His frequent laments about the ladies not “opening up” to him seem to indicate that those who don’t respond to his advances are frustrating him.

Don’t get me wrong. He seems like a nice enough guy, and there’s obviously some substance behind those shockingly white and straight teeth. Not since Bob Guiney, however, have we seen a man who is so unafraid to touch the Bachelorettes at any given opportunity. His comments about being “turned on” by the vibrating mechanical bull were honest enough, but it put an icky spin on the whole scene.

I’m not a prude by any means, and I understand the need for scantily clad women cavorting in hot tubs in order to make this show work. I also understand the rules of attraction, and that you can’t blame a guy for feeling like a kid at Disneyland when he’s surrounded by 25 gorgeous girls who all want to be with him. But there’s just something off-putting about a man who claims to want to get to know these women, but can’t stop touching them while they’re trying to hold a conversation.

What do you think? Is Andy the perfect man, or are you scratching your heads wondering why he’s just not as riveting as you thought he’d be?

For more on The Bachelor, check out my recaps at Reality Shack, and go see SirLinksALot: The Bachelor. Photo courtesy of ABC.

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