Circus comes to town and demands our daughters

A couple of years ago, I did two days of location shooting for "the Bachelor": a strange reality game show that is a fever dream of the 1960's Frank Sinatra rat pack- one eligible hunk gets to to pick from 25 jaw droppingly beautiful women in an orgy of sleaze and market based sex capitalism. In the end, he is more or less expected to marry the "winner", there by confirming the sanctity of marriage (because obviously, could gay people be expected to turn the search for love into such a vaudevillian Benny Hill carnival?).  That shoot was a follow up to a previous season bachelor and his chosen vestal virgin who were getting married in a spectacular TV wedding.  The "bachelor", who seemed fairly normal, told us on the crew, in abject candor, that he was aware that he had bartered some of his personal life off as entertainment for regular people. To his credit, he did suggest that instead of ABC spending all the money on his wedding that they build a hospital in Central America and they get married on the beach- his betrothed blanched at the idea. Also, on that shoot, we watched how reality TV is rehearsed and done in multiple takes, dialogue is suggested and famously, after one interview answer, the producer said to the bride: "that was great, could you do it again, only cry this time?"  She obliged, eagerly. The sausage we prepare, never seemed less appetizing.

The Bachelor called again this week. It was background story on one of the commodity women for this season. This time there was less pressure and only one producer, who was both very pleasant and very competent. (which is another interesting irony in this business- some of the most decent people participate in making  some of the most bitter sleaze). We went to a very modest house in the north end, met a really nice middle aged couple and their daughter Katherine was of course, stunning. Half Filipino , half  Italian,( she reminded me of a little of Laurie at age 26, who was / is likewise gorgeous, funny and smart) she told us she thought that she was the token non-blonde. The interview was fine, she seemed both too intelligent, too funny, and less needy of her 15 minutes of fame  to be seriously signed on for the fairy tale matchmaking of soft core porn reality show. She answered all the questions in the manner of some one who knows what will make it to the final cut. She expressed real enthusiasm about the potential for marrying the "bachelor", who was a particularly hunky underwear model, runner up from the spin off show "The Bachelorette"- which obviously turns the table- one woman- 25 sides of beef.  It seemed fake, or I hoped it was. I liked her mom, who seemed very level headed, skeptical but supportive and teaches Special Ed at Roosevelt HS,( and knows my friend Karl Ruff).  I gave Katherine a ride to the next location (where the producer had her doing "Monkees" like lock down effects shots that were hard to watch, they were so sad.) and she impressed me that she was just doing it because it was weird and would be fun to talk about at cocktail parties in the future. We took the ferry and did the stock "approach to Seattle from the water shots" and they actually had her ride a fucking unicycle in shorts (cue the clown music) at Kerry park like the talent competition for the most surreal Miss America contest ever.  People were actually getting married in the park at the time, the irony against the charade of courtship and marriage of this show, which I am sure was one of God's most excellent jokes. I couldn't help thinking about my friends like Rick and Ray, with pretty, intelligent teenaged daughters, and how they would feel offering them up to the volcano