“The Bachelorette” begins its 12th cycle at 9:01 p.m. Monday on ABC, with four men from the Los Angeles area among the 26 bachelors vying for JoJo Fletcher’s affection.
Christian Bishop is a 26-year-old telecom consultant from Los Angeles who has two cats. A former girlfriend took his Chihuahua, he said.
Bishop said the most outrageous things he’s done were strip shows and lap dances when he was in college.
Bishop said the top three things on his “bucket list” are building a relationship with the billionaire owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and “Shark Tank” panelist Mark Cuban and earning his respect; taking a trip to space “to experience the process and snap some epic selfies” and “spoil my grandchildren.”
Brandon Howell is a 28-year-old from Los Angeles described by ABC as a hipster who considers himself a hopeless romantic.
“I see love everywhere,” Howell said. “I want to experience someone from the inside out. I want ‘The Notebook’-type of experience.”
Howell said his ideal mate is “adventurous, smart, cultural, (with a) great sense of humor, someone who makes people around them better.”
Jake Patton is a 27-year-old landscape architect from Playa Vista, who said if he had a superpower it would be to fly to avoid Los Angeles’ traffic.
“I’m sure I would use it to help others as well,” Patton said.
Ali Zahiri is a 27-year-old bartender from Santa Monica who said his three best attributes are his sense of humor and being sweet and caring, his three favorite movies are “Midnight in Paris,” “Dumb and Dumber” and “Her,” and “everything is on the table” when it comes to love.
Fletcher, a 25-year-old real estate developer from Texas, was the runner- up in 2016 season of “The Bachelor.” She enjoys traveling, sports, country music and playing with her dog, Jackson.
Tonight’s episode includes former Bachelorettes Kaitlyn Bristowe, Desiree Hartsock Siegfried and Ali Fedotowsky offering Fletcher some practical advice on how she should handle the jitters, drama and emotional pitfalls as she searches for her future husband.
The season will include Fletcher and 10 bachelors being put through boot camp-like challenges at a firefighting training facility; a romantic picnic by the Golden Gate Bridge; six bachelors visiting the set of ESPN’s “SportsNation” talk show where hosts Max Kellerman and Marcellus Wiley promise to help Fletcher find the perfect man; along with trips to Punta del Este, Uruguay, the nearby small island Isla de Lobos and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
All 11 previous seasons of “The Bachelor” have ended with the man proposing, with three marriages resulting.
—City News Service