The Bachelor, season six

[Faithless]

I promised myself that I really wouldn't watch this show anymore because I think the women are pathetic.

It gets worse this season.

The bachelor is 40 and his bachelorettes range from the late 20's to late 30's. Talk about catty!

They showed the teasers for the coming episodes, and supposedly, there will be a lot more cussing-cattyness to go along with middle finger gestures and cut throat competition.

All this for a guy whose motile sperm days are probably dwindling.

'The Bachelor' tries new twists

By Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY
After five seasons, ABC's The Bachelor is spicing up in the hope of keeping its one true love — viewers — from straying. Ratings for the series have averaged 11.3 million to 16.7 million viewers, peaking back in 2002 with bachelor Aaron Buerge.

This season on The Bachelor, the girls aren't the only ones competing. Byron Velvick and Jay Overbye will face off in hopes of being the last man standing.
USA TODAY

So the franchise starts a new season (tonight, 9 ET/PT) with some twists:

• Two guys instead of one, and they're older (40) than the usual bachelor.

• Two female contestants from previous Bachelors return (in Episode 3).

• Pop star Brandy serenades during a date.

In the two-hour premiere special, each of the 25 female contestants will give the man of her choice a rose, and the man with the most stays to play out the dating game. By the end of the episode, the chosen bachelor must eliminate 10 of the women.

Perhaps the biggest twist: He'll move in with the women, giving them all more interaction.

The men:

• Jay Overbye, a New Jersey native who has never married and sells real estate in New York City.

At first, he says, "I was really terrified of going on national TV and getting into these dating scenarios." But as the interview process continued, he says, "I felt like it was worth giving it a try." He isn't taking it lightly. "I'm absolutely committed to getting married."

So what's he looking for? "Someone who's generous to people in terms of not being judgmental." His dream date should be "adventurous and physically active and someone who loves life." He adds, "She doesn't have to be a 10. She can be a 6.5 and become a 9 overnight."

• California native Byron Velvick, a divorced professional bass fisherman living on a lake near Las Vegas.

"I didn't go looking for the show. I had never seen the show, and I didn't want to get caught up in some kind of ambush TV. So when I first heard about it, I declined." Then, he says, "I realized it was a dating pool I would never meet on tour fishing or in Las Vegas."

He knows the track record for lasting love with the Bachelor stars is bad — none of the previous five has found a lasting relationship. He doesn't care. "I didn't come on the show to break a precedent."

What kind of woman is he seeking? "It's not so much the physical. It's a wisdom, it's the spiritual aspect."