Being single isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially if you happen to be an idealistic contestant hoping to find fame, fortune and the man of your dreams on the Bachelor.
Edmonton native Jenny Adams, who was a contestant on last year's show, says she's got a pretty good idea what the girls going into this season must be thinking, namely that a world of opportunities will open up to them.
Adams remains dubious, however. In fact, she might not have watched tonight's season premiere, set this time in Paris, were she not appearing on Citytv's Breakfast Television show tomorrow morning to recap it with hosts Bill Welychka and Stacey Brotzel.
The Bachelor: Paris airs tonight on Citytv at 9 p.m. on Cable 7 and again on ABC Cable 13 at 11 p.m. Citytv's Breakfast Television airs tomorrow at 6 a.m.
More than anything, Adams says she fears just sounding redundant in recounting the experience.
"I remember the first day, sitting in the hotel room (with the other girls). We just met each other and we were in little groups and we were all so excited about what was going to happen next. Little did we know we were going to film for 12 hours that day without any food in a freezing cold room. So, you're hungry, cold and bitchy and you get in each other's face and it makes for really good TV.
"I don't mind talking about it. But it's not as glamorous as everyone thinks. People always ask if I got my hair done or my makeup done. You don't get any of that - you have to buy all your own clothes.
"I'm really glad I did it - it was fun - but it isn't like I thought it was going to be."
When Adams spoke to the Sun for a Bachelor post-mortem last year, she also made it abundantly clear she wouldn't have been interested in then-bachelor Chris O'Connell in "real life," anyway.
The 23-year-old isn't necessarily sure she was looking for romance, either. The experience of being on a TV show and seeing New York would have been enough. Assuming, of course, she even got to see the Big Apple.
Adams, along with the other contestants, was sequestered for the most part and didn't get to see the city that never sleeps. She, too, grew restless. In addition to being deprived of food and warmth, the girls weren't allowed to read a newspaper, do a crossword, play a game or go outside for a breath of fresh air.
Those restrictions are definitely by design, Adams says.
"They film 100 % of everything and you see maybe 1%. So, we're doing pushups in the living room because there's nothing else to do because we can't go outside. Then you're always in each other's face. All you can do is talk to each other, so hopefully there will be more drama."
When the girls did talk, it would naturally be about the bachelor - there was nothing else to talk about.
"It's very manipulative," says Adams. "Yes, it's reality TV, but they're trying to make it good TV."
After returning to Edmonton, Adams, a full-time marketing co-ordinator, says her part-time work as a model has been adversely affected by appearing on The Bachelor.
"This is my worst year in 10 years because I've had to say no to so many things because of my contractual obligations with ABC. Basically, I need to ask them for permission to do things for a year. And they can renew it if they want. If they do, they have to pay me a bunch of money."
Adams finds that renewal unlikely, however. While she's certainly loved by her hometown, she can't say the same for the show. The second her time on The Bachelor ended, the producers had all but forgotten about her.
Even with all that said, Adams says she was glad to have had the experience. She met a lot of other great women through the show and it's given her a new appreciation for what being a movie star must be like - probably exactly the opposite of what being a Bachelor contestant was like.
And before you start feeling sorry for Adams, and before you guys start scouring the white pages for her phone number, know that she found love after all.
"I am happily not single," she laughs. "I've been dating for seven months and it's been unbelievable."
