  Dr. Travis Stork |
Most Mortifying Bachelor Ever! Bachelor Travis Stork gets an earful from killjoy parents south of the border, and local contestant Sarah Blondin demands a romantic reckoning in Winnipeg on the two-hour meet-the-parents episode of The Bachelor: Paris, on ABC Ch. 7 at 8 p.m. and City Ch. 8 at 9 p.m.
Don't expect each woman's hometown to get a full half-hour on air. There's filler footage of past home visits from 11 previous Bachelor and Bachelorette seasons, those endless recaps of the series so far, the usual bundle of "coming up" teasers and about 30 minutes of commercial time, which leaves something like 10 minutes for quality canoodling.
In the Winnipeg segment, Stork hangs out with Blondin alone and does dinner with her mom and brothers, but the 23-year-old beauty ABC likes to call "the insecure Bachelorette" might force Dr. McDreamy's hand when she insists on knowing where she stands in the competition.
After being treated like Prince Charming on made-for-romance sets in Paris, demands for a real-world accounting sting the 33-year-old Nashville ER doctor. One mom asks pointed questions about his multiple-gal TV dating habits, and 26-year-old Moana's father rakes Stork over the coals so thoroughly he leaves grill marks -- thanks, Dad!
North Carolina actress wannabe Susan can also thank her parents if she loses her frontrunner status. Apparently, their suggestion that Susan is faking her feelings for Stork sends him into an "emotional tailspin." All of which may open the door for Nashville Sarah to make a big play. She and Stork discover they live a few blocks apart, and you can strike up the Sound of Music score when he sees her in adorable action with her kindergarten class. To top it off, Stork takes her and her family to his home for dinner. But, then, Nashville Sarah may be a bit too sweet for this game.
In the end, Stork has to jettison one of the four, leaving three women to join him on overnight dates next week. People, start your office pools now.
MUCH ADO
On another reality front, three local Top-20 contestants could move into the next round of MuchMusic VJ Search: The Series -- or not -- on City Ch. 8 at 8 p.m. Our Lady Peace guest and judges, including Winnipeg's Robin Black, preside over challenges aimed at culling the herd to camera-ready contestants.
The Top-10 finalists move into a Toronto penthouse and compete over the next two months until a winner emerges. The Manitoba contenders are frequent Sunshine Girl Larissa Tobacco, 23; sensitive slacker Chris Magnusson, 21, and skaterboy/computergeek/comedian Luke Marvin, 23.
The show repeats on MuchMusic tomorrow at 6 p.m.
