Relationships Talk

If you’re a regular viewer of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, there’s a good chance the name Ken Fuchs rings a bell. As director of the show, he estimates he’s overseen at least 350 episodes of the franchise and counting. “I did the math once, and I counted all the roses I’ve seen handed out, and it was an obscene number,” he says. “But I don’t remember that now. I’ll have to go back and figure it out.”

We can forgive Fuchs—who also works on Shark Tank, Family Feud, and Deal or No Deal—for not knowing his final rose count. After all, there are more pressing matters to keep track of each week. From following all the drama in the house to packing up and moving locations every week, Fuchs is lucky if he knows what time zone he’s in. “Think about a traveling carnival, and that’s us,” he says. “Everything you’re watching, we’re either in the next room or a few rooms over.” For Fuchs and his technical department, sometimes that means building a makeshift a tent in Bali that can keep the equipment cool, or finding a way to get cables to the 50th floor of a skyscraper. “The team is tremendous because it’s such an undertaking. From the art department to the lighting department, we work closely together just to figure out how to make the show.”

After nearly 17 years on the air, it’s safe to say they’ve more than figured it out. And now, with season 23 of The Bachelor about to premiere (January 7 on ABC), Fuchs is opening up about some of those production secrets and more. Read on.

Glamour: How often are you actually in contact with the contestants?

Ken Fuchs: It really depends on if I need to communicate something or if I need to reach somebody that I can’t reach from afar, because I’d rather not be [on set]. The more we can do that, the better for the content of the show, so we really make an effort of staying in the background. Obviously the cameramen are there, but I try to stay away because we want them as much as possible to forget the cameras are there. Every time they see me, it’s like, ‘Uh-oh.’ It’s a little bit like when they see [Chris] Harrison…something’s up. Sometimes I come through the kitchen and steal some of their appetizers, but that’s about it. However, the lead Bachelor or Bachelorette for that season, I’ll get to know because I’ll see him or her everyday. Every now and then we’ll give them television instruction, but it’s very, very minimal and we try to keep it that way.

PHOTO: Ken Fuchs

During a rose ceremony, it takes forever for the Bachelor or Bachelorette to announce each person’s name. Is that just editing, or are you instructing them via an earpiece when to call out names?

KF: I can tell you one thing: Yes, we’re making a TV show, so there is some of that [suspense we want to create]. No, the person never wears an earpiece themselves. They’re not driven in that way at all. There are occasions where we’ll cue them to do something or we might have to wait to do something, but it’s as simple as a camera has to change its battery or sometimes it’s a mundane reason. It’s not like we’re purposely extending it. We may have called two names back-to-back and in editing we can open up the time it takes for dramatic purposes. So, again, a huge credit to our post [production] department. That’s where all of that is created, and I’m sort of involved in that a little bit, but not terribly much so.

You’re basically saying they’re not counting, ‘One Mississippi, two Mississippi…’

KF: No, no. [Laughs] I know it must feel that way for sure and there is a little bit of a television contrivance, but no, it’s never that way. Also, we don’t want the Bachelor or Bachelorette thinking about us as they are holding a rose [deciding who to give it to]. We want them thinking about the faces in front of them and the emotions that they’re feeling. That’s the most important thing. And I can promise you all the music is added in post [production].

As the director of the show, which past Bachelor or Bachelorette did you find most captivating?

KF: Oh boy…I think Ben Higgins was very captivating. There’s something so earnest and sweet about him that really I think captured people’s imaginations. I think you root for all of them along the way, but some of them have been more divisive. There’s been years where people have questioned our decision. I’m not on the inside of that decision-making process, but in general I think our casting has been great. The suitors that show up for night one are always fascinating and crazy and weird and fun. So I think it’s a good mix.

Two recent ‘characters’ that come to mind are Jordan Kimball from Becca’s season and Krystal Nielson from Arie’s season. What intrigued you about them?

KF: There are so many great ‘characters,’ like Bekah Martinez. I’m always looking for great reactors and people who can be in the scene and not always talking, but reacting and listening. In other words, just engaged in the process, whether they are goofballs or serious or nice girls or mean girls…really just listening and being a participant in the process. If it leads them into strange territory, then that’s up to them—and all the better for the show. It really runs the gamut of emotions.

You make a great point about Bekah Martinez, because her expressions were priceless.

KF: Right. Right. And truth is stranger than fiction. Things come out of their mouth, and we sit around and say, “We couldn’t possibly write that. No one would believe it.” It would be too farcical for us to have a character say those lines, but here they come! Comes right out of their brain, out their mouth, and God bless ‘em.

PHOTO: ABC

The show has changed a lot since those early days in the beginning. Anything you miss about those times?

KF: I do cherish those early years because we were such a close-knit family, and now it’s quite a juggernaut. We’re going to sometimes six different countries on two or three different continents, and that requires an army of production. We have a few more cameras and audio and lighting. Things have grown a little bit more, but even for a fairly big group, it’s still pretty small. But there were some great friends and people those first few years and figuring it out together and being in the trenches together. A highlight was Trista and Ryan’s wedding; I’ll never forget that.

Is there a location that you’d love to visit again?

KF: I’d love to go back to New Zealand. And I think about Cape Town, South Africa a lot.

Do you have kids, or nieces or nephews, and if so, would you let them go on the show?

KF: I have three sons. People always say, ‘If you had a daughter would you let her be on the show?’ but I have three boys in their 20s, and I’m having a little baby girl after all these years. So I’m really excited about that. In 18 or 20 years, I don’t know if she’ll be allowed to watch the show.

Would you let your sons go on the show?

KF: Yeah, maybe it’s a double standard in that I think I would. I see a lot of good things on this show. I see a lot of camaraderie, a lot of friendships made, a lot of self-exploration, and I see [these guys] asking questions and figuring things out about themselves. It’s really a beautiful thing. So I think if you’re outgoing and an up-for-anything type of person, I would say it’s a great experience.

Is there a piece of advice that you wish you could give these contestants? Even if their mistakes make for good TV, what would your one piece of advice be to them?

KF: You have to really, really bring your true self, because that’s the only way you’re going to stick around. If you become friends with the rest of the house, then your focus really isn’t where it should be. It’s a balance. I think some of the guys on The Bachelorette can’t figure out that balance quick enough and just fall behind.

PHOTO: Paul Hebert / ABC

Like poor Grocery Store Joe.

KF: Yeah, yeah, right. And then there are guys that go to the other extreme and are like, ‘I’m here for her, I’m here for her, I’m here for her,’ and they make no effort to just be a regular guy. You don’t have to make best friends, but you might as well make friends since you’re going to be living and traveling with them hopefully.

Finally, with all the time you spend on set, do you ever bring home extra roses to your wife?

KF: Oh man, I tried that early on. I don’t know, not all women like leftover roses. They’re a little cheesy. But on our studio [reunion or tell all] shows, where we have roses everywhere, sometimes an arrangement will wind up in my car. I’m not too proud. Yeah, free is me. [Laughs]

The new season of The Bachelor premieres on ABC on Monday, January 7.

We made it! We are finally at the finale of 90 Day Fiancé and wow, we’ve come so far, folks. This week, we bear witness to no fewer than four (4) weddings. What a time to be alive!

We start this episode with Jay, the no-good-dirty-rotten cheater who miraculously makes his fiancé, Ashley, look sympathetic. We learned last week that immediately after getting married, Jay downloaded Tinder to cruise for women. Now, some may see this as a lapse in judgement, but I see this as a wonderful ad for Tinder. We have not seen product placement like this since Ashley Madison first reared its ugly head on Real Housewives of New York. But … I digress.

For some reason, Jay wants us to feel bad about the predicament that he got himself into. He regrettably asks the audience, “Would you call messaging someone cheating?” To which I respond, yes, absolutely. Jay’s problem is that he lacks impulse control, a behavioral issue very common among male adolescents. Again, nothing about Jay’s conduct is surprising if you have two eyes and and a brain. Ashley can’t believe he was direct messaging a ~*thicc*~ 18-year-old white girl. I can believe this, very easily actually. Ashley is unsure whether Jay is sorry because he cheated on her or because he got caught. I’m positive Jay is sorry because he faces deportation. Honestly, Ashley is the most emotionally dense saint to every walk this earth. The fact that her husband immediately tried to cheat on her in her bed at her house after her wedding and she still has questions about him is … alarming.

Ashley’s bleached-blonde friend ripped from a Helter Skelter casting call, Brandi, makes no excuses for Jay, saying that if this happened to her she would immediately leave him. There is no gray area with this advice!! Yet somehow Ashley leaves the conversation thinking, “Hmmm, I still don’t know what to do about Jay.” I understand that she’s responsible for Jay so she can’t kick him out of her house. I understand that she still loves him so she doesn’t want him to get deported and banned from the U.S. But … BUT … The man downloaded Tinder the day after his wedding. There is no excuse Jay can make about boredom that justifies this. And, sorry, but if Jay didn’t want to get himself into this predicament, he should’ve been a better philanderer. (#DontCheatorDontGetCaughtonTV). As this season wraps, I’m glad we can all agree on one thing … Ashley is a fool.

It’s a beautiful day for Kalani and Asuelu to get married, much to the chagrin of everyone related to them, except baby Oliver. Kalani and Asuelu spend their entire wedding day saying they hope her father doesn’t find out about her pregnancy. For people who don’t want this secret to get out, they sure talk about it a lot. Little do they understand that the best lies start from within. If they don’t want her father to find out Kalani is pregnant, they need to stop believing she’s pregnant.

Unfortunately, these scenes show us the story-structure flaws of reality TV. In a scripted television show, Kalani and Asuelu would spend the first half of the episode doing everything they could to prevent Kalani’s dad from finding out that she’s pregnant, before he inevitably found out and ruined the wedding for our comedic entertainment. In reality TV, we get absolutely no resolution at all and are left to imagine how angry Kalani’s dad would be. I, for one, am disappointed that no one (read: Kolini) interrupted Kalani’s wedding to note that she is making a terrible mistake. And while her wedding is the most beautiful of all the 90 Day weddings (which is a very low bar, don’t get it twisted), it feels very anticlimactic. But I don’t want to be a Debby Downer: Instead of mourning the storylines that could have been, I will celebrate how precocious Asuelu and Kalani look dancing and how beautiful this family’s hair is.

Speaking of Deb, Larissa and Coltee also finally get married, because that’s what you do on this show at the end of the season. There are so many little delights here that fill me with absolute joy. I love that Coltee made Larissa get her dress at Goodwill, a perfectly reasonable option for affordable dresses that I’m sure Larissa fought with every fiber in her body. I love that Larissa is genuinely happy that the limo has air conditioning, a sad nod to the bleak world Coltee has built for her. I love that this is the emptiest wedding I have ever seen and that there are literally more people filming than there are in actual attendance. I love that Coltee’s cousin John is wearing his branded Friendly’s work shirt and he couldn’t even muster the decency to find a formal work polo. I hope he gets an end-of-year bonus for this free promo because otherwise he’s sold himself too short. (John, if you need someone to manage your influencer career, call me. I have no experience and tons of confidence!) Lastly, I love that Larissa tries to brag about Coltee being a software engineer, as if that makes him more desirable. And don’t get me wrong, I love scientists, any engineer can immediately slide into my DMs … but I believe Coltee is a “software engineer” in the way that Stringer Bell is an “entrepreneur” in The Wire. And while Stringer Bell was running a successful illegitimate business, Coltee is probably editing Myspace HTML. (No shade!)

Unfortunately, Coltee and Larissa’s very sad dream wedding bursts with the bombshell that Coltee called the police on Larissa in a domestic dispute and now the state of Nevada is pressing charges. What a twist!!!! I won’t judge Coltee for this because if he was being abused, he had every right to alert the authorities. I just want to know what exactly happened and why the 90 Day camera crew wasn’t there! What we need is a Big Brother camera setup where we can pay to watch these people interact in the privacy of their homes at all times. Now Larissa may face deportation as criminal charges aren’t very good for a green card application. This is an absolute shame, because we can all personally vouch for the culture Larissa has brought to this country’s television programming.

When Eric and Leida make it to their fateful day, it’s not surprising that Eric’s daughter Tasha and The Other One™ are nowhere to be found. I guess they don’t want to witness their father’s holy matrimony with the stepmom from Cinderella. Eric and Leida’s day is mostly uneventful, except somehow Eric forgot his pants 35 minutes before the wedding? I don’t know how this is possible, but I’m choosing to believe Tasha stole his pants in her last defiant act, as she will detail on her debut LP, My “I Stole My Dad’s Pants So He Wouldn’t Get Married” Chemical Romance.

After pants-gate is solved, Leida and Eric proceed to have a wedding in front of an audience whose median age is 87. And even though Eric didn’t hesitate to choose his new wife over his very flesh and blood, Eric is delighted to see his youngest daughter Jenna in attendance, who was definitely bribed with Smucker’s Uncrustables. My favorite part of the wedding is when Eric makes a toast to “everyone that showed up.” This is such a passive-aggressive way to insult your family on national television. I appreciate Eric’s sweat-covered decision to double down.

Meanwhile, Steven and Olga bid farewell to each other; looks like the baby is staying in Russia with the one parent who is not envious of the attention he receives. Back in America, Steven will commit to following through on the K1 visa application process, which begs the question, why was he on the show 90 Day Fiancé in the first place if he just got engaged and they have more than 90 days together?

Fernanda and Jonathan also get married, and it is beautiful. Of all the 90 Day Fiancé couples they seem most like they’re going to make it. The central conflict of their wedding day is Fernanda’s disappointment that Jonathan’s mom couldn’t come to the wedding because his grandparent was sick. She’s also really upset that her mother couldn’t see her on her special day, although she casually slips in that she’s saving one of her wedding dresses for her Mexican wedding … Which sounds like she is having two weddings. One more wedding than most first-time brides, and two more weddings than me! I feel sorry for her predicament … but not that sorry. Now that this is over we get the 90 Day Fiancé tell-all, and I am waiting with bated breath to watch Larissa, our star, antagonize every one of her peers. Until next week!

When Robin Thicke looks back on his life in 2018, one word that comes to mind is “lucky.”

The 41-year-old “Blurred Lines” singer surprised his girlfriend, 24-year-old model April Love Geary, with a marriage proposal during the Christmas season with friends and family present.

Geary is also pregnant with their second child after giving birth to their daughter earlier this year. It will be the third for Thicke, who shares an 8-year-old son with ex-wife, actress Paula Patton.

Love is apparently in the air. The announcement comes just shortly after Miley Cyrus, who infamously shared the stage with Thicke for a raunchy performance at the 2013 VMAs, married actor Liam Hemsworth on Dec. 23 of this year.

“Congratulations,” shared Thicke with Fox News for the pair. “They’re a beautiful couple.”

Thicke also has plenty of other reasons to celebrate. The Grammy-nominated entertainer will bring in 2019 with a special performance at the third annual Marriott Marquis New York New Year’s Eve Show in Times Square.

Then on Jan. 2nd, Thicke will be participating in a new singing competition series titled “The Masked Singer” alongside Jenny McCarthy, Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong and Nick Cannon.

And right before 2018 comes to an end, Thicke released the new music video for his song “Testify.” It’s his first musical release since 2016.

“It’s been a while since I put out an album,” Thicke admitted. “There’s been lots of different changes in my life since then. Lots of ups and downs. So it’s just about a lot of the things we go through in life, especially once you mature a little bit. And you know, good ol’ fashioned soul music.”

When it comes to “Testify,” Thicke held nothing back. ETCanada reported that in the song, he opened up about his failed decade-long marriage to Patton, Geary’s miscarriage before the couple welcomed their daughter, as well as the sudden death of his father Alan Thicke.

The Canadian actor, best known for playing beloved patriarch Jason Seaver in the hit ‘80s series “Growing Pains,” passed away in 2016 at age 69. The New York Times reported Alan was playing hockey with his 19-year-old son Carter when he suffered a heart attack.

The celebrity news site added Thicke wrote the record at his home in Malibu which recently burned down during the California wildfire crisis. 

“I think it’s cathartic as an artist to tell the truth and put it into song,” said Thicke. “But also, I’ve always shared my life in my music. It’s just what I’ve done since day one.”

Thicke revealed he had no regrets opening up about losing his father in front of an audience.

“I want to honor him as much as I possibly can,” he said. “That just happened to be what I was feeling that day. Losing him and the new feelings that come about when you lose somebody that important in your life.”

Thicke stressed that one of Alan’s many pieces of advice has been on his mind as he embarks on the next chapter of his life during the New Year.

“He always said just to enjoy the experience of life, family and career,” said Thicke. “Not to live too much in the past or look too far into the future. Really embrace and enjoy everything that you have right in front of you.

“We all want to accomplish so many things. I’ve really learned to enjoy each day and each week. Instead of looking too far into the future, I’m excited about my new shows. I’m excited to have another child. I’m excited to put out new music. But really, there’s so much right in front of me every day. I just focus on what’s happening from moment to moment.”

Thicke’s upcoming album is set to premiere sometime in April 2019. But these days, Thicke is enjoying the process of creating new music, along with being surrounded by his children.

“I haven’t spent as much time on the road since my son was born,” he reflected. “I did of course during the ‘Blurred Lines’ years. But besides that, I really love to just be home. I love to create music. I’ll go where the road takes me, but I like being home with my family.”

“[But making music], it’s necessary for me. It’s what I do. It’s who I am. Making music is much of me as my name or my children. My music is my soul. It’s also my memoir.”

Some reports insisted Thicke has experienced a religious awakening while recording “Testify.” Thicke himself recently told Apple Music Beats 1 radio show that the “reconnection to God or spirituality or something deeper than the surface is what brings you back home to who you really are and who you want to be.”

Thicke clarified to Fox News that “Testify” explores how he was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel while dealing with loss and personal pain.

“I think you have to look deep inside yourself when things don’t go well,” he explained. “When things are going really well, it’s easy to just enjoy the day. But when things get rough, you really have to look inside your soul and find out who you were.”

Thicke credited music for not only keeping him busy but also helping him heal. And now, he’s eager to see what 2019 holds for him.

“It really just comes down to work ethic,” he said on the advice he would give to other aspiring artists. “If you outwork the people next to you, good things will happen. You can never give up on your dream.”