Navy Declines Support of Bachelor

Alright, alright. This was SUPPOSED to be in my next week's column, but so many have asked, I thought I should give some insight here.

Last week I interviewed CDR Bob Anderson (USN, Ret.) who was the military/entertainment liaison (yes, they have these) for The Bachelor until the Navy officially declined to get involved. For the record, Anderson also is the liaison for the project Kelsey Grammer is developing with the rights to my book and columns.

So we can all relax and take a deep breath. The Navy knows better than to get involved in reality television.

My column next week will have the full interview with Anderson. I also have an interview pending with Andy Baldwin. So hopefully my column will include quotes from him as well.

Until then, here's a teaser from my forthcoming column:

Military entertainment liaisons around the country sift through hundreds of pitches each year ("We've had some bizarre ones, you wouldn't imagine," says Anderson) to determine what the military will and will not support. The Navy declined to support "The Bachelor."

"[Andy] did it on his own time," says Anderson. "He worked it out with his command and took leave."

One of the many reasons the Navy offered no support to ABC is because "The Bachelor" qualifies as reality television. "We've tried several different ways to work with reality TV," says Anderson, "and it just doesn't work." Anderson's job is to make sure the Navy is portrayed accurately through the entertainment industry. There are too many variables in reality television to make that possible.

My readers also wanted to know why LT Baldwin was allowed to "pose for the program" in his uniform. Some episode teasers even show one of the bachelorettes hugging Baldwin in his summer whites....

Anderson's answer to that coming soon!