Love and Marriage in Prime Time

The Bachelor: A Rose by Any Other Name
The Dating Game took an extreme turn in 2002 when ABC premiered the first season of The Bachelor. Where once contestants had competed for first dates, sodas and kisses, now 25 women and one bachelor competed for diamond rings and prenups. These prime-time marriage hunters proved endlessly entertaining, turning The Bachelor into a hugely successful franchise and inspiring eight long years of dubious reality-show spin-offs, including The Bachelorette (The Bachelor for women), More to Love (The Bachelor for fatties) and The Littlest Groom (The Bachelor for dwarfs).

• Remembering Guiding Light
• Best TV Shows of All-TIME