On Monday, February 10, Paul Hogan, the butler, revealed that there will be a twist that will surprise us all. What are the possibilities for this twist? Could FOX be lying to us, the viewer?
First, the whole show is based on a lie. The lie is a part of the program. They lied to all 20 girls, telling them that Evan Marriott is an eligible bachelor worth $50 million.
Second, not only did the producers lie to the 20 girls, they also lied to us, the viewers. 24 million people tuned in on Monday to see who Evan would choose. This first twist was that the joke was on us, as we watched Evan end up exactly where he left off in the previous episode, still musing over choosing Sarah or Zora, the substitute teacher.
So, could the producers and FOX lie again? You bet. What are the possibilities for the second or third big lie?
Possibility No. 1: The girls are not who they appear to be. Sarah is a soft porn star, and Zora is a virgin.
Well, we already know that Sarah Kozer has starred in dozens of kinky bondage and fetish films that feature her being handcuffed, gagged, hog-tied, and bound with duct tape. The 29-year old from Los Angeles listed in her resume that her occupation was "sales and design.” In the past few years she has starred in bondage films like "Novices in Knots," "Hogtied," and "Helpless Heroines," as well as foot fetish titles like "Dirty Soled Dolls." The 1998 graduate of Virginia's George Mason University is credited in these films as "Cindy Schubert." Sarah said she has no plans to do any more fetish work. Instead, she's trying to capitalize on her "Joe Millionaire" fame by writing a novel and peddling a proposal for a cookbook and cooking show.
As for Zora, I cannot say that she is a virgin, but from watching Joe Millionaire, she certainly is prudish. Zora did not even want to kiss Evan on her second date. And, she did not want to go swimming because she did not want to show Evan her body. She remained in a robe while Evan was swimming. Evan had to pull her into the water, robe and all, to get her to swim.
Possibility No. 2: Evan is not really poor. Rather, Evan really is a millionaire. Yes, he works construction, but perhaps he also owns the construction company. Maybe, he doesn't have any money, but perhaps he is heir to a family fortune. Even though he only made $19,000 last year, perhaps he has more money than he's letting on. Maybe Fox will give the couple a cool million if the winner sticks with Evan out of love. Or that given his background as a swimwear and underwear model, he has signed a contract worth considerably more than $19,000 a year.
Well, there is some evidence to indicate that Evan is not being fully straight with us. First, Evan has been a swimsuit and underwear model and an actor. In the November 2001 issue of California Muscle, Evan was featured. Moreover, he has had a couple of bit acting parts. Second, Evan doesn't really have blue-collar roots. Both parents are college grads, his dad from Old Dominion, his mom from William and Mary. They sent Evan to Hargrave Military Academy, which has an annual tuition of $19,950 a year. As recently as last year, Evan was reported living in a house worth over $1 million. But, he said that he was just staying there as a guest.
In his own defense, Even met TV critics in Hollywood last month. He was eager to knock down some of the nastier rumors making the rounds. The one that bothers him the most is that he's lying about the $19,000 a year. Evan said, “I made $29.54 an hour. I worked for the company and the union for about three months. Then I went to work for a nonunion company.... We didn't have any work. I sat at home a lot. A lot of my stress and a lot of the reason I did the show was because I had such a bad year financially.”
Evan admits to being a high-school drop out. He said, "It was a little disheartening to my parents. I'm the only grandchild in the family who never went to college... and for me to not go to college, let alone not graduate from high school, kind of bummed them out."
With respect to the rumor that his parents are rich, Evan said, "My father worked two jobs.... He taught business classes at night, and he worked for a bank during the day. And I don't know if any of you have ever worked for a bank, but they don't make a lot of money. My father also was in, at the time, the Marine Corps Reserves.”
The producers of the show and FOX assure the viewers that we will be well satisfied with the final twist. So, don’t look for the final twist to be that Evan is gay or something like that. Odds are is that they will give them money if the winner sticks with Evan out of love.
But, whatever the final twist, one thing is clear. The joke is really on us, the viewer: that Fox managed to get 20 million viewers and kept stringing us along for weeks.
By the way, next week's People magazine cover story tackles "Love, Sex & Dating 2003" Among women who watch "Joe Millionaire," 60 percent think Evan Marriott should choose Zora, while most guys say if they were Evan, they'd pick Sarah. |
