Borrowing a page from CBS' Survivor, ABC has announced that for the first time in Bachelor franchise history, it will air a live broadcast of its upcoming The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose reunion show.
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Traditionally taped in advance and broadcast the day after a Bachelor/Bachelorette season finale, the special will mark bachelorette Meredith Phillips' first public appearance with her selected suitor.
News of the decision is somewhat surprising given the recent controversy over last week's Super Bowl halftime show, however ABC vice president Andrea Wong tells Television Week that the idea had been considered during the planning discussions for previous editions of the program and decided well in advance of last week's media firestorm.
"We talked about it and decided to do it well before all the flak of this week," Wong said. "It will be on a [five-second] delay anyway, and historically we haven't had a problem with shows like this."
But, at a time when other networks are scrambling to address concerns of live broadcasts, why even take the chance that something might happen? According to Wong, it's apparently for the adrenaline rush. "The live element brings an excitement and immediacy to every show that you do live," she told Television Week. "The viewer knows that they are getting complete, unfiltered honest reactions that are completely unedited."
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As part of the live broadcast, ABC and producers are also considering allowing viewers to call in and ask the couple questions and ask live questions (ya, what could possibly go wrong with that?)
Despite airing live, rather than, similar to CBS' Survivor lineup, airing immediately after the program's filmed finale, The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose reunion show will still the following evening on Thursday, February 26 at 8PM ET/PT.