Roses are red, love is in the air and the Duke Bachelorette is trying to create a perfect pair.
Working in conjunction with Duke Student Broadcasting, Duke University Union's first-year internship program is helping to create Duke’s own version of the popular reality show "The Bachelorette." The show will take the form of three 10-minute episodes in which a bachelorette will choose one of her four suitors, each representing a different type of personality. Episodes will be streamed via Facebook or YouTube April 7 and April 10 with the finale April 12.
The DUU Bachelorette is part of an annual project collaboratively organized by all 20 FIP interns. For last year's project, the interns created a relaxation station complete with massages and yoga.
“We chose to do [the Bachelorette] because it’s novel—Duke hasn’t done it before,” said first-year Dustin Zhu, co-chair of the storyline and filming committee for the Duke Bachelorette. “This year we wanted to do something to level up to the standards.”
Individuals who indicated interest in becoming the bachelorette filled out an application that asked them to describe their ideal man, any special talents they have and three adjectives to describe themselves that would surprise others.
And for those familiar with the real show "The Bachelor," they were asked for their thoughts on Corinne, a notorious contestant from season 21.
The application also asked how potential bachelorettes felt about on-screen kissing and whether they were affiliated with a sorority or selective living group.
The team behind the Duke Bachelorette will also be creating a Snapchat filter and handing out roses with flyers containing information about the show, Zhu explained.
Unlike the original "The Bachelorette," which sees its bachelorette whittle down 25 bachelors, Duke’s Bachelorette will be a much more expedited process—with slightly less glamorous vacation destinations.
“Based on the script, we will have several different locations that we will film at,” Zhu said. “Approximately 80 percent of it will be on campus.”
The storyline and filming committee team members will be shooting the series from the end of this week into early next week and will spend the rest of next week video-editing and finalizing the show.
A finale viewing party will be held April 12 at 7 p.m. in McClendon 5 with a discussion to follow that will explore the sexual inequalities and complexities existing within the show, Zhu noted.
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