The Crazy True Story Of The Serial Killer Who Went On The Dating Game
By Marina Manoukian/Feb. 8, 2021 4:46 pm EDT
Everyone deserves a chance to find love, but there s something weird about the fact that serial killer Rodney Alcala went on a dating game show between some of his murders. And despite the fact that he won on the show, apparently his demeanor behind the scenes was so unnerving and creepy that the lucky bachelorette decided to renege on her choice.
Convicted three times for murder, Alcala repeatedly appealed his death sentences. And even during his third and final trial in 2010, during which he acted as his own defense attorney, he laughed and talked throughout. During his last sentencing, he decided to play Alice s Restaurant, by Arlo Guthrie, for the courtroom, although it s unclear if he played them the entire 18-minute song or just the part that goes Eat dead, burnt bodies/ I mean kill/ Kill, kill, kill! Either way, bold move when the jury is deciding wheth
Before the days of careful vetting and extensive background checks, Rodney Alcala appeared on
The Dating Game in the middle of his killing spree in the late ’70s. While Alcala became known as the
Dating Game killer, his involvement in the reality TV show was but a brief moment in his deadly history. Investigators believe that he killed at least eight people and some suspect that he murdered more than 100 others. In a recent special,
20/20 took on Alcala’s terrifying story, which has often been compared to Ted Bundy’s. Ahead, we’ve pulled together what you need to know about the
The True Story of The Dating Game Killer, Rodney Alcala
On 1/8/21 at 3:03 PM EST
American true-crime lovers have a knack for finding stories of odd serial killers and shocking twists. One that isn t overly sensationalized, like giant names Jeffery Dahmer, involves a reality television show of the past and one woman s very close call with the terrifying predator.
The Dating Game Killer, actually won the reality TV game show in the 1970s while he was in the middle of his killing spree.
The Dating Game episode that featured Alcala as Bachelor Number One aired in 1978. Alcala wooed the woman choosing her perfect match, Cheryl Bradshaw, and the prize was a date for the two. But Bradshaw lived to tell the story of her date with a serial killer after her gut instincts kicked in.
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Alcala has been convicted of killing seven women in the 1970s.
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A missing woman s cold case and a killer s appearance on The Dating Game : Part 1
Christine Thornton, described by her sister as a free spirit, went missing in the summer of 1977. Clues about her disappearance wouldn’t be uncovered until 40 years later.Bettmann Archive via Getty Images
When “The Dating Game” host Jim Lange introduced Rodney Alcala as Bachelor Number One, a successful photographer, he didn’t know that the man had already murdered at least five women and been charged with the attempted murder of a little girl.
REVEALED: The Dating Game producer tried to stop serial killer Rodney Alcala appearing on show in 1978 because he had a strange personality - but colleagues oblivious to his murder spree said the audience will love him
Serial killer Rodney Alcala infamously appeared on the The Dating Game in September 1978, when he was in the midst of a brutal killing spree
Then-executive producer Mike Metzger told ABC he didn t want Alcala on the show because he had a strange personality and unsettling mystique
He was convicted by contestant coordinator Ellen Metzger, whose now his wife, to allow him on the show because she said woman would love him