The Daily Feather — It’s Got to Be Bachelor Number Two
Deana: “Bachelor Number Two, complete this sentence: This may sound a little weird but…”
Steve: “…I’m naked right now.”
Before The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, there was The Dating Game. First aired on December 20, 1965, the Chuck Barris game show’s format was simple: Three out-of-view contestants of the opposite sex were quizzed. Those with the snappiest answers emerged victorious; the prize was a chaperoned date. The list of notables who appeared on The Dating Game before becoming famous is a lengthy one. It was Steve Martin in 1968 who won out. Showing early signs of comedy greatness, Steve was Bachelor Number Two hailing from Waco, Texas, and a burgeoning writer for the Smothers Brothers. The bachelorette was Deana Martin, who was no relation, but was an actress and singer and daughter of one of the most popular entertainers of the mid-20thcentury, Dean Martin (whose stage name derived from his last name, DiMartino). After peppering the three bachelors with questions, Deana declared, “It’s got to be Bachelor Number Two.” The date destination for the match made on the small screen was none other than Portofino, Italy. That wild and crazy guy played anything but hard to get.
In the dismal science, Jobs Hard to Get via the Conference Board’s consumer survey ranks the highest in dependability. With a stout .88 correlation since Deana Martin chose Steve Martin, consumers’ perspective of the job market reliably guides the official unemployment rate. Thus far in 2024, generating a simple one-factor regression using Jobs Hard to Get (purple line) projects a higher unemployment rate than what’s been reported (orange line).