It seems that North Carolina has been quite popular for filming movies and TV shows lately (The Hunger Games, Iron Man 3, etc.) . The Bachelorette can now be added to that list as the cast and crew have decided to cater to Emily Maynard's (and my) current hometown, Charlotte, North Carolina. The past few weeks I've heard a buzz around town about where the suitor's mansion is located, helicopters hovering over Ballantyne and lights and film crews spotted in a gated neighborhood. I shamefully admit that it all excites me as I've been sucked onto the Bachelor/Bachelorette/Bachelor Pad bandwagon for the past 3 years.
Charlotte's NC Music Factory tweeted early last week that an ABC reality show would be taping and that it would be open to the public. I brushed it off at first but once I got to thinking about it, I thought it would be pretty cool to be on the other side of things. Ya know, see how production of a reality TV show actually works (I'm kind of a reality show junkie).
I told my friend, Elyse, about the news and once she dug up some more information, we decided to give it a go and head into Uptown Charlotte for the evening. We rushed to the NC Music Factory not knowing how many people would be there waiting for the couple to arrive. To our surprise, we were some of the first people there. Through waiting, rain, sound check for Gloriana (the band that was doing a surprise performance), and more waiting...Emily and her date (which we're thinking is one of the first ones picked) finally arrived in style! They drove up, walked the red carpet, and headed into the nearby restaurant, Osso, for dinner. You would have thought Jason Mraz, I mean Brad Pitt, had arrived (haha, see what I did there?). With the combination of camera flashes, people shouting, cameras recording and the red carpet, it definitely felt like Hollywood. We were then told by production that the couple would be back out in one hour for the surprise concert by country band, Gloriana.
One hour goes by.
Another 30 minutes goes by.
A sudden downpour of rain appears.
My hair gets super frizzy.
Two hours total go by.
After two hours of waiting in the rain with my hair getting frizzier by the second, Emily and her date (with a rose might I add) made their appearance and were lead to see the surprise for the night, the band Gloriana. They stood together on a raised platform (a little awkward at first but they finally warmed up) and danced to "(Kissed You) Goodnight" twice for filming purposes I assume, "Wild at Heart", and "Carolina Rose"(see the irony in that one?). Emily re-pinned the rose on the bachelor, toasted with champagne and they left to finish their date at the club, Butter. (I think that's what they did at least. I actually have no idea.)
Elyse and I decided to stick around for a few more camera angles the camera crew wanted of the crowd. Who knows, maybe my frizzball self will end up on national television this coming May when the season debuts! We also were able to swipe the champagne bottle (which was cheap champagne by the way) and took a few pictures with it! Please hold all snickers and keep them to yourself :)
It's not every Friday evening you get a chance to be on a hit reality show. I figured why not give it a shot...The Bachelor/Bachelorette will most likely never be filmed in my hometown ever again. I had to take advantage of the situation!!! It ended up being a fun night with a great friend and a free concert! Can't go wrong with that!
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| The top middle pictures were taken by Elyse. The rest were taken by moi on my good ol' iPhone. |
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