Serial Killer Starred on Dating Show as Contestant Bagged a Date With Singleton Cheryl Bradshaw
Serial killers are intriguing characters to analyze for experts. Most researchers get the chance to monitor serial killers after they have been arrested for their crimes. Interactions as accused could make serial killers put on their guards, because of assumptions and various other factors. In the case of Rodney Alcala, analysts had the unique opportunity to observe him before his crimes unfolded in front of the world, Tyla reported.
In 1978, two years before he was apprehended by the police, Alcala, appeared as a contestant in a dating reality show. His 'authentic' self impressed the leading lady so much, that he also scored a date. The words he said to the woman, sent shivers down the spine of viewers, once his killings came to light.
Rodney Alcala
Alcala was born in 1943 and spent his early years in Mexico, PEOPLE reported. He moved to Los Angeles at the age of eight, and at 17, enlisted in the army. The man was discharged in 1964, reportedly because of a nervous breakdown and allegations of sexual misconduct. After supposedly committing his first attack in 1968, Alcala fled to New York University, and attended classes under the alias of "John Berger."
Before his detention in 1979, he served 34 months in prison for the brutal rape and beating of an 8-year-old girl. Authorities stated that Alcala had killed at least seven women, with more possible victims, at the time of his arrest. They further added that Alcala killed his victims with cruelty, strangling them until they fell unconscious, and repeating the entire process when they woke up. He would continue with the torture, till the women lost their lives.
The Dating Game
Alcala appeared in an episode of The Dating Game, where three bachelors vied for a date with a woman, PEOPLE reported. The killer was introduced by the host with some innuendo as a “successful photographer who got his start when his father found him in the darkroom at the age of 13, fully developed.” Alcala's charm was on full display, as he enthusiastically interacted with the host, not minding even the most suggestive of queries.
He won the heart of the leading lady, Cheryl Bradshaw, who chose him among the three contenders. After a conversation, Bradshaw decided to pull out of the date. She said to her contestant coordinator, "I can't go out with this guy. There's weird vibes that are coming off of him. He's very strange. I am not comfortable." After his crimes got publicized, Alcala earned the moniker of "The Dating Game Killer," because of his turn as a contestant on the dating show.
Alcala's Conversation with Bradshaw
The show's concept was such that the leading lady would have a conversation with each of the three suitors, and decide based on those discussions, who she wanted to move forward with, Tyla reported. Bradshaw selected Alcala, after hearing his charming sentences. One of the first things he told her was, "We’re going to have a great time together, Cheryl." Considering the crimes he was committing then, the suggestion of 'great time' sent chills down the spine of many observers.
Alcala's Conviction
In 1980, Alcala was handed a death sentence for the murder of 12-year-old, Robin Samsoe, which was reversed in 1984, PEOPLE reported. A new trial commenced for the case, in which he was again sentenced to death. This judgment was also overturned in 2003.
Orange County prosecutors discovered Alcala's DNA on evidence associated with the murder cases of Jill Barcomb, 18; Jill Parenteau, 21; Georgia Wixted, 27; and Charlotte Lamb, 32. All of them were murdered between 1977 and 1979. Alcala was convicted on five counts of first-degree murder and received a death sentence by an Orange County jury.
As years went by, more states pursued murder charges against Alcala. The serial killer was on death row in a California prison, when he died of natural causes in 2021.
'Woman of the Hour'
Woman of the Hour is a Netflix movie starring Anna Kendrick that covers the dating show encounter between Bradshaw and Alcala, The Guardian reported. The movie focuses on the conversations between Bradshaw and the serial killer, and the reasons the woman chose to back off from the date.
Alcala has been portrayed as an attractive man, who used his endearing charms to lure women. Matt Murphy, a former homicide prosecutor, who consulted on the show stated that Alcala's appearance on the dating show reveals a lot about his personality. "It speaks to the narcissism, the arrogance of psychopaths. He’s in the middle of a murder spree and he went on The Dating Game and he was selected," he added.