Bachelor beats out models for TV supremacy

The final choice of a Missouri bachelor beat out a televised parade of women in revealing underwear among TV viewers across the nation. In fact, political satire was even more attractive than supermodels, according to overnight ratings on Wednesday's TV offerings.

The finale of ABC's "The Bachelor," the hit romance-reality series, attracted an average of 26 million viewers and had double the audience of "The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show" when the two programs went head-to-head from 8 to 9 p.m. "Victoria's Secret" was third-ranked in that hour, also behind NBC's "The West Wing."

Dropping to one knee, Aaron Buerge of Springfield, Mo., put the ring on Helene Eksterowicz's finger in the ABC show's closing moments Wednesday. The proposal on the two-hour finale concluded Buerge's eight-episode odyssey test-driving would-be partners while the audience eagerly looked on.

Though blasted by critics as a glorified escort service, the series generated buzz and won enough viewers -- 16.7 million last week -- to put a dent in NBC's hit drama "The West Wing."

While Buerge said he was "still on the fence" about who he should pick until the last moment, no one was on the fence about "Victoria's Secret," first aired last year by ABC, scoring high ratings and controversy.

That telecast was sufficiently provocative to prompt an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission, which eventually ruled the show did not violate decency standards.

Unassuaged, several women's groups and media watchdog organizations this year asked CBS not to air the new special, calling it a "soft-core porn infomercial" that degrades women.

Mike Smythe, the vice president and general manager of KFVS-TV, Cape Girardeau's CBS affiliate, said he got complaints too.

"I got it today, I got it yesterday, I heard about it for days in advance," Smythe said Thursday. "A fraction of people didn't like it. But that, in my opinion, is why we have remotes."

Smythe said that if they had decided to not run it -- which they never did consider -- then he believes more people would have protested, calling that censorship. Smythe said he also tried to warn viewers that the show was going to be on, cautioning viewers in on-air and Web site editorials.

"People were yelling about it coming into their house, getting to their youngsters. But the fact of the matter is that's what parenting is supposed to be about," Smythe said.

In the end, Smythe said, KFVS is a programming-oriented business that also offers "morality" shows like "Touched by an Angel."

Personally, Smythe said he didn't have a problem with the "Victoria's Secret" special.

"A lot of shows push the envelope," he said. "This show was not pornography, just stupid."

Smythe also said he doubted that "The Bachelor" beat out the "Victoria's Secret" special locally, because KFVS has so much more signal strength than the nearest ABC affiliate, WSIL-TV in Carbondale, Ill.

The "Victoria's Secret" special boasted pop singers Phil Collins and Marc Anthony, consumer tips, and 34 racks of bras and panties waiting for the runway.

Staff writer Scott Moyers contributed to this report.