Student ‘H-Bombed’ On National TV

Samantha A. Goodwin ’03 learned a tough lesson on a recent date: sometimes when you drop the H-bomb, you get burned.

In the WB reality television show elimiDATE’s dramatic final segment, entitled “H-Bombed,” Goodwin lost the prize in front of a national television audience.

On the show—in which one man goes on a date with four women, and elimiDATEs one per round—Goodwin made it to the final round before losing the “prize,” a 26-year old member of the National Gaurd named Craig.

The candidates “need to outflirt, outsmart and outlast their competition using their wit, charm and sex appeal,” the show’s website reads.

“Their strategy should ultimately ensure that they’re the one left standing when the dating dust has settled,” it says.

On Wednesday night, Goodwin and her Mather House roommates gathered to watch the edited version of her date.

The show, filmed last October, entitled “Hating Harvard,” and prominently featured the University and the “H-Bomb.”

The show’s eventual winner frequently complained that Goodwin was touting her Harvard status to make herself appear “better” than the other three contestants.

Goodwin, however, blamed constant references to Harvard on the show’s editors.

She said the editors wanted her to say “Harvard” more than usual.

Also, because the show is condensed into a half-hour installment, the editors were able to make it appear as though she was repeatedly dropping the “H-bomb,” she said.

The date consisted of a trip to the popular Cambridge bar Rock Bottom and then dancing at the Boston night club Caprice.

At Rock Bottom, the audience got its first glimpse of a quarrel amongst the four women contestants. Goodwin spoke of her success in beauty pageantry, which provoked a dispute with Nicole, another contestant.

Following the first round, one contestant was dismissed and the group traveled to Caprice.

There, the women danced and drank with Craig, and after a series of chaotic club scenes the second round was over and another contestant was dismissed.

With Goodwin and Nicole as the two survivors, elimiDATE’s coverage consisted of more dance footage and focused on the rivalry between the two women.

The final scenes showed a face-off between the two—again centered around Goodwin’s Harvard status—and the contestant’s final reflections on the evening, which ended with Craig choosing Nicole over Goodwin.

The filming lasted over nine hours, Goodwin said, and she admitted to being a little nervous before the show aired.

ElimiDATE’s opening credits show a slew of scantily-clad twenty-somethings in a mix of bars, night clubs and hot tubs.

The show’s date formula includes a dinner where each suitor tries to outdo the others, drinks at a local hot-spot bar and dancing at a crowded night club.

As in many other reality-based television programs, as the date progresses the audience gets a peek into the contestants’ thoughts and reactions with the show’s “video diary,” usually consisting of name-calling and gossiping among the contestants.

Before ever watching the show, Goodwin decided to audition at the encouragement of her friends.

“I did it just for the chance of being on TV,” Goodwin said.