TV
Leaked Big Brother audio reveals exact moment show’s surprising romance kicked off as house was evacuated in fire alert
UNEARTHED audio has revealed the secret conversation between Big Brother housemates Baked Potato and Nathan as their friendship turned romantic.
Fans were stunned to discover the show’s most surprising romance kicked off as the house was evacuated in fire alert.
And on Late and Live last night, presenter Will Best shared the moment the pair planned a secret date while still wearing their mics.
Baked Potato says: “I want to ask now.. When we get out, do you want to go to a winery? Just me and you?”
After struggling to hear what she was saying as she repeatedly whispered “winery”, Nathan finally replied: “Yes, of course.”
He then spilled the tea to Ali about their secret conversation – and plans to date outside of the experience.
Their feelings became transparent when Nathan, Baked Potato and Lily were in the garden last night.
Lily – who was desperate for a snog – dared them to kiss and it ended up exposing their hidden feelings.
Nathan and Baked Potato (Rosie) were whispering to each other how they both had to “run away” from Lily.
The duo quickly retreated to the bathroom as they were both completely taken aback by Lily’s actions.
They both asked each other: “Why is Lily kissing us?”
Housemates were told they must call Rosie “Baked Potato” for the foreseeable future after a dare in the first week.
She has grown close to King Charles‘ former butler Nathan in the house.
It follows Henry and Jordan’s romance last series.
The pair are still together now, a year after Jordan won the show and a £100,00 prize.
TV
Netflix finally adds ‘perfect’ TV series hailed ‘best sitcom of last 10 years’
Netflix users are expressing relief over the release of a “perfect” hidden gem sitcom following a brief delay.
It was revealed at the start of the month that the streaming service had acquired the prematurely axed Detroiters, a comedy series created by and starring Ted Lasso actor Sam Richardson and I Think You Should Leave’s Tim Robinson.
The series, which was also created by Zach Kanin and Joe Kelly, tells the story of best friends who work as creatives at the family of Robinson’s character’s advertising agency, and was due to arrive on Netflix on Tuesday (15 October).
However, when that date rolled around, viewers flocking to the service to watch the series couldn’t find it anywhere, leading to frustration and confusion on social media.
However, Detroiters, which originally aired on Comedy Central in 2017 before its cancellation the following year, has finally been made available to stream.
The sitcom has an overall score of 95 per cent on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes – it’s second season has a perfect 100 per cent – and has been hailed as “absolutely perfect in every way” as well as one of the best comedy shows of the last decade by fans of the show on X/Twitter and the Rotten Tomatoes comments section.
Detroiters was a victim of an untimely cancellation, making its Netflix addition somewhat ironic considering the streamer’s habits of axing shows before they’ve had time to conclude.
The latest example of this was Kaos, a contemporary retelling of Greek mythology from the mind of Charlie Copvell (The End of the F***ing World). The streaming service, who has previously cancelled cult hits The OA, 1899 and Shadow and Bone, received backlash for the decision – especially considering Covell previously said the show needed three seasons to reach its natural conclusion.
“Are you f***ing kidding me? This show was brilliant… and ended on a huge cliffhanger,” one fan lamented, with another calling it: “One of the best original shows they’ve done in years.”
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A viewer branded Netflix’s decision “frustrating” as the show “never had time to fly”, with others making the argument that many classic shows, including The Sopranos and Breaking Bad, took a few seasons to hit a groove.
Kaos starred Jeff Goldblum, Aurora Perrineau, Janet McTeer, Cliff Curtis, Stephen Dillane and Leila Farzad.
TV
Laura Vaughan’s MAFS diary: They’re so desperate to stay, they’re ready to swap partners, this isn’t Love Island’
IT all kicked off last night as the couples faced each other at one of the most intense dinner parties this series.
Gym owner Hannah entered the party to a frosty welcome as Polly and Holly refused to greet her.
Polly even went as far as to say that Hannah “rubbed her up the f***ing wrong way” and she would no longer acknowledge her.
Things went from bad to worse as Stephen refused to speak to his wife, prompting her to flirt up a storm with Orson.
Orson admitted he was ready to “let his hair down” for the next 24 hours after his marriage to Richelle had explosively combust.
Hannah cheekily told Orson that she would be keen to “snog” him at the dinner table, leaving the engineer smitten.
Elsewhere, Stephen said he was keen to purse a romantic connection with Sionainn after learning that she and husband Ryan had a row and spent the night in separate apartments.
To be honest, this is all sounding a little too much like Love Island and the couples should have more self-respect for themselves before cracking on with someone else’s spouse.
If you are as obsessed as Married At First Sight as I am, you need to keep reading, as I’ve got some thoughts…
Stephen’s crossed a line
The last episode of Married At First Sight resembled Love Island, if feels like everyone’s forgotten that they’ve gone on to marry their partner and everyone just wants to swap their current partner.
Obviously, I’m mainly talking about Hannah and Orson, which we already knew about.
But I’m also talking about Stephen and Sionainn.
Stephen did not come across well in this episode at all.
I think the way that he handled the situation behind Ryan’s back and then proceeded to lie to him about how he did want to recouple with Sionainn but didn’t, considering what he said at the boys day around the fact that it wasn’t a ‘swingers club’ and he would never do that.
He did not come across well in this episode at all and it looks like Ryan really still quite angry about it.
So I wonder if there’s going to be ongoing beef with them at the commitment ceremony.
Ryan looks like he’s still got plenty more to get off his chest and I predict it will come to a head at the commitment ceremony.
Major red flags
We also hear that Sionainn and Ryan have had some kind of explosive argument behind-the-scenes, but we don’t know what that was.
It seems to allude to the fact, that it was something that was said at the girls and boys day.
But to be honest, we didn’t see any issue with those two.
So I think there MUST be more to this!
I’ve also heard rumours that a couple leave the show to concerning behaviour.
I’m starting to wonder if that might be the couple that we’re talking about…
Can I pull your for a chat?
I don’t think Hannah is helping herself by overtly flirting with Orson at the dinner table and saying they should go and make out.
Last night, Hannah enjoyed a chat with Orson, where he told her he and Richelle were done.
Hannah then got cosy with Orson at the dinner table – where some flirty remarks were made in front of the other couples.
But I think they’ve applied for the wrong show.
It isn’t Love Island and I actually heard Orson say ‘are you going to pull someone for a chat.
I think these people have genuinely forgotten what show they’ve gone on and it is starting to look like they’re so desperate to stay on the show.
Those that are not in relationships are currently working out ‘we’ll switch to someone else, just just to remain in the experiment.
Save the couple swapping for another show.
Polly’s excuses
Last night Polly refused to own up to her mistake.
During the girls catch-up, Polly decided to switch husband’s in the game and chose Stephen, claiming he had more emotional maturity.
When Polly told Adam, he understandably took it badly.
But it was Polly’s response which left me confused.
I don’t like the way that Polly handles her confrontation with anyone to be honest, especially with Adam at the minute.
She’s shouting at him, making excuses and not accepting responsibility for her own behaviour.
It’s time for her to be transparent and give Adam a proper apology without screaming it across the table.
Bride’s a no show
Richelle was not at the dinner party, which i found very interesting.
But I suspect she’s just done with Orson and does not want to get into a situation that will be full of drama with her husband that she really dislikes.
It’s game over for this pair.
Affair exposed
I wish that we saw more of the couples that are actually in good relationships.
We’ve hardly seen anything on Amy and Luke and we haven’t seen much on Kristina and Kieran and Sasha and Ross, and it just looks like among the mess of these hellish relationships, they’re getting lost and caught up in the crossfire.
The next ceremony, it looks like the affair with Hannah and Orson comes out and Richelle finds out.
So, I’m suspecting Richelle will obviously leave and Hannah and Orson will ask to stay in the experiment as a new couple.
But I’m more intrigued to see what will happen between Ryan and Stephen, because Ryan still looks very angry that Stephen made a beeline for Sionainn when he wasn’t at the dinner party.
It’s looks like it’s all about to kick off!
TV
I’m a Celebrity line-up rumours ahead of 2024 launch episode
As the end of the year approaches, another batch of stars are set to enter the I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! jungle.
The ITV reality show has been on the air since 2000, with winners including Tony Blackburn, Stacey Solomon, Jill Scott and last year’s victor Sam Thompson.
In recent years, I’m a Celebrity has been plagued with controversy for signing up two controversial politicians: former health secretary Matt Hancock in 2022 and Nigel Farage in 2023, which appeared to lead to a downturn in ratings.
Currently, it seems like bosses don’t have anyone quite so contentious waiting in the wings; in the past few weeks, reports have surfaced about which stars could be facing their fears in the Australian jungle.
Below is a rundown of the nine stars who might be on this year’s series.
Coleen Rooney has reportedly signed up to appear on this year’s series. The wife of former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is said to have secured the biggest deal in the show’s history, which would surpass that of Farage and presenter Noel Edmonds with a fee of over £1.5m. “I’m a Celeb bosses have pulled off a huge coup getting Coleen for the jungle this year and the team are thrilled to have her on board,” a source told The Sun. “Coleen has a huge fanbase and she won massive plaudits for her classy handling of the Wagatha Christie case. She’s excited to show fans a different side to her and prove she can survive without her creature comforts.”
This year’s star from the world of football – following in the footsteps of Harry Redknapp, Ian Wright and winner Jill Scott – could be Ally McCoist. The former Rangers pro, who played for Scotland, is now known by many for his commentary on ITV – but it seems he might be heading into the jungle two years after reportedly backing out. An insider told The Sun: “Ally has such a huge fan base thanks to his years of commentating and punditry, plus his long stint on A Question of Sport. He’d be great for the jungle – as his wife and kids have been telling him forever – so everyone is really hopeful that this will be the year.”
Tulisa Contostavlos
One of this year’s biggest rumours is N-Dubz singer Tulisa Contostavlos, who was also once a judge on The X Factor. An insider suggested to The Sun that Contostavlos’s booking was inspired by a recent N-Dubz tour, which “introduced her to a younger generation, especially through platforms like TikTok”. They added: “Tulisa’s diverse career makes her a strong contender for I’m a Celebrity because she appeals to a wide audience. ITV is particularly excited about her new following among 16 to 24-year-olds, and hopes the deal is finalised soon.”
Jane Moore
The second Loose Womenstar who is reportedly poised to follow in the footsteps of fellow panellists Janet Street-Porter, Frankie Bridge and Charlene White is Jane Moore, who first appeared on the ITV panel show in 1999. he has been a regular panellist since 2013 and is rumoured to be up for entering the jungle following a split from her husband of 20 years.
Reverend Richard Coles
Reverend Richard Coles, the media personality and former vicar, who was once a member of the band the Communards, will – according to The Sun – be a campmate on this year’s I’m a Celebrity. A source said: “Rev Coles will have a variety of tales to tell from his wild days as a pop star in the Eighties, through to performing on Strictly Come Dancing and his later life as a man of the cloth.” Earlier this year, Coles described his time on Strictly as “brutal” amid a behind-the-scenes scandal.
Dean McCullough
Northern Irish BBC Radio 1 DJ Dean McCullough has reportedly been tapped to appear on this year’s series. He started presenting for the station in 2020, standing in for Clara Amfo, and in September 2022, he replaced Scott Mills and Chris Stark, alongside Vicky Hawkesworth, as hosts of Radio 1’s afternoon show.
Alan Halsall
Coronation Street star Alan Halsall, who plays Tyrone Dobbs, had an I’m a Celebrity near-miss in 2023. He was rumoured to be a part of the line-up but was reportedly forced to withdraw after suffering a knee injury; the photo he shared of himself from his hospital bed essentially ruled himself out of appearing. It’s a likely bet, then, that Halsall has been drafted in for the new series.
GK Barry
There are two Loose Women stars being tipped to join I’m a Celebrity this year – and one became a wift favourite to appear after it was reported she had withdrawn from participating in Strictly Come Dancing due to the rehearsal room scandal that hit the BBC show earlier this year. GK Barry – real name Grace Keeling – would be a hit with the youngsters considering she had a huge following on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube
Olivia Atwood
Love Island star Olivia Atwood might finally be able to re-enter the jungle after being forced to withdraw from the competition in 2022 after just one day. Atwood left the series “as a precautionary measure” in order to “undergo some medical checks” and, when asked if she would appear the following year, she ruled herself out due to scheduling conflicts. However, Atwood could very possibly have kept this winter free to finally complete her tenure in the jungle.
One star who is sure to be top of producers’ wish list is Tommy Fury. The former Love Island star and boxer, who recently split from his fiancée Molly Mae Hague, has just released a memoir he will undoubtedly want to promote ahead of Christmas. Fury has now fanned the flames of speculation after dodging a question about his possible I’m a Celebrity involvement on Heart Radio.
When asked if he’ll appear, he said: “Listen, a lot of things in my life is like a rollercoaster in a minute. There are so many things I might do. You know, could he be doing this? Could he be doing that? I don’t know what I’m doing this afternoon. I mean, I just take literally an hour at a time, so I don’t know. There’s a lot of things going on in my life right now. So, I’m not sure on anything.”
An ITV spokesperson told The Independent: “Any names suggested for I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! are just speculation.”
TV
Dave Bautista tears into Trump over ‘tough guy’ pose: ‘He wears more makeup than Dolly Parton’
Dave Bautista has mocked Donald Trump’s “tough guy” pose, calling the presidential candidate “a weak, tubby toddler.”
Bautista, 55, rose to fame as a WWE wrestler before building a career as an action star in movies including Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, the James Bond film Spectre and both instalments of Dune.
On last night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, late-night host Kimmel quoted a recent New York Times poll that found Trump is leading rival candidate Kamala Harris by 17 points among male voters. “But is he the strong, alpha man these men believe him to be?” asked Kimmel. “Not according to one of the toughest guys I know, he isn’t.”
Bautista then presented a short segment while working out in a gym. “A lot of men seem to think that Donald Trump is some kind of tough guy,” said the former wrestler. “He’s not.”
The Dune star went on to point out several of Trump’s frailties, including the fact that “he wears more makeup than Dolly Parton,” had “his daddy pay a doctor to say his widdle feet hurt so he could dodge the draft” and has a gut that looks like “a garbage bag full of buttermilk.”
Bautista went on to mock Trump for selling “imaginary baseball cards pretending to be a cowboy fireman” when in fact “the guy is barely strong enough to hold an umbrella.”
Bautista concluded the segment by listing various things that Trump is afraid of, including “rain,” “dogs,” and “Meryl f***ing Streep,” before adding: “Mostly he’s terrified that real, red-blooded American men will find out that he’s a weak, tubby toddler.”
Elsewhere in the episode, Kimmel roasted Trump for declaring himself to be the “father of IVF” during an all-female town hall on Fox News.
During the Cumming, Georgia, town hall, with moderator Harris Faulkner, which aired on Wednesday, Trump labeled Alabama Senator Katie Britt “a fantastically attractive person,” before telling the crowd: “I’m the father of IVF.”
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The GOP presidential candidate’s campaign later said he was joking.
“So they loaded in the women, about 100 women – this is the first time Grover Cleveland has been around this many women since they started padlocking the doors at Miss Teen USA – and it was quite an interview, very well done,” Kimmel quipped.
He continued: “They got to the hot button subject of IVF. Now the Supreme Court caved to the far-right on abortion, many believe, rightly, that IVF is next on the list.”
While Trump claims to support the fertility treatment, Democrats warn that the overturning of Roe v Wade and rollback of abortion rights could pave the way for Republicans to take aim at IVF access next.
“Now that [Trump] learned what IVF is – which I’m still not sure he does – he wants to pretend he’s not just a big proponent of IVF, he wants people to know he’s the biggest proponent of IVF,” Kimmel continued.
“Now he’s claiming to be the father of IVF, which has been happening since 1978,” the host added, noting the date the first child was conceived using the fertility treatment.
Kimmel then threw a jab at Trump’s parenting. “This guy won’t even admit he’s the father of Eric – he’s the father of IVF,” he teased. “Maybe it’s short for Ivanka in his brain.”
Vice President Kamala Harris also mocked Trump’s self-prescribed title calling it “quite bizarre.”
TV
Billy Fletcher takes horrifying risk for Dawn and the kids in Emmerdale
EMMERDALE fans will see Billy Fetcher take a horrifying risk in the soap next week as his illegal fighting storyline continues.
Billy (Jay Kontzle) has already had one near death experience fighting, but he seems ready to risk his life again to protect his wife and kids.
Since moving out of Home Farm and into his own place with his wife Dawn (Olivia Bromley) and their kids Lucas and Evan, Billy has been struggling.
And with Evan so sick, Billy feels like a useless dad unable to provide for his family.
Because of this, he decides to take a huge risk that has a potentially big payoff – another boxing match.
In scenes next week, Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) will be shocked to see that Billy is training for another unlicensed fight.
But soon Mack is impressed because John Sugden’s (Oliver Farmworth) impromptu coaching session have improved Billy’s defence.
But John, who found out about the illegal boxing after Billy’s last injury, secretly isn’t convinced by his new money earner.
He enlisted Aaron Dingle’s (Danny Miller) help in his effort to persuade Billy he’s not in a fit state to fight. But will it work?
As Emmerdale viewers know, Billy previously entered the work of illegal fighting with the best of intentions; to provide a better life for his wife and kids.
It’s already nearly cost him his life, after he accidentally fell on something sharp during a fight (allegedly) and was left biting down on a belt while John stitched him up without anaesthetic.
After such a brush with death, and despite warnings to stop, Mack is shocked to discover that his pal is gearing up for yet another fight.
But Mack can’t stop him, so now all he can do is help.
Will John and Aaron be able to get through to him instead?
TV
Woman of the Hour: The haunting true story of the Seventies serial killer invited on primetime TV
In 1978, a serial killer appeared on American television. No disguise. No alias. No remorse, apparently. Rodney Alcala was one of three eligible bachelors to appear on The Dating Game – something like the UK’s Blind Date, in which female contestants quiz single men from behind a partition before choosing one to take them out. That night, the serial killer won.
Rodney Alcala was ultimately convicted of murdering seven women and girls in heinous and brutal ways that involved strangulation and rape – but not before he managed to woo contestant Cheryl Bradshaw on live TV. The story of Bradshaw, Alcala, and his victims is the focus of Netflix’s latest true crime endeavour Woman of the Hour, a mostly fictionalised account of the murders, starring Anna Kendrick (in her directorial debut) as Bradshaw and Daniel Zovatto as Alcala.
Telling Alcala’s story through the perspective of his victims, the film paints an infuriating and tragic picture of a society that turned a blind eye to a monster in its midst – a tragedy unfolding in slow motion that was preventable every step of the way. Really, it’s a small wonder that Netflix hadn’t adapted this story sooner, so grim and shocking are its details.
Alcala was a fine arts student at UCLA when he first appeared on the police radar, having sexually assaulted eight-year-old Tali Shapiro in September 1968. Shapiro had been walking to school on a sunny day in Hollywood when Alcala approached her in his car, tricking her into getting into the vehicle under the guise of knowing her parents. From there, he drove Shapiro to his apartment, where Alcala said he wanted to show her a “beautiful picture”. Hours later, the police found Shapiro in the kitchen, a puddle of blood around her “white Mary Janes” next to a metal bar the district attorney later said Alcala had used to try to strangle her.
It was a miracle that Shapiro was alive – or that she had been found at all. A good Samaritan had noticed Alcala’s beige-coloured car tailing the little girl and called it in to the police who arrived at his house. “I said, ‘Police officer. Open the door. I need to talk to you,’” remembered Chris Camacho, the former LAPD officer who responded to the call. “This male appeared at the door. I will always remember that face at that door: very evil face. And he says, ‘I’m in the shower. I got to get dressed.’ And I told him, ‘OK, you got 10 seconds.’ … Finally, I kicked the door in. The image will be with me forever. We could see in the kitchen that there was a body on the floor, a lot of blood.”
In that time, Alcala escaped out the back door, leaving the investigating officers scrambling to find him. They did, however, learn his identity through an ID card he left behind. At his apartment, they also found photographic equipment and several photos of young girls; they would later learn that Alcala lured women by offering to take their picture.
In 1969, Alcala – who by then had moved to New York – was put on the FBI’s most wanted list. There in the city, he got into the NYU film school – a stint that Woman of the Hour mentions in passing, together with the fact he once attended a class with filmmaker and child rapist Roman Polanski. He then moved to New Hampshire where he worked as a counsellor at an arts and drama camp for girls.
It was thanks to the most wanted list that he was finally apprehended. Two girls from the camp reported him, having recognised his photo from the list taped up at their local post office. From there, Alcala was turned over to the police back in LA – where, in good news for him, Shapiro’s family no longer lived. They did not wish to return to make their daughter testify. With no main witness for the case, prosecutors were forced to offer Alcala a deal. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of child molestation and registered as a sex offender, before being paroled after just 34 months in prison.
It wasn’t long before Alcala resumed his life as normal. He got a job at the Los Angeles Times as a typesetter and worked as a wedding photographer. Throughout all of this, he was indeed a registered sex offender – not that anyone bothered to check. The same went for the producers at The Dating Game; Alcala was selected because he was tall, handsome, and charming.
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The footage of that 1978 episode is eerie to watch now. Alcala is introduced as Bachelor No 1: a beaming, boisterous young man grinning ear-to-ear in a brown bell bottom suit and a butterfly collar shirt. Host Jim Lange describes him to the audience as a “successful photographer who got his start when his father found him in the dark room at the age of 13 – fully developed”. The Dating Game was a show that trafficked heavily in sexual innuendo, and Alcala was happy to oblige.
While the Netflix film shows Cheryl going off-script to ask feminist questions of her suitors, the reality was more typical of the usual sexist fodder. Throughout the episode, Alcala likens himself to a banana (“peel me”), says his favourite time of the day is after dark (“Night time is really where it gets good”) and roleplays as a grunting, gurning “dirty old man” (in the film, he plays the part of a horny teacher). What does remain the same in the film and the real footage, though, is the palpable charm radiating off this man who by then had murdered and raped several women.
“We’re going to have a great time together, Sheryl,” Alcala says at one point, a terrifying promise that almost comes to fruition when she selects him as the winner. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he kisses her on the cheek as the host reads aloud their prize. Thankfully, the date – of which a fictional version is shown in the Netflix film, tense and terrifying – never actually happened. Bradshaw backed out of the agreement reportedly because she found Alcala “creepy”.
A year after his stint on The Dating Game, Alcala targeted 12-year-old Robin Christine Samsoe, who had been cycling from her ballet studio to the beach when he stopped her and her friend Bridget, asking to take their photo. A chance encounter with Bridget’s older neighbour temporarily scared him off, but he returned when Robin was alone. Twelve days later, her remains were found by a forest service worker. A kitchen knife was discovered nearby. She was unrecognisable.
Bridget’s description of Alcala allowed the police to draw up a composite sketch, which was recognised by Alcala’s parole officer who contacted the detectives in charge. At the time, Alcala was living with his mother in Monterey Park, walking distance from where Robin’s remains had been found. On 24 July, he was charged with her kidnap and murder.
During their investigation, the police uncovered a storage locker in Seattle. Inside they found the “mother lode”, as Detective Pat Ellis told CBS News. There were “hundreds if not thousands” of pictures of women in “positions of supreme vulnerability”. Many appeared to be very young. Also inside the locker was a tiny silk bag filled with earrings, including one pair of gold ball studs that Robin’s mother recognised as having been leant to her daughter. It was sufficient evidence to prosecute, though Alcala was uncooperative. During interviews with the police, as reported by The New York Times, Alcala would try to agitate investigators, pretending to be asleep and tracing his finger along photographs of the victims.
In 1980, he was sentenced to death for the kidnapping and murder of Robin Samsoe. What followed was a legal back-and-forth driven by Alcala from behind bars. Four years after the sentencing, his conviction was reversed on the basis that the jury and the case had been tainted by the introduction of his previous crimes. A new trial was granted in 1986 but gave rise to the same result: he was sentenced to death. In 2003, a federal appeals court overturned the sentence once again, granting him a third and final trial.
It was while preparing for that third prosecution that investigators realised the full scale of Alcala’s terror. With new evidence and DNA science, he was linked to four other homicides, leading to murder charges of Jill Barcomb, an 18-year-old runaway who was found in 1977; Georgia Wixted, 27, a nurse bludgeoned to death in Malibu that same year; Charlotte Lamb, 31, found in the laundry room of her apartment complex in 1978 (the same year he went on The Dating Game); and Jill Parenteau, 21, killed in her Burbank apartment in 1979.
In 2010, he stood trial on five joined charges of murder, including Samsoe. Bizarrely, Alcala chose to act as his own attorney and took the stand in his own defence – which included calling Samsoe’s mother to the stand. “That was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life – having him ask me questions,” she told CBS News, confessing that she had brought a gun to court. “I was going to shoot him right between the eyes if I could’ve gotten a shot at him.”
Alcala also showed the jury a portion of his appearance on The Dating Game in an attempt to prove that the earrings found in his Seattle locker were his, not Samsoe’s. The footage was too blurry to know for certain. Bachelor No 2 on the same episode of The Dating Game – named Jed Mills – said that he did not recall as much. “I had never seen a man with an earring in his ear,” said Mills, who added that he was “surprised” that Alcala won: “I didn’t believe his smile. I didn’t believe his charm and I didn’t like him.”
Less than two days of deliberation later, the jury found Alcala guilty on all five counts of first-degree murder. Two years later, Alcala was extradited to New York where he pleaded guilty to the murders of flight attendant Cornelia M Crilley and musician Ellen Jane Hover in 1971 and 1977, respectively. It was the first time in his criminal history that he actually confessed to a killing. In 2013, he was sentenced to 25 years to life – mostly symbolic given he was already on death row in San Quentin. (The death penalty has not been an option in the state of New York since 2007). At the sentencing, Justice Bonnie G Wittner broke down in tears as Alcala’s heinous crimes were recalled. “This kind of case is something I’ve never experienced, hope to never again,” she said.
In 2016, prosecutors in Wyoming charged Alcala with another murder, that of Christine Ruth Thornton. Thornton was 28 years old and six months pregnant when she disappeared in 1978. Her body wasn’t found until 1982. It’s Thornton who is seen at the beginning of Netflix’s film confiding in Alcala shortly before he assaults and murders her. In the end, Alcala, then 73 years old, was deemed too sick to be extradited to Wyoming to face the charge.
Alcala died aged 77 of natural causes while awaiting execution on 24 July 2021. “The planet is a better place without him, that’s for sure,” said Shapiro at the time, adding that she is not defined by the attack. “I know it’s awful what happened to me, but I’ve never identified with it,” she told The New York Times. “I’ve moved on with my life, so this doesn’t really affect me. It’s a long time coming, but he’s got his karma.”
Ultimately, Alcala was convicted of the murders of seven women and girls – though the real number is likely much higher. Some authorities estimate as many as 130. Jeff Sheaman, an investigator who interviewed Alcala in 2016 while investigating Thornton’s disappearance, said of his death: “He’s where he needs to be, and I’m sure that’s in hell.”
‘Woman of the Hour’ is now on Netflix
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