YouTubeCheryl Bradshaw during her infamous 1978 appearance on The Dating Game in which she selected serial killer Rodney Alcala.Cheryl Bradshaw was thrilled when producers picked her as a contestant for The Dating Game in 1978. The popular television matchmaking show provided national exposure for the drama teacher, and Bradshaw had youth and beauty on her side. Playing her role as the games bachelorette to pick one of three eligible men, she flirtatiously chose bachelor number one, Rodney Alcala. What she didnt know was that Alcala was a convicted child predator let alone a serial killer.Without standardized background checks, nobody behind the scenes was aware that Alcala had served time for sexually assaulting and beating an eight-year-old girl, a crime that landed on the FBIs Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List. And, by the time he appeared on television, he had already embarked on a macabre killing spree that left five people dead, although those crimes had yet to be connected to him.Charmed by his provocative retorts on the show, Cheryl Bradshaw unknowingly chose her potential killer as a romantic prospect. Instinctively turned off by his weird vibes following the taping, Bradshaw declined his date to go on a tennis lesson learning only later how close she had come to a gruesome death.Cheryl Bradshaws Appearance On The Dating GameIntroduced to the audience as a photographer and recreational skydiver, Rodney Alcala waltzed on The Dating Game stage on Sept. 13, 1978. He had joined the shows pantheon of contestants who would become famous later on, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Farrah Fawcett. Alcalas renown, however, was bleak.Rodney Alcala and Cheryl Bradshaw on The Dating Game.His crimes had eluded ABC executives and the shows host John Lange. Handsome and charming at audition, he had won over talent coordinator Ellen Metzger who was adamant to cast him. Her husband, executive producer Mike Metzger, meanwhile, was the only person who sensed any danger.No darn way was this guy going to be on my show, because I thought he had a strange personality, Metzger told ABCs 20/20. He had a mystique about him that I found uncomfortable.Rodney Alcala had spent three years in prison for assaulting two girls before getting a job at The Los Angeles Times. By September 1978, he had lured five women to his home under the pretense of a photoshoot only to beat, rape, and strangle them, becoming one of Californias most prolific serial killers.And now he was now answering Cheryl Bradshaws questions on stage.YouTubeCheryl Bradshaw, standing next to Rodney Alcala.Confident enough to plaster his face across TV, Alcalas retorts were just as bold. When Cheryl Bradshaw asked him, Whats your best time? he said, The best time is at night a chilling likely reference to his crimes, Bradshaw learned in retrospect. Bradshaw continued, telling him to imagine himself as a dish served for dinner, asking What are you called and what do you look like?Im called the banana and I look good, said Alcala. Peel me.While Cheryl Bradshaw was increasingly drawn to his enigmatic aura, bachelor number two, Jed Mills, had a far clearer picture. Mills found Alcala creepy from the moment they met in the green room, where Alcala told him, I always get my girl.Cheryl Bradshaw Turns Rodney Alcala DownIn the end, Alcala did win Cheryl Bradshaws affection until they actually met face to face.YouTubeRodney Alcala and Jed Mills on The Dating Game.I started to feel ill. He was acting really creepy, she said.While Cheryl Bradshaw initially agreed to meet her bachelor for a date the following day, her instincts took over, and she called one of the shows producers, Ellen Metzger.She said, Ellen, I cant go out with this guy,' recalled Metzger. Theres weird vibes that are coming off of him. Hes very strange. I am not comfortable. Is that going to be a problem? And of course, I said, No.'Ted Soqui/Corbis/Getty ImagesRodney Alcala in court in 2010.After his rejection, Rodney Alcala went on to murder 12-year-old Robin Samsoe in Los Angeles in 1979. A police sketch of the suspect led investigators to Alcalas storage locker, which held countless keepsakes of victims, including Samsoes earrings. He was arrested and sentenced to death but died of natural causes on July 24, 2021.Before he died, Alcala claimed to have killed up to 100 people, and investigators continue to analyze his DNA samples to solve long-standing murder cases. To date, he has been linked to a total of ten homicides between Los Angeles and New York.As for Cheryl Bradshaw, even though her Dating Game appearance nearly cost her her life, it appears it was her natural intuition that saved it.After learning about Cheryl Bradshaw and The Dating Game, read about Pedro Rodrigues Filho, the real-life Dexter. Then, learn the true story of Charles Van Doren and the quiz show scandals.The post Meet Cheryl Bradshaw, The Dating Show Contestant Who Chose A Serial Killer appeared first on All That's Interesting.