Michele Leavy in the News
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S. Plainfield woman looking for love on ABC
Borough Realtor competes on 'The Bachelor' reality show. 
By KARA L. RICHARDSON SOUTH PLAINFIELD -- A woman who helps people look for homes needed a little help finding love, so she signed up for a television reality dating show. Now, Realtor Michele Leavy, 30, is one of 25 women who will vie for the affections of "The Bachelor" when the 11th edition of the show kicks off at 9:30 p.m. Monday on ABC. Leavy, who lives and works in South Plainfield, isn't allowed to say whether she found love with bachelor Brad Womack, 34, a successful, self-made entrepreneur. But that was her goal, she said. "I was single, but I never found the right guy. I felt like I dated everyone in the tri-state area," Leavy said. Signing up for the show "was something totally crazy and off the wall. I figured if it worked out, it would make for a good story," she said. Robyn Kass, "The Bachelor's" casting director, said she spent hours talking with Womack to find out what he's looking for in a partner. Then, she opened the submission floodgates. Thousands of women across the country sent video tapes and e-mails to be on the show. Leavy, who applied online, was one of them. Kass personally watched 500 to 600 audition videos for potential matches for Womack. She and her staff interviewed women from across the country to eventually narrow the pool down to 25. Those 25 women would compete for the heart of one man -- Womack. Kass, who has been in the reality television business for nine years, said Leavy was a "firecracker." Like many reality television contestants from New Jersey, Kass said, Leavy was fun and spoke her mind. Plus, Leavy was a good fit for the show because she was smart, interesting, beautiful and, most importantly, single. Andrea LaCerda, Leavy's team leader at Century 21 Moretti on Maple Avenue, said, "She's so beautiful that I couldn't imagine them not choosing her." The women on "The Bachelor" are asked to clear their schedule for six weeks. Leavy had to ask LaCerda for a secret leave of absence, since she wasn't allowed to spill the news that she would be in California taping the show. LaCerda told people Leavy went to California to be with relatives. Leavy isn't allowed to discuss the outcome of this year's season or even the first episode. She would only said, "You'll never imagine what happens."
Kara L. Richardson can be reached at (908) 707-3186 or krichard@c-n.com.
from the Courier News website www.c-n.com
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