Sarasota will get more than a mention on tonight’s episode of The Bachelor. With contestant Renee Oteri among the final four women still competing for the affections of bachelor Juan Pablo Galavis, a film crew shot in Sarasota to record the interactions between the two. ABC has a sneak preview up right now that shows the area tropical climate was used to full effect. The production also feeds local efforts by the film commission to bring more reality television productions to Southwest Florida
Film officials have known the show was filming here for months, of course, even though the outcome of the show is a tightly guarded secret. Jeanne Corcoran, director of the Sarasota County Film and Entertainment Office, has made no bones about the desire to see more reality tv film in the region, and obtusely referred to The Bachelor in a conversation with SRQ a few weeks ago.

“People love The Bachelor and it has a wonderful following of devoted fans, and has for years,” Corcoran said. “There may be some risque undertones, with the bachelor and his harem of women, but the show has a very broad appeal.”