If you’ve got Tyson, who wants to be a millionaire?

  Photo courtesy of Sophia Whang Tyson
Beckford and Sophia Whang take a romantic
boat ride on the Hudson River.

By Sophia Whang
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

I went sailing on the Hudson with supermodel Tyson Beckford, all
on Regis Philbin’s tab.

It’s a long story, but I will make it short so I can share
my 15 minutes of fame on national television.

ABC’s “LIVE with Regis & Kelly” was
hosting a special “Dream Date Search” week with five of
America’s hottest, most eligible bachelors. Among them were
CEO of an internet company Kerry Hicks, comedian Carrot Top and
Ralph Lauren supermodel Tyson Beckford.

My sister’s encouragement gave me hope of being selected
and conjured up images of me in Tyson’s arms. I quickly sent
in a video explaining why Tyson should choose me, along with a
descriptive letter persuading the producers to select me as a
bachelorette. The postman gave me a smirk as he saw to whom the
package was being sent to: “LIVE’s Dream Date
Search.”

My video was actually one of the three that aired on the show
the week before the “Dream Date Search,” just to give
audiences a taste of what to expect, but I wasn’t guaranteed
to be chosen.

A few days after my tape was aired, a representative from the
show contacted me to ask some necessary questions. But again, there
was no guarantee.

The representative asked my mom if it was OK for her 18-year-old
daughter to date a 30-year-old. Well, Tyson isn’t just any
30-year-old. Then they asked me a few questions. Did I really
interview all the people mentioned in my letter? Yes, I write for
the school paper. Was I a salsa dancer? Yes, I even teach
occasionally. Would I be up for some silly stuff on national
television? Another most definite yes.

I can’t wait to see (Beckford) again, in person and soon
on the big screen.

Before I knew it, Regis and Kelly wanted to fly me to New York
to be on their show.

I was inside the studio’s building with the other
bachelorettes by 7 a.m., since the show airs live in New York at 9
a.m. Even though we were competing for a date with Tyson, we were
all civil and shared examples of mutual anxiety.

We put on our heart-shaped tags (I was number two, my favorite
number), and we picked at our fruit and muffins, still not being
able to grasp exactly what we were getting ourselves into.

We were prepped by executive producer Michael Gelman with a list
of possible questions Tyson might ask us, since it was a live show
and they didn’t want us to suffer any embarrassment. We were
even dolled up by a makeup artist who had done everyone and
Oprah’s makeup.

We were a trio of wrecks, not because of Tyson, but because all
of our friends and family had set their alarm clocks and timers on
in order to catch the show. With our hearts beating quickly, we
were off to be placed on stage, and there was no turning back.

The set was newly decorated to match the atmosphere of a typical
dating game and the studio was a lot smaller than I thought. The
camera crew worked their magic to give the stage the dimensions
that appear on television. The smaller audience size actually
quieted some nerves and made the connection more personal.

I would have to make a connection and win the audience, since
they give an applause of approval before the bachelor makes his
final decision.

Those who have seen the show know what happens. We introduce
ourselves (the more seductively, the better), and we were asked
three questions.

Before hand, we were warned that this is a morning talk show,
different from late night shows and typical dating games. We would
have to monitor our answers and keep them appropriate and
tasteful.

We received an Oreo cookie question, a request to dance, and I
received an arm wrestling question.

I completely thought bachelorette number three, a witty
third-year medical student from Yale, would be chosen. The cameras
even caught my momentary look of confusion and disbelief when Tyson
said the three words that changed my life, “Bachelorette
number two.”

The other two bachelorettes were revealed first, and Tyson and I
were forced to wait during another commercial break before being
able to finally meet each other.

So we went on our date later that day. We went sailing on the
Hudson River, we went ice skating, played at a gymnasium, shot some
golf balls and then had a romantic dinner at Tao, a hot spot in the
city.

It truly was a dream date for me. Tyson was so down-to-earth,
charming, and he was cracking jokes the whole day, not to mention
his incredible sex appeal.

The show’s producer and camera crew captured the date
perfectly, and clips were shown on the following day’s
show.

Our good bye was just plain bitter, and I can’t wait to
see him again, in person and soon on the big screen.

If I never date again, I don’t know who to blame, Tyson,
or Regis and Kelly. I was spoiled by the date and now this puts a
lot of pressure on future boyfriends. It should be the personal
responsibility of all three of them to make sure my love life
continues.

Oh, and Tyson doesn’t wear Ralph Lauren underwear. He
wears Calvin Klein ““ and I’m not telling.