Anna Kendrick is poised to take the director's chair for the first time with Netflix's film Woman of the Hour, which tells the harrowing true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala. Alcala infamously appeared on The Dating Game TV show amidst his killing spree.
In 1978, Cheryl Bradshaw, a drama teacher and the bachelorette of the episode, was charmed by Alcala and picked him as her date. Known to viewers as a photographer and skydiving enthusiast, Alcala's darker nature was yet to be revealed to Cheryl.
After their initial meeting off-camera, Cheryl felt unnerved by Alcala's presence, describing him as "creepy" and ultimately declined to go on the date with him - a decision that likely saved her life.
Reflecting on the experience, Alcala remarked with a chilling comment: "She played me; she played hard to get."
Cheryl had previously expressed her discomfort to the Sydney Telegraph in 2012, saying, "I started to feel ill. He was acting really creepy."
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Concerned, Cheryl reached out to one of The Dating Game's producers, expressing her unease: "There's weird vibes that are coming off of him. He's very strange. I am not comfortable. Is that going to be a problem?"
The producer reassured her it was okay to reject Alcala, revealing that executive producer Mike Metzger had also sensed something unsettling about him during casting.
During the episode, when asked by Cheryl about his 'best time', Alcala eerily hinted at his sinister activities, replying: "The best time is at night."
She curiously inquired, "What are you called and what do you look like?" which prompted an eerie reply from him: "I'm called the banana and I look good. Peel me."
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At the time, Alcala was shrouded in darkness with a secret that no one on The Dating Game knew he had already taken the lives of at least five women in Southern California and had served time for savagely beating and raping an eight-year-old girl.
Cheryl, having rejected Alcala, unwittingly dodged danger; after the show, Alcala added to his grim tally by murdering 12-year-old Robin Samsoe in Los Angeles in 1979.
Alcala was sentenced to death for the crime but died due to natural causes in July 2021 before justice could take its course.
The whereabouts of Cheryl remain a mystery today. She did, however, recount the hair-raising experience in 2012, remarking, "He was acting really creepy. I turned down his offer. I didn't want to see him again."
Woman of the Hour is on Netflix now
