Critic Reviews

[The contestants] range in age from 25 to 41, aren't all model-pretty as often found on "The Bachelor," and include black, white and Hispanic women with a variety of jobs from executive assistant to neuropsychologist and a span of body types from va-voom to fuller figures. ... Also commendable is host Jesse Palmer, the sportscaster, former NFL quarterback and season-five star of "The Bachelor" who manages to project sincerity despite the remarkable premise. ... But otherwise vapid and regressive show.

The best that can be said for The Proposal is that it is so bizarre at times that it becomes a satire of itself, an unintentional comedy of Dada-esque proportions.

Invigoratingly dumb new dating show. ... It has no ambiance, no emotional connections. It has a premise, not promises. And it has no dramatic throughline. The Proposal trying to manufacture romance is like a chef trying to make a meal out of half a Rice Krispies Treat.

If this all sounds surreal, well, it is. ... Despite all of its attempts at both figurative and literal fireworks, The Proposal is also not painfully outdated, but also painfully boring.