In 1989, Oprah attempted to play matchmaker by flying 20 bachelors from Alaska to Chicago to find them the women of their dreams on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Women stormed the airport to get first dibs on the Alaskan men and the show became one of the highest rated episodes of all time.
"For years after that show aired, women would come up to me on the streets, even in the bathroom of public places, asking if I could hook them up with one of the Alaskan men," Oprah says.
"Oprah: Where Are They Now?" checked in with two of the most memorable bachelors, John Ellison and Peter Eden, late last year -- 23 years later. Did either make a love connection?
"I was overwhelmed with the response and the letters and the contacts," John says in the above clip. "I probably estimate 600 letters that I got."
The men say they werecontacted by women around the world. "I got one from Russia," Peter says.
It was being on the show, John says, that made him realize what he was looking for in a spouse. "I think the thing I really learned out of that whole experience was I was probably going to need to find a gal in Alaska, just because I didn't have a lot in common with some of the gals that were replying," he says. "I met my wife in Valdez in the oil spill just shortly after the show, actually," John says. "And got a couple little girls we adopted."
Peter, on the other hand, says he's been divorced three times and is currently a bachelor. "I love women, but I don't think I'm meant to be with one," he says. "I guess at my age, I like my space. I'm set in certain ways."
As for some of the other Alaskan bachelors, John Ketchum -- he's the guy who wanted a woman to run naked through the woods -- ended up finding his bride in Alaska, too. He's now been married for 16 years and has three daughters.
And it turns out that John Hendrickson, the bachelor who wanted a woman who wasn't afraid to succeed, got exactly what he wished for. A few years after the show, 32-year-old John married 71-year-old Vanderbilt heiress, Mary Lou Whitney, in 1997. He told "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" producers that his wife is the joy of his life.
This episode of "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" on the Alaskan bachelors will air again on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 5 p.m. ET on OWN. The show returns for an all-new season on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 10 p.m. ET.
"For years after that show aired, women would come up to me on the streets, even in the bathroom of public places, asking if I could hook them up with one of the Alaskan men," Oprah says.
"Oprah: Where Are They Now?" checked in with two of the most memorable bachelors, John Ellison and Peter Eden, late last year -- 23 years later. Did either make a love connection?
"I was overwhelmed with the response and the letters and the contacts," John says in the above clip. "I probably estimate 600 letters that I got."
The men say they werecontacted by women around the world. "I got one from Russia," Peter says.
It was being on the show, John says, that made him realize what he was looking for in a spouse. "I think the thing I really learned out of that whole experience was I was probably going to need to find a gal in Alaska, just because I didn't have a lot in common with some of the gals that were replying," he says. "I met my wife in Valdez in the oil spill just shortly after the show, actually," John says. "And got a couple little girls we adopted."
Peter, on the other hand, says he's been divorced three times and is currently a bachelor. "I love women, but I don't think I'm meant to be with one," he says. "I guess at my age, I like my space. I'm set in certain ways."
As for some of the other Alaskan bachelors, John Ketchum -- he's the guy who wanted a woman to run naked through the woods -- ended up finding his bride in Alaska, too. He's now been married for 16 years and has three daughters.
And it turns out that John Hendrickson, the bachelor who wanted a woman who wasn't afraid to succeed, got exactly what he wished for. A few years after the show, 32-year-old John married 71-year-old Vanderbilt heiress, Mary Lou Whitney, in 1997. He told "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" producers that his wife is the joy of his life.
This episode of "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" on the Alaskan bachelors will air again on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 5 p.m. ET on OWN. The show returns for an all-new season on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 10 p.m. ET.
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