My Antonio

Calvin Klein model, soap star and Lifetime Movie Network go-to guy Antonio Sabato, Jr. joins the ever-growing line of slightly past their prime celebrities to look for love on VH1 with his show My Antonio. The first episode premiered on VH1 on August, 16, 2009.

Antonio is looking for love.

My Antonio follows the same format as former VH1 dating shows, like Flavor of Love, Rock of Love and I Love New York. Fourteen women were selected to compete for Sabato, Jr.’s affections. The show is set in Hawaii, and the women live together in a large suite at the Four Seasons Resort. They compete in various challenges for a chance to win alone time or a date with Sabato, Jr.

At the end of every episode, the group shares a meal with Sabato, Jr. and his mother. During the course of the meal they are grilled about their lives and their behavior on the show by Sabato, Jr. and particularly by his mother. At the end of the dinner, the women are served a covered tray containing their "just desserts." The women are directed to remove the cover from their trays. The woman who does not find a lei on their plate has been chosen to leave the competition and is taken away from the resort on a boat called the Ciao Bella.

As with most dating shows, My Antonio brought the drama. Some major events on the show include:

Sarah Haeussler, a 28 year old student from New Jersey, had a middle of the night breakdown in the second episode. It was the culmination of several smaller breakdowns that she began almost as soon as the show started. Eventually, she stormed out in the middle of the night and never returned. In a twist, one of the women she clashed with the most, Julann Wygal, was eliminated the night after Sarah left when Sabato, Jr. thought she was selfish because she became angry when Sabato, Jr. showed concern over Sarah’s wellbeing.

Sabato, Jr. has only been married once – a five month marriage to actress and model Alicia "Tully" Jensen. After their marriage dissolved, the two did not speak for close to 20 years. At the end of the first episode of the show, Tully appeared during the elimination meal and asked Sabato, Jr. to let her join the show and the competition for his affections. She said she still loves him and wants to see if they can still be together. Sabato, Jr.’s mother dislikes Tully and formed an alliance with another contestant, Christi Shake, to try and dig up unflattering information about Tully.

During the first episode of the show, Sabato, Jr. arrived by boat to meet the women who would be competing for his love for the first time. The women were lined up on the beach waiting for him. As he made his opening speech, telling the women what to expect on the show, he spotted one of the contestants and asked her to take a walk with him. When Nathalie Du Mortier joined Sabato, Jr., he informed her that he was a big fan of women’s hands and feet and that he found her hands and feet unattractive. He eliminated her on the spot and she never even made it into the suite that the women share.

Eagled-eyed viewers spotted a continuity problem with My Antonio. The show homepage on the VH1 site featuring a biography for a contestant named Lynette, and she can be seen two times during the opening credits of the show. However, for reasons that are never addressed, Lynette does not actually appear on the show.

• Kelly Osbourne Pics
• Kourtney Kardashian Pics
• Lauren Conrad Pics

• What Couples are Still Together from The Bachelor
• Rock of Love Bus
• CBS Survivor Application
• Kate Gosselin
• Jon and Kate Plus Eight