FoxKristy Katzmann is no stranger to turning to reality TV for a fairytale ending. Longtime viewers of The Bachelor will recognize her from season 11 with Brad Womack. But that attempt at love on reality TV was unsuccessful. Now, with the aid of Kristin Davis, Kristy is back on TV in Labor of Love, looking for her happy ending once again.
"[The Bachelor] was a very different experience and a different point in my life and honestly, I really never thought I would do reality TV again. But when the show came about, it was honestly just so perfect. I just knew if I was, I was given an opportunity, I would say yes," Kristy said.
The new Fox show follows Kristy as she dates 15 men, hoping to find Mr. Right to start a family with. She's already done this all once before, so why go through it again?
"Why is always the biggest question, isn't it? The simplest answer is really, this is a story about my life. And I mean that sincerely...How I even had the opportunity to be a part of this is a friend and mentor of mine, someone I respect very well, actually sent me the casting call. So, this is coming from a real person, and she said to me, 'This really sounds like you.' And it really did. And it's where I was at in my life. I had just turned 40. I had just gotten out of a relationship. I was trying to navigate dating, knowing that I wanted to start a family and very much knowing that I was up against a timeline. Having the show come around to me really seemed like my life and the perfect opportunity to not only pursue motherhood, but to find someone to pursue motherhood with. In my mind, it was honestly too good of a fit for me not to say yes when I was given an opportunity," Kristy said.
Before the show, Kristy said she was exploring her options for motherhood, the topic was on her mind "virtually every day." But when everything fell into place with the show, she jumped at the opportunity to do it on national TV.
"I kept holding out hope that I would meet the right person to have that experience with and it really seemed like when this happened it was a stars aligned kind of moment and it was going to be my last opportunity to really give that a final push before I pursued motherhood on my own," she said.
She looked to her experience on The Bachelor to inform how she would go about dating 15 men with lights, cameras and producers watching her every move.
"I think the only thing I regretted [from The Bachelor] was just not being more present and letting the experience be whatever it was meant to be. And so, I took that going into Labor of Love and I really told myself that I knew how I wanted things to go, but I would stay very open and very present to the whole experience. I think because of that, I'm really just so excited about how everything has gone and I feel so confident in the journey. But if I hadn't done The Bachelor, I might not have approached it that way...I realized how valuable every moment is and the only way to go through something like this authentically is to stay very present—and very open," Kristy said.
Over the years Fox was home to a number of eyebrow-raising reality shows, including I Wanna Marry Harry, Joe Millionaire and My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé. That track record, coupled with Kristy's own reality TV past is enough to make any viewer skeptical about Labor of Love. Kristy understands that very well.
"I just really hope that people keep an open mind about the show and don't make assumptions, because I think that there are a lot of different messages and a lot of things that will resonate with a lot of different people in this experience that I'm really excited to see. I do think it's the story a lot of women out there, certainly my story, but I think this is really a modern story. I think this is ultimately a series that is a modern-day female empowerment story about really taking control of your life, but all of us could relate to that. I'm a big proponent of getting out there and going after your dreams and just finding new opportunities and new doors when you need them and that is the biggest takeaway that I hope people get from this," she said.
"My life is not perfect. It has not been easy. It has not gone smoothly. I certainly did not see myself in this place, but nonetheless, I still had this dream of becoming a mom, and maybe the difference is I was willing to think outside the box, really put myself out there and take a big chance. And I hope that people realize that even if the story didn't work out the first time, if they just keep going, if they can just keep putting themselves out there, that they could get a better story in the end," Kristy added. "And I really hope that that is the message that comes through when this whole thing plays out."
Labor of Love premieres Thursday, May 21 at 9 p.m. on Fox.