Back at the beginning of the season, ABC touted Brad Womack at the “hottest” and “sexiest” man ever to take the role of The Bachelor.

And he certainly has turned out to be one good-looking dude, with killer abs and a perfect smile. Despite this, though, and despite the addition of a topless beach run, body shots and “the worst meltdown in The Bachelor history,” it seems like his physical heat hasn't quite managed to translate into the same burning interest as it did with some previous seasons of The Bachelor.

The overall reception of Brad, and general buzz from responders seems to be surprisingly uniformly positive compared to some previous seasons.

Andy Baldwin, for example, from last season won many serious fans who admired both his service and his skills as a doctor. But he also had his share of detractors too, many who seemed to feel he wasn't genuine or was too physically forward during his time on the show.

As often happens in reality, though, it seemed that even though Andy got both a positive and negative reaction, because those feelings seemed to run fairly strong, he also got a lot of people watching. It's like that scene from Howard Stern's Private Parts where it announced that those people who hate Stern actually listen longer. It's the old love-to-hate-them phenomenon.

With Brad, the comments in general seem much more muted than they were with a Bachelor like Andy. And while there's definitely still interest in and opinions about which of the two women – Jenni Croft or DeAnna Pappas – Brad should end up with, it doesn't seem to have created the same kind of passionate reaction as did the Tessa Horst vs. Bevin Powers debate.

It's hard to pinpoint what it is about Brad's story that hasn't captured the same level of interest. Has his Southern graciousness caused him to hold back too much? Was the group of women cast this season on The Bachelor just not the same interesting mix, despite a few standout moments?

What do you think? If you've watched multiple seasons of The Bachelor, how does Brad stack up in your mind? Physically hot, but the drama's not heated? Or have you actually been just as or more engrossed in his story than you were for previous seasons? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!


- Leslie Seaton, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of ABC)