'Match Made in Heaven' bachelor Shawn Bullard finds 'her'

Philadelphia real estate investor Shawn Bullard had everything a man could ever want. Almost.

He had a solid football career at Temple and even had a short-lived stint in the NFL.

He's a highly successful entrepreneur who long ago passed the millionaire mark.

And he knows he's loved - his mother Maggie works with him, giving the 33-year-old plenty of support and, if needed, some scolding.

He's even had a satisfying dating life. One could say the West Oak Lane native is a bit of a player.

But he had yet to find true, knock-your-socks-off, Hollywood-romcom love.

What's an eligible bachelor to do?

Thus was born Bullard the TV star, beloved media figure, and digicam Romeo.

Bullard is the featured star this season on Match Made in Heaven, a Bachelor-type dating show that premiered Wednesday on cabler WE tv. Over the course of nine weeks, Bullard will cull from a gaggle of 24 single women and pick his one-'n'-only.

Match Made in Heaven bills itself as the first dating show to feature an African American non-celeb.

"Our . . . viewership has remarked that they cannot find enough African American men represented on TV," said WE TV exec veep Lauren Gellert.

The women, Gellert said, come from several different ethnic groups.

We spoke to Bullard about the series filmed last summer in Los Angeles.

Was that a selling point for you, a show that expressly went out to find a person of color?

Absolutely. The show offers a role model, an example of a different type of black man on television. We are not usually depicted positively . . . as articulate, professional, smart businessmen and gentlemen who know how to treat and court a woman. I wanted to show we are not thugs. We are not always saying the B-word when we are talking about women.

Another selling point for you - and the target audience - is the show's inclusion of spirituality as an aspect of love.

They want to present this as a show that's about real love, not just sex. That's why [series host] Pastor Ken Johnson is there. He's the chaplain for the Indianapolis Colts, and he's been around young, talented, successful black men who may need guidance or have problems.

That's what he did for me. He didn't do the picking for me. The decision was mine. But he could show me what kind of choice I had to make. He had nothing personal at stake; he was there for me.

Pastor Johnson is armed with a nuclear bomb of sorts, though, isn't he? He has veto power?

Yeah. When we get to the elimination round, he can call back someone I had decided to cut if he felt it's someone I hadn't really had a chance to get to know.

Was it difficult to let women go?

Oh, man, I was falling for a lot of the girls. You know, we were always trying to find ways to avoid the cameras and sneak away a bit to have real alone time.

And they became more and more attractive to me as the show went on, so [eliminating them] became harder and harder.

The eliminations really got to me. Even with [the pastor's] guidance, I'd take a lot of alone time to think about it again. I second-guessed myself a lot. . . . I'd be alone in a hotel room sobbing.

Sobbing? What would your mom say? Wait, she had a lot to say. She joined you on the show after the first couple of episodes, right? Now, that's a twist.

We have a strong mother-son relationship. She is my everything. I love my mom. I am proud of her, of her journey through life. I just wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for her.

What was her role? Did she boss you around? I bet she added a spark to the show.

She is very bossy. But she's no spark. She's fireworks. As I used to say all the time, there's always a lot of drama with momma. She is a very intelligent, sweet woman, and she wanted to set the tone, and she wants to be respected. And she always makes sure people know she's present.

How did she help out?

She lived with the women. [Bullard lived separately during shooting, while the women shared a mansion.] And she did some serious spying. Also, she was always drawing up prenups for this woman or that woman in case I chose them. She didn't always approve of my choices. There were a lot of arguments.

Did you get what you wanted?

Yes. You'll have to watch the show, but yeah, I found her, and we are together now.

We asked Shawn Bullard to name some of the best places for a date around town.

Del Frisco's Steakhouse, 1426 Chestnut St. #28. Why do I like it? Steaks! It has five-star steaks in a space that has a club atmosphere. And the waitresses are hot.

Rumor, 1500 Sansom St. It's an upscale nightclub in the heart of Rittenhouse, and when you're there it feels like you're in New York or Las Vegas. Great atmosphere, and they have different types of music playing in different rooms.

Ms. Tootsie's, 1312 South St. It's one of the most popular soul food restaurants in the country, and a lot of celebrities go there. It has amazing down-home food plus a sexy lounge ambience.

Home Depot, 1651 S. Columbus Blvd. Watch her face when you go there - women love home improvement. They love seeing the tile, the paint colors, the hardwood floors. And you know women love a man who is handy and a man who has taste. Home Depot allows you to display both.

Studio 44 Salon and Spa, 2020 N. Broad St., Lansdale. It's a good place to go early before going out. You drop her off there and make sure she gets pampered with a hairdo and has her nails done. Then you can go home and get changed, buy some flowers, and pick her up.

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