Woman of the Hour true story explained: 5 most shocking details in the Dating Game Killer case

The new Netflix thriller Woman of the Hour examines the real story of Rodney Alcala, aka the Dating Game Killer – but as shocking as this tale is, the true story is even worse. (Warning: spoilers for Woman of the Hour ahead.)

For even the most obsessive true crime aficionados, there’s usually one relieving truth: through the pictures and words, those serial killers are still a distant danger. But when Rodney Alcala appeared on The Dating Game, in the late ’70s, that all changed.

Monsters lived in the real world, and could appear on popular TV shows without anyone even knowing what they’d done. As Netflix’s Woman of the Hour explores, Alcala’s on-screen appearance wasn’t just an oversight – it was a nightmare.

As is usually the case, Woman of the Hour only scratches the surface of the true story.

The Dating Game appearance really happened

In 1978, Rodney Alcala appeared as a bachelor contestant on the popular TV show, The Dating Game. The format was simple. A woman would come onto the show in the hopes of finding her dream man, and after asking a series of cheeky questions, she’d pick her favorite bachelor of the three options.

On this particular episode, what nobody knew was that Alcala was a serial killer, active since 1968. At this point in time, he’d already murdered at least four women, and had been arrested for the attempted murder of an eight-year-old girl.

Alcala had served two years and seventeen months in prison for a variety of charges. Although he already had a budding criminal history (with much more still undiscovered), the lack of databases and thorough background checks made it easy for him to slip through the cracks.

But some were skeptical about this potential bachelor. In a 2021 interview on 20/20, Mike Metzeger, the show’s executive producer, revealed that he’d been unsure about selecting Alcala to appear on the episode. “He had a mystique about him that I found uncomfortable,” he said.

Bad vibes and worse answers

Ultimately, Alcala got a spot on The Dating Game as Bachelor Number One, with a woman named Cheryl Bradshaw as the bachelorette. The show’s host, Jim Lange, described him as “successful photographer”, and added that “between takes you might find him skydiving or motorcycling.”

However, Alcala wasn’t able to conceal his oddities. Another bachelor described him as “a very strange guy,” and Bachelor Number Two, Jed Mills, later recalled Alcala telling him, “I always get my girl.”

His answers to Cheryl’s questions also set off some alarm bells. In one instance, Cheryl asked: “I’m serving you for dinner. What are you called and what do you look like?”, to which Alcala responded: “I’m called the banana and I look good.”

When Bradshaw asked for a more detailed description, Alcala replied, “Peel me.”

Another producer, David Greenfield, later said: “In retrospect, it sounds horrible. But at the time, that’s a good solid answer. We were looking for raunchy, sexy answers, and that was one. Take it in context now, it’s like, ‘Oh my God.'”

Cheryl Bradshaw saved her own life

Astonishingly, when the time came for Cheryl to select the lucky bachelor to go on a date with her, she chose Alcala.

But when the two were introduced, something changed. The next day, Cheryl called contestant coordinator Ellen Metzger to put a stop to their potential meeting.

“She said, ‘Ellen, I can’t go out with this guy,'” Metzger later said. “‘There’s weird vibes that are coming off of him. He’s very strange. I am not comfortable. Is that going to be a problem?’ And of course I said, ‘No.'”

ABC

Considering Alcala’s history, it’s more than likely that he might have harmed Cheryl in the same way he had done other women. For many, there’s no doubt that her refusal to go out with him was an instinct that saved her life.

Criminal profiler Pat Brown later suggested that the rejection from Cheryl might have spurred Alcala into continuing his spree.

“One wonders what that did in his mind,” she said. “That is something he would not take too well. Psychopaths don’t understand the rejection. They think that something is wrong with that girl: ‘She played me. She played hard to get. She wanted to live.'”

Alcala really was set free

In the final act of Woman of the Hour, Alcala picks up a young hitchhiker and lures her to an isolated mountain area in California, under the pretense of taking her photograph. While there, Alcala knocks her unconscious.

She then regains consciousness, finding herself tied up with her clothes removed, having been beaten and raped. Alcala is weeping beside her, and she cleverly ensures her survival by asking Alcala to keep their encounter a secret. “I’d be so embarrassed,” she tells him.

Netflix

He then drives her back down the mountain, convinced she won’t run away. When he goes to the bathroom, the woman flees and runs into a nearby diner. Alcala is quickly arrested by police, but the summaries in the final shots tell us that he was later released on bail.

Sadly, this is true. After 15-year-old hitchhiker Monique Hoyt was beaten and raped by Alcala in the mountains near Banning, California, she made an escape at a nearby gas station. Alcala was apprehended, but his mother shortly after posted his bail.

After he was released, Alcala killed at least two more times: 21-year-old Jill Marie Parenteau, who’d been murdered in her apartment, and 12-year-old Robin Christine Samsoe, who’d been on her way home from ballet class.

Rodney Alcala’s suspected kill count

Rodney Alcala was ultimately arrested in July 1979 and held without bail. But his conviction and subsequent sentencing wasn’t straightforward.

He was initially found guilty of murdering Robin Samsoe in May 1980 and was sentenced to death. This verdict was later overturned because the jury had not been correctly informed of his previous criminal charges. When a second trial took place in May 1986, he was convicted again and received another death penalty.

Then, in 1992, Acala filed a habeas corpus petition, and as a result, his second conviction was overturned in 2001. In 2003, a third prosecution would take place, which resulted in Alcala’s indictment for four additional murders.

CBS

In 2010, Alcala was put on trial for the five charges, wherein he acted as his own attorney. According to reports, he put on voices and addressed himself as “Mr Alcala,” acting as both an interrogator and witness. In March of that year, he was sentenced to death once again.

In 2011, he was indicted for two additional murders, for which he pleaded guilty. In total, he was charged with the murders of five women: Robin Samsoe, Jill Barcomb, Georgia Wixted, Charlotte Lamb, Jill Parenteau, Cornelia Crilley, and Ellen Hover.

Alcala died in prison of unspecified natural causes in 2021 at age 77. Some authorities believe that his total victim count is upwards of 130, with the true number likely to remain unknown.

Woman of the Hour is available to stream on Netflix now.