Entertainment

DEANNA FIRES UP ‘BACHELOR’ FRANCHISE

‘THE Bachelorette” DeAnna Pappas is catching on.

After an unimpressive start earlier this year, the dating show has become the most popular series on Tuesday nights.

The show Рwhere one girl choses a fianc̩ from among 25 eligible bachelors Рstarted picking up steam late last month when DeAnna decided to dump the guy she obviously liked best, an ex-European league basketball player named Graham.

The ratings have been going up ever since – hitting more than 7.5 million this week.

“The Bachelor” franchise has been on a downward slope for several years now, and there were some reports that ABC was about to drop it.

But last winter’s writers’ strike convinced the network to give the reality show one more try – this time with the straight-talking DeAnna, who was rejected at the finale of last season’s “Bachelor.”

The franchise hit its pinnacle five years ago when more than 30 million people tuned in to watch Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter get married on live TV.