Despite his status as a convicted rapist and registered sex offender, Rodney James Alcala was accepted as a contestant on The Dating Game in 1978. He had already killed at least two women before sweeping bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw off her feet.

Alcala was sentenced to death in 2010 for the murder of five women between 1977 and 1979 in California. In January 2013 he plead guilty to two additional murders in New York. While evidence suggests that he may have killed between 50 and 130 women, his true victim count remains unknown.

After their appearance on The Dating Game Cheryl Bradshaw refused to go out with Alcala because he was “creepy.” While this was fortunate for her, there is speculation that the rejection may have fueled Alcala’s subsequent murders.