|
|
Mohamed Rashed, 35, a Kingston native, was flown out to Los Angeles to help his best buddy find the right woman.
Now living in Florida, Rashed told the Freeman that while he may have thought the premise of setting up an arranged marriage on live TV an odd one, he would do anything for his friend of more than 20 years.
"This is something he really had his heart set on doing," Rashed said.
Savona, 35, is a graduate of John A. Coleman Catholic High School in the town of Ulster, and co-owner of his family's business, Savona's Plaza Pizza shops on Morton Boulevard and the Kingston Plaza. He moved to New York City about two years ago.
Rashed, Savona's sister, Paula, and his roommate, Mike, were in California for nearly a week prior to the show, but none of them got to see Savona's suitors until the day of taping.
"They kept us out of the loop on seeing the girls, or having any sort of interaction with them at all. We had no idea what they looked like until the day of the taping of the show," he said.
Savona's team put together questions they thought would be important in helping select the perfect potential partner for Savona. "We all, pretty much, were looking for the same thing, and that was a trusting, genuine, good-natured person," he said.
Some of the questions were edited by Fox staffers, who also provided some ideas of their own.
"I think it's just a once-in-a-lifetime experience. How often does your best friend get on national television on prime time?" he said. "It should open up some pretty good doors for Stephen."
But opening doors is not why his long-time pal wanted to be on the show, according to Rashed.
"Steve and I are pretty close, and his intentions were genuine in going on the show," Rashed said. "Stephen is all or nothing - if he's going to do it, he's going to do it all the way. That's a really good characteristic he carries with him."
The five couples introduced on the show will now spend five weeks at a 300-acre ranch in Northern California, where they'll live together and get to know each other. Each week, viewers will decide which couple is the least compatible, and vote them off the show. So far, it looks good for Savona, as 42 percent of more than 18,000 visitors to Fox's online poll thought Savona and Denise were the most compatible, the second highest rating.
At the end of the five-week run, two couples will remain. Again, the viewers will vote via telephone as to which couple truly belongs together. That couple will receive a luxury car, $100,000, and, if they stay together, a house.
But first they have to get to know each other, a process that will begin on tonight's episode, which airs at 9 p.m.
