"Rock of Love" Stripper Cries Foul!
Posted Oct 1st 2007 1:30PM by TMZ Staff

Sometimes true love isn't skin deep. On Sunday's finale of "Rock of Love," has-been Poison rocker Bret Michaels chose between stripperlicious Heather and pink-haired pixie, Jess. And even though Heather had Bret's name tattooed across the back of her neck -- Bret pointed his pinkie to select Jess.

Not surprisingly, Heather was pretty pissed, posting on MySpace that she was misrepresented in the final episode, boohooing that editing made her look way more insensitive on their final date than she really was.

She was upset that she didn't rock the aging rocker. Heather wrote, "I am so heartbroken and appalled that I look so insensitive in the finale."

When Bret asked if he could have both girls, Heather says she "absolutely, 100 percent did not say I would share him. We both said no." Once again, Heather blames editors. "I am soooo appalled by that -- as if the stipper [sic] thing wasn't enough, (which I quit doing months ago) -- or pretty much never showing one bad thing about Jess, I got ran through [sic] the coals and heartbroken once again." Appalling!

Rock of Love: Heather "Appalled" at Editing of Final Episode

October 1, 2007

In order to make a dating reality show work, the producers and editors have to walk a careful line. The two individuals who make it to the finale must have some roughly equivalent measure of positive and negative qualities.

Usually, it comes down to some variation of wild child vs. good girl/guy. The star of the show will have a great time with the wild child, and the wild child, in turn, will usually be emotionally open and totally into the relationship with the star. The good girl/guy, on the other hand, might be a little more reserved or standoffish or just overall composed. The star is attracted to their calmness, but might worry that they're not as invested emotionally, or possibly that the chemistry with them is not as strong as with the wild child.

During the finale, the balance shifts, however, and more and more negatives about the one individual who isn't going to be picked (more often than not, it's the wild child) start to become apparent, so that when the star makes his or her pick, most of the audience will feel as though he or she made the “right” choice.

Or who knows? Maybe it's just due to the enduring nature of true love and not editing that so many of these shows fall into exactly this pattern.

Either way, for a show about the life of a rock star, Rock of Love was solidly middle-of-the-road in sticking to the formula.

Heather certainly didn't come off too great in the final episode of Rock of Love. From dancing with the women, to apparently ignoring Bret Michaels' near-insulin shock, she certainly seemed to be steadily on the track to the angry rejected limo ride that was her ultimate fate. But was she really as insensitive as she was portrayed, or was she just a pawn in the producer's story arc?

It probably will not surprise you to see that she is stating it's the latter. On her MySpace page, she tells her side of the story, in an entry titled “The Truth about the Final Episode.”

She writes, “I have cried many nights over how some episodes portray me. I am so heartbroken and appalled that I look so insensitive in the finale…On our date in Cabo when he said he wasn't feeling well we stopped and I went and got him some water. It was him who wanted to keep riding to get all different camera angles. I was full of sand and would have loved to just chill on the beach in the first place.”

She says that her portrayal as insensitive was especially disheartening due to the special efforts she made that Rock of Love viewers weren't aware of. She also wrote, “You guys did not see when I would make him breakfast in bed or when I bought him balloons and roses on his bday. I went shopping for him and his kids in Cabo and actually spent over 1000 throughout that month., because I love to give and especially to people I care about.”

But none of that was the worst part, she writes, it was the final ceremony. “Last but not least---I absolutely, 100% did not say I would share him. We both said no…that was edited and I am soooo appalled by that.”

She also writes on her blog that she is no longer stripping and lists “Model and Television Personality” as her current profession.