Rodney Alcala: The Charming Serial Killer Who Appeared on The Dating Game

Rodney Alcala, a man known for his charming and handsome appearance, led a double life that was both shocking and terrifying. In 1978, Alcala was selected as an eligible bachelor on the popular US game show The Dating Game, where he won the hearts of the audience and the contestant, Cheryl Bradshaw. However, what the viewers did not know was that Alcala was a seasoned serial killer who had been on a horrifying murder spree during the 1970s.

Alcala’s crimes were brutal and calculated. He targeted women and girls, some as young as eight years old, and his methods were particularly gruesome. He would beat or strangle his victims until they lost consciousness, only to repeat the process before finally killing them. Alcala also had a habit of posing the bodies of his victims in carefully chosen positions and often took personal items, such as earrings, as trophies.

One of these earrings, a gold ball stud belonging to 12-year-old Robin Samsoe, was found in Alcala’s storage locker and played a crucial role in his eventual conviction. Despite being found guilty and sentenced to death twice, Alcala managed to have his verdicts overturned until 2010, when he was finally convicted on five counts of first-degree murder in California and two more in New York. He was also indicted for an eighth murder in 2016, but was too ill to face trial at the time.

Alcala’s encounter with Cheryl Bradshaw on The Dating Game has been immortalized in the new Netflix film Woman of the Hour, directed by and starring Anna Kendrick. The film highlights the surreal and dangerous encounter between Bradshaw and Alcala, as well as the brutality of his crimes. Bradshaw’s decision to decline an actual date with Alcala after the show may have saved her life, a fact that is underscored in the film.

Alcala eventually died of natural causes in a Californian hospital in 2021, at the age of 77, bringing an end to a life marked by horrific crimes and a chilling facade of charm and normalcy.