Reality Rumors

Mark Philippoussis has found love, but not with Amanda Salinas, the woman he selected at the end of this summer’s Age of Love NBC reality dating series. Instead, the professional tennis player seems to have rekindled his romance with his first love — tennis.

“I’ve missed the game. I love the game,” Philippoussis, who is preparing for his return to the court in next weekend’s Stanford Championships in Dallas, TX, told Australia’s The Courier-Mail in a report published Thursday. “I would love to get back out there and enjoy myself.”

For the past two weeks, The Courier-Mail reported Philippoussis’ agent Carlos Fleming has refused to comment about his client’s relationship with Salinas, a 25-year-old financial planner’s assistant from Nashville, TN.

“Mark is focusing on his preparation,” Fleming told The Courier-Mail. “His progress is coming along well.”

Philippoussis tore cartilage in his knee during January’s Hopman Cup event, which forced him to miss the Australian Open but allowed him to star in NBC’s The Bachelor-like Age of Love series.

With his career on course — he’s scheduled to face Swedish tennis player Mats Wilander on Thursday at the Stanford Championships — Philippoussis is strictly talking business.

“What I’d love to do is start playing a couple of small events at the end of the year, get match fit and concentrate on getting back next year - hopefully at the Australian Open,” he told The Courier-Mail.

Mark Philippoussis chose Amanda Salinas, as Age of Love’s winner during last night’s finale broadcast of the NBC reality dating series.

“I think I’m a little bit happier than the happiest girl in the world. I have my man. I have Mark,” Amanda said when Age of Love’s bachelor revealed she was the winner. “It could not be more perfect. I couldn’t have dreamt this up.”

Mark’s choice of Amanda — the only remaining 20-something “Kitten” — meant Jennifer Braff, a 48-year-old Carson, CA-resident who has a 25-year-old son, was the seventh and final 40-something “Cougar” to leave the competition.

“Until going into this experience, I thought about shows like this, and the emotions that the women and the guys develop for each other,” said Jen when Mark revealed she was the final suitor to be eliminated. “I thought to myself it couldn’t possibly be real. But I’m sitting here… and I know now for myself that my emotions are real. This is real for me, and it makes me sad. I know that we had a connection. I know we had a very strong chemistry. But he got scared. I know that if I had been younger Mark would have chosen me. It hurts. It hurts a lot.”

Mark said he was nervous about his final decision and added he thought it was “unfair” he had to hurt one of the girls by sending them back to the States without him. He compared the pressure he was feeling to a big tennis match.

“I came in here with an open mind, and it’s who I click with. It’s as simple as that,” said Mark. “This is about who I could see myself dating, and I could see myself dating both of them. That’s why this is so tough. It doesn’t matter what age. If you click with someone, you click. You can’t help who you click with.”

Mark apparently felt he clicked with Amanda more, as he spent Jen packing. Needless to say, Amanda was elated with Mark’s decision.

“Next is happily ever after…” she said as the two sailed off into the Australian sunset.

Megan and Maria were both eliminated during last night’s broadcast of NBC’s Age of Love reality dating series — however the show’s bachelor Mark Philippoussis wasn’t responsible for sending either home.

For Maria the third time was the charm, as she finally followed through on her decision to take herself out of the competition because there wasn’t enough of a connection with Mark; while Megan couldn’t overcome her fear of flying and bring herself to get on a plane bound for the 31-year-old professional tennis player’s native Australia to meet his family.

As a result, Megan became the fifth 20-something “Kitten” eliminated, while Maria became the sixth 40-something “Cougar” to leave the competition.

Age of Love’s finale will air Monday, August 6 at 9PM ET/PT with Jen and Amanda traveling to Australia to meet Mark’s family. Each of the women will also have one last date with Mark, and at the conclusion of the episode, he’ll choose between Age of Love’s remaining Cougar and Kitten to determine the winner.

Mary felt like Mark Philippoussis never took the chance to get to know her, and she was apparently right, as the 31-year-old Australian professional tennis player decided to eliminate the 24-year-old during last night’s broadcast of NBC’s Age of Love reality dating series, leaving two 20-something “Kittens” and three 40-something “Cougars” remaining in the competition.

“I gave it all that I have,” she said. “You know what? Sometimes when you find love you have to make yourself vulnerable to be hurt. I’m going home with dignity. I’m not gonna go home looking stupid. Nobody’s gonna look stupid for trying. The one things that sickens me is that Jayanna and Jen are gonna be here longer than I am.”

Age of Love’s sixth episode will air Monday, July 23 at 9PM ET/PT on NBC.

Mark Philippoussis finally met the six 20-something “Kittens” that would join the six remaining 40-something “Cougars” in competing for his affection during last night’s broadcast of Age of Love on NBC.

In the end age truly didn’t matter and Lauren, 27, from Greenwich, CT, and Angela, 40, from Lakeside, MI were eliminated at the conclusion of the episode.

Age of Love’s second episode began right where last week’s premiere had left off — with Mark, a 31-year-old Australian professional tennis player who has a well-chronicled penchant for younger women, catching his first glimpse of the Kittens.

“I just got used to the fact I’d be dating seven older women in their 40s,” said Mark. “Then that second curve ball was thrown in. Six beautiful young women in their 20s. It’s going to be a wild ride.”

“Lauren… [is a] beautiful, beautiful young woman. But I looked at her, and I couldn’t see myself attracted to her anywhere further down the line,” Mark told the cameras. “It’s such a hard decision, and it still feels unfair because I didn’t get a chance to really know her.”

“Mark is definitely going to be missing out on a lot,” said Lauren. “I have a lot to offer. I’m only in my 20s, which is why I’m not devastated.”

Angela said she would be “extremely disappointed” if she was the second Cougar eliminated from Age of Love, which Mark revealed was going to be the case because he didn’t feel a future connection during their one-on-one.

“You know, I’m 40-years-old… I’ve had my heart broken before,” said Angela. “The thing is at my age, it feels like the time period is getting a little bit shorter. I don’t want to miss out on everything. I just want to find the one.”

Age of Love’s third episode will air Monday, July 2 at 9PM ET/PT on NBC.

Age of Love kicked off with Mark Philippoussis, a 31-year-old Australian professional tennis player, meeting the seven 40-something year-old “Cougars” women that will serve as half of his group of 13 suitors during last night’s premiere episode of the new NBC reality dating series.

However before Age of Love’s bachelor or the Cougars even became aware of the six women in their 20s who were cast as the “Kittens,” Mark was forced to eliminate one of the older women and decided upon Jodie Fisher, a 46-year-old vice president for a commercial real estate company from Dallas, TX who has been married once before and has an 8-year-old son.

“I have to go home tonight, but that’s okay… That’s okay. I have my sweet little boy to see.” said Jodie upon learning she was the first bachelorette sent packing. “I hope I’ve helped show that a woman in her 40s is sexy and interesting and powerful. Whoever the right person for me is, he’s out there.”

Mark was introduced to the 6 “Kittens”, a group of ladies in their 20’s shortly after expelling Jodie. The only reply he could muster was “Oh my God.”

Age of Love’s second episode will air Monday, July 25 at 9PM ET/PT on NBC.

NBC has announced the identities of the 13 women who will be competing for the heart of Mark Philippoussis on Age of Love, a new The Bachelor-like reality dating series that will follow the 31-year-old professional tennis player from Melbourne, Australia as he attempts to find love among this group of women, who range in age from 21- to 48-years-old.

“This summer we are bringing romance back to NBC by trying to answer the simple question, when it comes to love, does age matter?” said JD Roth, Age of Love’s executive producer.  “The answer is… love is ageless… you can’t ignore pure chemistry. And as a viewer, it doesn’t matter what age you are,  there are women to root for and against, and that makes for great story telling.”

The 13 women vying for Philippoussis’ heart on the show are split into two CATegories, the “Kittens” and the “Cougars.”  Age of Love’s “Kittens” will feature six young, enthusiastic women in their 20’s who could probably better keep-up with Philippoussis’ fast-paced lifestyle, while the “Cougars” will consist of seven women in their 40’s who are more sophisticated and thus probably better equipped to deal with his fame as a tennis pro. 

The eight-episode series is scheduled to premiere Monday, June 18 at 10PM ET on NBC. Age of Love’s cast of felines differ in more than just age, as some of the “Cougars” even have kittens of their own.  The 13 women competing on Age of Love are:

The Cougars

- Angela, a 40-year-old property manager from Lakeside, MI who has been married twice before and has a 21-year-old son

- Jayanna, a 38-year-old mortgage loan officer from Newport, CA who has been married once before

- Jennifer, a 48-year-old executive assistant for the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers from Carson, CA who has been married twice before

- Jodie, a 46-year-old vice president for a commercial real estate company from Dallas, TX who has been married once before and has an 8-year-old son

- Kelli, a 40-year-old legal secretary from Los Angeles, CA

- Lynn, a 40-year-old makeup artist from Nashville, TN

- Maria, a 42-year-old photographer from Playa Del Rey, CA who has been married once before

The Kittens

- Adelaide, a 26-year-old editor for Esquire magazine from Manhattan Beach, CA

- Amanda, a 25-year-old financial planner’s assistant from Nashville, TN

- Lauren, a 27-year-old lighting consultant from Greenwich, CT

- Mary, a 24-year-old hemodialysis technician from Albuquerque, NM

- Megan, a 21-year-old Loyola University student from Chicago, IL

- Tessa, a 23-year-old executive assistant from Peoria, AZ