• Netflix’s new film ‘Woman of the Hour’ is based on a true story about serial killer Rodney Alcala.
• In real life, Alcala competed on “The Dating Game” and won a date with the bachelorette Cheryl Bradshaw.
• Bradshaw refused to go on the date because she thought Alcala was creepy.

The chilling real-life story of serial killer Rodney Alcala who competes in (and wins) an episode of the reality show “The Dating Game” is the basis of Netflix’s new film “Woman of the Hour.”

“Woman of the Hour,” starring Anna Kendrick as Sheryl and Daniel Zovatto as Rodney, is a fictional retelling of Cheryl Bradshaw’s encounter with Alcala in an episode of the aforementioned ABC dating show.

The film is the latest to add to the public’s appetite for true crime and Netflix’s reputation as a hub for documentaries and dramas inspired by true crimes. Most recently, the streamer found success with Ryan Murphy’s ‘Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story,’ which topped Luminate’s weekly original streaming viewership rankings with 2.7 billion minutes watched during its first full week on Netflix.

“Woman of the Hour,” also Kendrick’s directorial debut, changes some details of the story, but the premise is largely similar to the real encounter.

Here’s what happened to the real Bradshaw and how she narrowly escaped being one of Alcala’s victims.

Alcala met Bradshaw on ‘The Dating Game’ after he had already served two prison terms and was on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list.

On September 13, 1978, Bradshaw and Alcala both appeared on “The Dating Game,” a show in which a bachelorette asks three eligible bachelors a series of questions before choosing one to go on a date with. As part of the game, a divorce separates the woman from the contestants until a winner is chosen, so she cannot base her decision on appearance.

At the time he appeared on the show, Alcala had already murdered five women, attempted to kill an 8-year-old girl named Tali Shapiro, and was on the FBI’s top 10 most wanted fugitives. He had also served 34 months for Shapiro’s child molestation and then served two and a half years in prison for giving drugs to a 13-year-old girl.

But “The Dating Game” failed to do a background check and Alcala made national television. He was later nicknamed “The Dating Game Killer.”

During an interview with ABC News for an episode of “20/20,” Michael Metzger, executive producer of “The Dating Game,” said he was not in favor of Alcala appearing on the show.

“I noticed he had a very strange personality,” Metzger said.

But Ellen Metzger, the show’s contestant coordinator and Metzger’s wife, found Alcala attractive and thought women would love him.

Alcala proved to be a hit with the public. He appeared as Bachelor No. 1 and was described as a “successful photographer” who enjoyed skydiving and motorcycle riding in his spare time.

Bradshaw, a drama teacher, asked the men open-ended questions that could elicit raunchy answers – and Alcala passed with flying colors.

At one point Bradshaw asked, “What’s your best time?”

“The best time is at night,” Alcala responded, adding that night is “when it gets really good.”

Bradshaw later asked, “I’m serving you for dinner.” What’s your name and what do you look like?’

In response, Alcala said smoothly, “My name is ‘The Banana’ and I look really good.”

When Bradshaw asked him to be more descriptive, he said, “Peel me.”

In retrospect, Alcala’s answers were even creepier considering the crimes he had committed.

Bradshaw never dated Alcala, which ultimately saved her life.

When it came time to choose a winner, Bradshaw chose Alcala. The pair were scheduled to have tennis lessons as part of their date, followed by a trip to Magic Mountain, the Six Flags amusement park in California.

But Bradshaw had an intuition about Alcala and backed out of the date.

“I started to feel sick. He was acting very creepy,” Bradshaw told The Sunday Telegraph in 2012. “I declined his offer. I didn’t want to see him again.”

Contestant coordinator Ellen Metzger told “20/20” that the day after Bradshaw appeared on “The Dating Game,” Bradshaw called the office and told her, “I can’t date this guy.” Strange feelings are coming from him. He’s very strange. I don’t feel comfortable.

“And of course I said no,” Ellen said.

Bradshaw wasn’t the only one who found Alcala creepy. Jed Mills, who competed as Bachelor No. 2, said he quickly clocked Alcala’s strangeness.

“In the green room he jumps in and says, ‘I always get my girl,’” Mills said, adding that he “immediately didn’t like this guy.”

Bradshaw’s suspicions about Alcala kept her from becoming his next target. Since appearing on ‘The Dating Game’, Bradshaw has kept a low profile and little is known about where she ended up.

A title card at the end of “Woman of the Hour” states that Bradshaw “left California to live a private life and start a family.”

Alcala died of natural causes on July 24, 2021.

Two years after his appearance in ‘The Dating Game’, Alcala was sentenced to death for the murder of 12-year-old Robin Samsoe.

He was placed on death row at San Quentin State Prison, but the sentence was overturned by the California Supreme Court. In the 1986 retrial, Alcala was again found guilty and sentenced to death. But the ruling was overturned in 2001.

During his third trial in 2010, Alcala represented himself. He was convicted of the murders of Samsoe, Jill Barcomb, Georgia Wixted, Charlotte Lamb and Jill Parenteau. Alcala was sentenced to death and was later convicted of two additional murders that took place in New York.

California placed a moratorium on the death penalty in 2019 and Alcala remained in Corcoran State Prison until his death from natural causes in July 2021. Alcala was 77. According to the Associated Press, authorities estimate that Alcala may have killed 130 people in the US. , but the actual number is unknown.