Why serial killers like Rodney Alcala crave the TV spotlight — despite the risk of getting caught

There is a disturbing pattern over the years of serial killers and killers appearing on television, namely game shows.

An example is Rodney Alcala, who was on the hit show “The Dating Game” in 1978, in the midst of his killing spree. His story was turned into the new Netflix movie Woman of the Hour, directed by and starring Anna Kendrick.

There’s also John Cooper, who was on the TV dart competition show Bullseye in 1989. Years later, he went to prison for murder and footage from his appearance on the show was used as evidence against him.

Criminal psychiatrist Dr Sohom Das told the Daily Mail on Sunday that killers have “naturally narcissistic tendencies” that drive some of them to appear on TV.

“Narcissistic individuals have an inflated sense of self-importance and a need for admiration, so they can literally put themselves on TV as a platform to be adored,” Das said.

“Appearing on these shows could have given these killers an opportunity to showcase their talent, charm and perceived intelligence – specifically, in the form of memorizing cuddly toys on a conveyor belt,” Das added.

The criminal psychiatrist also noted that for people who lead “lonely and often troubled lives”, as is the case for most serial killers, the “prospect of being on television” is very “attractive” to them.

This was certainly the case for Alcala, who killed at least eight people (authorities estimate the real number to be more than 100) between 1971 and 1979.

During that time, he appeared on a 1978 episode of “The Dating Game,” where host Jim Lange introduced three male suitors (including Alcala) who were there to be cutely interrogated by a single woman , Cheryl Bradshaw, sitting on the other side of a partition.

Bradshaw eventually did not go on a date with Alcala because she had a bad feeling about him.

Alcala was arrested in 1979 and later sentenced to death in California for five murders. He also received a sentence of 25 years to life for two murders committed in New York. Alcala died in a California prison in 2021 of unspecified natural causes at the age of 77.

The story for Alcala in “The Dating Game” was told by Kendrick, 39, in her directorial debut. Daniel Zovatto plays Alcala in Woman of the Hour.

Lori Vallow is another killer who was on a game show. She appeared on “Wheel of Fortune” in 2004. Vallow, who at the time went by Lori Ryan, spoke about her family to host Pat Sajak on the show. She was later arrested and charged with several murders, including her 17-year-old daughter Tylee and her 7-year-old son JJ.

Edward Wayne Edwards, another serial killer, appeared on the game show “To Tell the Truth” in 1972 after he had escaped from prison, robbed gas stations, and placed himself on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list. of. He committed several murders after appearing on the show and was arrested in 2009. He died of natural causes in prison in 2011 at the age of 77.

A different kind of killer, Paul Curry, competed on “Jeopardy!” in 1989 and earned $24,000. Five years later, he poisoned his wife, Linda, to collect over $500,000 in insurance money and other benefits. Curry was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2014.