Amber Alchalabi is ABC's Next Bachelorette

Amber Alchalabi, a teacher from Sugarland, Texas, and a contestant on The Bachelor: Officer and a Gentleman, won the hearts of numerous viewers from the very first night she stepped out of the limo to meet the eligible bachelor Dr. and Lt. Andy Baldwin. As she quoted upon meeting Andy, "Since I'm from Sugarland, I'll probably be the sweetest one here." She was right about that. Andy agreed that she was as well, since she made it to the final four. Unfortunately, Amber got her heart broken on the May, 7, 2007 episode when Andy didn't offer her a rose. Our hearts broke for her as well as we felt her devastation.

According to the Houston Chronicle, Amber has come under scrutiny from two of her students' parents for taking time off from her fourth grade class during a critical testing period in order to participate in the show. In addition, she only disclosed the truth to her principal as to why she needed to time off because she signed a confidentiality agreement as required by ABC. As a result, her principal was assigned to another school and demoted to assistant principal, but chose to resign.

Amber has been a favorite among many viewers because she is down to earth, is genuine about her teaching profession, has expressed her love for kids, and hasn't had an unkind word to say to or about anyone, unlike Kate, Lindsey, and Stephanie from South Carolina. Although she is only 23, in Amber's case she appears far more mature than what her birth certificate says. I liked her the most from the first episode for the above mentioned reasons, but what really convinced me that she was a winner from the beginning was when she helped an intoxicated Blakeney up after she fell off a barstool. One of the other women laughed at Blakeney while the other women stared, but Amber was gracious enough to take her by the hands and ask if she was alright.

There hasn't been a bachelorette show since The Bachelorette 3 in 2005 starring Jen Schefft, who ended up rejecting both of her suitors. This was the lowest rated bachelorette show, averaging only 8.76 million viewers. With the controversy surrounding Amber, surely she could boost up the ratings if she was the star of The Bachelorette 4. It's likely that even the angry parents from Sugarland would be watching with jealousy if she had eligible, successful, and handsome men fighting for her hand!

In addition to Amber's inner qualities, she is athletic, beautiful, has a killer smile, and it doesn't hurt that she looks great in a bikini! She revealed in Episode 6 that she has a rocky relationship with her parents and has had her heart broken more than a few times by guys. She was willing to put her heart and soul into her relationship with Andy had it progressed into marriage, but unfortunately, Andy felt that she wasn't the one. I don't believe she should be scrutinized for her participation in The Bachelor. It's OK for medical research consultants, graphic designers, social workers, and financial analysts to grab an opportunity such as the pursuit of happiness, but it's not OK for teachers to seize the moment such as this one, since these opportunities may only come once in a lifetime? Well, maybe it's not an appropriate show for elementary school children, but there is such a thing as parental controls nowadays. Perhaps she wouldn't be getting so much backlash if she was overweight and homely. Heaven forbid she's a dedicated teacher and beautiful! After all of Amber's heartache and all of her beautiful qualities, I think it's time for eligible men to be lining up for her. With her class, smile, sincerity, and beauty, it wouldn't be hard to find young men to line up and fight for her hand.