“He looks gay, but he’s really European.” – Patti Stanger.
First up, we meet Ally Shapiro, who introduces herself as being 22 years old and who was a cast member on The Real Housewives of New York City for four seasons.
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Ally talks about how it’s hard to find a solid relationship as someone who grew up with the “unique background” of being on a hit reality TV show.
Ally manages to get this in before her mother, Jill Zarin (the “original” real housewife of New York City), cuts in to remind her that, “You want to marry someone who you wouldn’t mind being divorced from.”
The Millionaire Matchmaker, “Ally Shapiro, Jill Zarin and Prince Ferdinand”: Patti meets the clients
Patti Stanger meets Ally, who is a marketing intern and blogger these days, and Jill at a lounge called Fin.
Ally tells Patti that she’s never had a serious boyfriend and is ready to find someone who is “serious” and ready to commit to a long-term relationship.
I tuned out for a while during this segment when Patti started talking about “the cooch and the resume,” but I’m guessing it’s meant to help Ally understand that she needs to lead with her heart when it comes to relationships, or something?
Eventually Jill steps in and says, “I’m actually gonna drop dead if you say cooch one more time.” Soon Patti tells Jill to “zip it” and sends her away.
Next up, we meet Prince Maximilian Ferdinand Von Anhalt, 30, from Germany. Before Ferdinand tells us, “Most people know I’m royals” in a heavy German accent, it’s clear that this guy ain’t a civilian by way of a crazy ornate suit that includes an opulent banner stripe (or sash?) over one shoulder and some kind of monarchial type necklace contraption-meets-museum heirloom piece.
In short: this dude is wildly out of the norm of the typical Porsche driving LA and Vegas millionaire bros that The Millionaire Matchmaker trades in.
It’s hard to find a “real girl” and “real love,” Ferdinand adds.
When Ferdinand meets Patti, her first questions are, “Do you really talk like this?” and “Are you really a prince?”
We also learn that Ferdinand’s dad was married to Zsa Zsa Gabor, and that our guy has a “real job” as an attorney these days (where presumably he doesn’t wear outfits that we see him in on the show, but who knows?).
When Patti asks him a very similar question about his outfit, Ferdinand says without a hint of irony, “I want to show my prince stuff.”
Next up: Patti instructs Ferdinand to immediately rank “tits, ass, legs,” the good prince immediately fires back, “Tits.”
“Tits, okay,” Patti responds. “So you are straight.”
“Yes, I’m really straight,” Ferdinand says.
“He looks gay, but he’s really European,” Patti tells the camera.
Ferdinand also tells Patti that he’s not looking for a “sugar mommy” and that he’s looking for “a real normal girl.”
Patti orders Ferdinand to “get rid of his royal shit” for the mixer, including his pink pants, medals, and loafers, telling him that women are looking for a “real man.”
The Millionaire Matchmaker, “Ally Shapiro, Jill Zarin and Prince Ferdinand”: the recruiting session
After Patti takes Ally and Kristen Cavallari of Laguna Beach and The Hills fame for shopping and some dating advice, we’re off to the recruiting session-meets-mixer (which of course brings back Jill Zarin to help her daughter find a dude).
When Patti chats with Ally and Jill, it’s peppered with Patti telling Jill to shut up and also lots of cringey cooch talk. Vintage Patti, in other words.
After interviewing a number of guys, Ally is most interested in two, both named James. One is a half Jewish Aussie who is a classical musician, and the other a screenwriter. Side note that as someone who works in tech for my “real job,” I found it hilarious when one guy told Patti and assistant David that he worked for a tech start up doing social media analytics, and they responded, “Oh…,” before lighting up when they learned that screenwriter James had sold two screenplays.
That’s Los Angeles for you.
There’s weird editing in this part of the episode, but we end up figuring out that Ferdinand meets with the ladies that Patti selected for him before we learn who Ally picked for her date.
When the prince meets four selectees, he has one stand up and asks, “Can I see your body?” as though he’s going shopping in a high-end boutique.
“He wants someone to motorboat him,” Patti tells the camera separately.
While Ferdinand talks to the ladies, Patti jumps in and tries to prompt him to be more “butch,” and it’s intensely awkward to watch, I must say.
She then calls him a “metrosexual Hans and Franz,” and encourages the ladies give him a lesson in being “a real man.” It’s honestly one of the more offensive stretches in the long history of The Millionaire Matchmaker.
The Millionaire Matchmaker, “Ally Shapiro, Jill Zarin and Prine Ferdinand”: Ally and James’ first date
In another strange editing choice, we only learn who Ally is dating when she meets up with James the screenwriter at a Wildlife Learning Center.
James is a lowkey, amiable guy, which is to Ally’s liking in the early going.
Sidenote here that Ally seemed completely comfortable with letting a massive hairy spider crawl on her hand. If I was on that date, I would have been hopping a flight back to Anywhere Else at that point.
Ally also finds James to be cute and a gentleman. It’s clear that he can also carry a conversation, telling Ally later at a café that he enjoys traveling and about his writing career.
In the middle of the date, Jill calls her daughter to find out how the date is going… which might tell James a lot about what life might be like dating Ally Shapiro.
The Millionaire Matchmaker, “Ally Shapiro, Jill Zarin and Prince Ferdinand”: Ferdinand and Emily’s first date
In one of the more entirely lame moments in the show’s history – it’s a weirdly “historic” episode in a way, I guess – we see the Prince emerge out of the ocean in a skimpy pink bathing suit, bottle of champagne in hand.
And in yet another terrible editing choice, it took a while to figure out that Ferdinand’s date is Emily, a business manager with a team of 50 who likes to surf and do yoga.
After Ferdinand explains that while he doesn’t have a “six pack” that he’s good at doing pushups, Emily then takes him through a little yoga lesson on the beach.
Later, the couple both dress up and get on a little covered boat.
“You like boat?” Ferdinand asks Emily.
While there are elements of Ferdinand that are somewhat ludicrous, he does seem like a nice guy and treats his date nicely.
At some point, Ferdinand “reveals” he’s a prince to Emily, which I hadn’t realized was a big secret at this point in the date. And for what’s it worth, Emily’s reaction was along the lines of “oh, okay.”
Also for what it’s worth: while the couple is swimming together, Emily tells him, “I don’t kiss on the first date, sorry.”
The Millionaire Matchmaker, “Ally Shapiro, Jill Zarin and Prince Ferdinand”: post-dates upshot
Patti and David call James, who relays that the date went well and that it felt like he had known Ally for months already. And in fact, they had already gone out again but there still had not been a first kiss as yet. James does say that he’s interested in seeing Ally again.
Via video chat, Ally agrees that the date was “so much fun” and that they are talking a lot.
“Kissing is allowed, but just no in,” Patti says, and I think I don’t need to explain that one any further, yes?
Candice and Patti then call Emily, who says the date was “so much fun,” though she’s “not a fan” of the pink speedo thing. Corroborating all of Patti’s “butch” talk, Emily says that Prince Ferdinand can come across as more “rugged,” she would date him again.
“He just doesn’t listen,” Patti concludes.
“Ze date was amazing,” Ferdinand says when he gets to the office.
The funniest part is when Ferdinand soon says, “She has a problem with my speedo?” when Patti and Candice predictably go after him on that point immediately.
The end of episode captions then tell us: “In the end, the Prince wasn’t man enough to call Emily again. He is still searching for his perfect German Princess.” And: “Ally and James have stayed in touch, and are talking every other day. James is planning a trip to visit Ally in New York City.”
The Millionaire Matchmaker, “Ally Shapiro, Jill Zarin and Prince Ferdinand”: where are they now?
Ally Shapiro was engaged with someone named Jordan Bilfeld, but subsequently broke up with him in 2024.
Some stats and info about The Millionaire Matchmaker – “Ally Shapiro, Jill Zarin and Prine Ferdinand”
TV SHOW – The Millionaire Matchmaker
SEASON/EPISODE – Season 8, Episode 3
NETWORK/STREAMING SERVICE – Bravo
GENRE – Dating Shows, Reality TV, Trashtastic TV
AIR DATE – January 1st, 2015
GOOGLE PLAY DESCRIPTION – Jill Zarin wants Patti’s help in setting her daughter, Ally, on the right path to love. Dating mentor Kristin Cavallari teaches Ally to know her self-worth. Patti’s other client this week is Prince Ferdinand Von Anhalt of Germany who is Zsa Zsa Gabor’s stepson.