Catch Up With The 'Most Romantic Man,' 10 Years Later
Catch Up With The 'Most Romantic Man,' 10 Years Later
via
Just over 10 years ago, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" producers launched a search to find the most romantic man in America -- and they certainly found him. Sam Bacote was nominated by his wife, Lisa, who passionately listed all of the ways her husband went above and beyond the common gestures of romance. Each day of their relationship, Lisa says Sam made her feel special.
"He treats me like I'm a queen, every day. And it doesn't take a special occasion for him to show romance," she gushed back then.
Sam showered his wife with flowers, wrote her poetry and even mailed Lisa cards despite living under the same roof, but the act that trumped them all was the day he proposed.
"The day it happened was exactly 1,000 days after our first date," Lisa told "The Oprah Show" in 2004. "I opened the door to my hotel room. There were 1,000 rose petals, leading to a beautiful painting. That was his engagement gift to me!"
Sam was shocked to learn that his gestures of love had earned him the title of "most romantic man" in America, and both Bacotes were left speechless when Oprah gave them an additional surprise: a romantic getaway to Sam's dream destination of South Africa.
It's now been more than a decade since the couple appeared on "The Oprah Show," and "Oprah: Where Are They Now?" recently followed up with Sam and Lisa to see what their lives are like today.
"To be handpicked [out of] thousands of others... was just completely humbling," Sam says of the experience. "I had butterflies in my stomach. I stepped out there and the first person I saw was Ms. Winfrey. She whispered something to me like, 'You're the man, Sam.'"
The safari getaway the Bacotes took after their appearance on the show far exceeded their expectations. "I always joke and say we did it 'Oprah-style!' We had first-class accommodations. We felt almost like royalty," Lisa says. "The entire trip was phenomenal."
But what about the big question? Is Sam still romantic 10 years later?
"He is still just as romantic as ever!" Lisa says.
Their two children -- 10-year-old Jonathan and 8-year-old Hannah -- agree. "My dad does things like, he takes my mom to a movie. He takes her out on dates," Jonathan says.
"I'm so thankful that he's romantic with my mom," Hannah adds.
For Lisa, that's what it's all about: setting a good example of love for their kids.
"It's important to us as a couple to model for our children what a loving relationship looks like, so that they can in turn wish for that, as we wish for it for them," she says.
"Oprah: Where Are They Now?" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on OWN, returning with all-new episodes in March.
