Even the multimillionaire creator of “The Bachelor” can’t find lasting love. Mike Fleiss, the founder of the hit ABC show, is splitting with his wife of 24 years and high school sweetheart, Alexandra Vorbeck.
Top reality-TV producer Mike, 47, filed for divorce from Alexandra, also 47, late last year, citing irreconcilable differences. According to court papers, the couple — who have two grown-up children — separated at the end of 2010, but are still going through mediation.
Fleiss, who’s been trying to keep his divorce a tight secret, is represented by Beverly Hills uber-lawyer Lance S. Spiegel, who previously repped Eva Longoria in her divorce from Tony Parker.
Fleiss famously met his wife, a former management consultant, in high school. They married in August 1987 when he was a humble sportswriter and Vorbeck was a stay-at-home mom as he built his TV empire.
Fleiss’ company Next Entertainment has flourished because of the success of “The Bachelor,” which started in 2002, plus spinoffs “The Bachelorette” and “The Bachelor Pad.” In 2009, Fleiss’ company was said to have 300 employees and be worth $100 million. He spent much of last year traveling and filming the current season of “The Bachelor.”
Their marital home, a sprawling 34,000- square-foot, five-bedroom Brentwood mansion, is now on the market for $7.5 million. Fleiss now has a bachelor pad in Malibu.
Despite the popularity of the show, the couples it creates nearly always end in disaster. Fleiss explained in 2009, “It’s hard to find people who are compatible enough to stay together. Look at the divorce rate in this country.” He said the shows have “about a 25 percent success rate.” Perhaps as a warning, Fleiss also told Broadcasting & Cable, “It’s always for now. Everyone’s relationship is for now; me and my wife are for now.”
Reps for Next Entertainment and ABC didn’t get back to us. Lawyers for Fleiss and Vorbeck also didn’t respond.