Believe it or not, there was a time when Tom Selleck couldn't get a date. Hard to imagine, right? Before the iconic mustache, the Ferrari 308 GTS, and the multi-decade run as the face of primetime television, Selleck was just another tall, lanky kid in Los Angeles trying to figure out how to pay the bills.
His solution? Game shows.
In the mid-1960s, Selleck made his television debut on The Dating Game. He didn't just go on once. He went on twice. And in what might be the biggest "what were they thinking" moment in reality TV history, he lost. Both times.
The Bachelor No. 2 Who Got Rejected
Most of us know him as Thomas Magnum or Commissioner Frank Reagan. But in 1965, he was simply Bachelor No. 2. He was 20 years old, a student at the University of Southern California (USC), and playing for the Trojans basketball team. He stood 6'4", possessed a jawline that could cut glass, and... had zero mustache.
It's jarring to see the footage. He looks like a classic Hollywood leading man in training, yet the bachelorette chose someone else. Honestly, it's a testament to how "accidental" his career really was. In his 2024 memoir You Never Know, Selleck is pretty candid about this era. He wasn't some stage-struck kid dreaming of Oscars; he just wanted to work.
He returned to the show in 1967. By then, he had a bit more polish, but the result was the same. He sat behind that flower-patterned screen, answered the cheeky, suggestive questions typical of the Chuck Barris era, and watched another guy walk away with the girl and the vacation package.
💡 You might also like: Liza Lapira and Marc Anthony: Why the Internet Keeps Linking Them
Why the Dating Game Tom Selleck Failures Matter
It’s easy to laugh at the irony, but these appearances actually served a purpose. They weren't just embarrassing relics. They were the catalyst for his entire career.
After his second loss, a casting director at 20th Century Fox reportedly saw the episode and thought, "This kid has something." It led to him joining the Fox talent program, which paid him a whopping $35 a week to learn the ropes. It was a developmental league for actors. Without the rejection on The Dating Game, Selleck might have finished his business degree and disappeared into a corporate office somewhere in the Valley.
"I was Bachelor No. 2," Selleck told People in a 1982 interview. "I didn't get the girl."
He says it with a grin now, but at the time, those failures were part of a long string of "no's." He filmed roughly six or seven TV pilots that never got picked up before Magnum, P.I. finally hit. That’s a decade of being told you’re not quite right for the part.
A Quick Timeline of Early Selleck:
- 1965: First appearance on The Dating Game as a USC senior.
- 1967: Second appearance. Still no win. Still no mustache.
- Late 60s: Joined the California Army National Guard (160th Infantry Regiment).
- 1970s: A blur of commercials for Pepsi, Revlon's Chaz cologne, and Right Guard deodorant.
- 1974: A stint on The Young and the Restless as Jed Andrews.
- 1980: Finally, the Hawaiian shirts and the fame.
What People Get Wrong About His "Big Break"
There is a common misconception that The Dating Game made him an overnight success. It didn't. It just got him in the door. The road from game show loser to household name took 15 years.
Think about that. 15 years of "close but no cigar."
He even did a commercial with a young Farrah Fawcett where he had to spend two days flirting with her for a Dubonnet aperitif ad. He got paid to be the "handsome guy in the background" long before he was the star. Even his famous role in The Rockford Files as Lance White was essentially a parody of his own "perfect" looks—he played a private eye who was so handsome and lucky that it drove James Garner’s character crazy.
Actionable Insights from the Selleck Struggle
There's a weird kind of inspiration in watching a guy like Tom Selleck fail at a dating show. It humanizes the legend. If the man who defined "cool" for an entire generation can get passed over for some guy named Pete or Bill, then maybe the rest of us are doing okay.
If you’re looking to apply the "Selleck Method" to your own career or life, consider these points:
- Visibility beats perfection: He wasn't a great actor in 1965. He was just there. Showing up on that stage got him noticed by the right person.
- Rejection is redirection: If he had won the date, maybe he’d have been too busy on a trip to Jamaica to make that Fox audition.
- The "Long Game" is the only game: Selleck didn't hit his stride until he was 35. In an era of TikTok fame, that's a lifetime.
Take a look at the old clips if you can find them. You’ll see a young man who is clearly uncomfortable but trying his best. It’s a reminder that everyone starts somewhere—usually behind a brightly colored partition, hoping someone picks them.
📖 Related: The Marilyn Monroe Beauty Quotes Most People Get Wrong
The next time you feel like you’re striking out, just remember: Bachelor No. 2 turned out just fine. He got the ranch, the career, and eventually, the girl. He just had to grow the mustache first.