City woman chosen by ‘Joe Millionaire’

Lambertville’s Mayor David Del Vecchio, his son, Alex, and patrons of a local bar were interviewed at the end of the show.

By: Linda Seida
   Who said nice guys — or gals — finish last?
   Lambertville’s Zora Andrich, a true sweetie and unarguably the nicest woman on "Joe Millionaire," was chosen by Evan Marriott as the "winner" Monday night in a two-hour special on Fox network.
   He gave her a diamond ring — for her right hand as a symbol they are "going steady" — and sent Zora’s rival, Sarah Kozer, packing. And if that wasn’t enough to prove sometimes the nicest people do come out on top, get this: The new couple will share a million bucks.
   A check for that amount, made out in the names of both Zora and Evan, was delivered as the show’s final twist, one that was only hinted at last week to keep fans buzzing as they tried to figure out what it could be and kept viewers coming back for more.
   The seven-week series has been a hit from the start. The show’s premise took one Average Joe, put him in a French chateau with 20 attractive women and told them he was really "Joe Millionaire."
   Viewers knew all along he was a construction worker with an annual salary of $19,000, but supposedly the women did not. Fans kept Internet message boards full, speculating on which women were there for love and which were merely gold diggers.
   Viewers spent weeks trying to figure out which woman he would choose. But no matter which woman he finally chose, would she stay once she found out he was a fake? Would she want him for who he was rather than what he had?
   Zora didn’t disappoint. Throughout the series, she was the only woman out of the 20 who consistently appeared to be a class act. Monday night was no different. She didn’t call him "a loser" behind his back as her losing rival did. She didn’t suddenly change the values she’d led viewers to believe she’d had all along.
   "You had a problem with not knowing whether you could trust me or not," Evan reminded her before dropping the bomb.
   Knowing what he was about to say would only reinforce her doubts about him, he continued, "I don’t have $50 million. I don’t have $50,000. I’m sorry I lied to you, but I wanted to find someone to love me for who I am."
   He asked her not to give him her answer then. If she would agree to keep seeing him despite his deception, she should meet him in the ballroom later. She showed up, but not before some nerve-wracking moments for both the audience and her beau.
   The camera cut to scenes of Zora packing her clothes, ostensibly readying herself to leave the chateau and Evan behind. She finally showed up in the ballroom in a spaghetti-strap gown of shimmering midnight blue, raising his hopes, only to tell him she felt "grateful, but with regrets."
   She stood face to face with the man who had deceived her, in a ballroom decked out with white roses, white candles and a canopy of tiny white lights draped from a chandelier that probably cost more than her salary for the last five years.
   Would she really walk away from the Cinderella-like adventure?
   It would be hard to say. Firsthand information about Zora is rare. The show’s producers guard the female half of America’s newest couple as if she were the Queen of England. Actually at this point, the queen is probably more accessible than she is. She gives interviews only after producers grant their permission.
   What is known is she was born in New Mexico and settled in Colorado during her childhood. During her youth she visited relatives in Stockton, most likely her father’s family. Later, she attended Rutgers University and did some theater there.
   The show revealed more bits and pieces such as how she’d grown up in "extreme poverty." It showed the inside of her Lambertville apartment on Union Street where she had been living without heat and had set her blinds on fire by using the oven to warm the rooms.
   She admitted to having only $189 in her bank account. She found her job providing care for an elderly patient "gratifying." She also said she was considering selling one of the necklaces the "millionaire" had given her and using the money to help a cancer-ridden relative in Yugoslavia.
   Those facts, if true, say she knows the difference between reality and a fairy tale. And reality, before going on the show, wasn’t all that pretty for Zora. Despite the fact Evan had lied to her about being rich, a new life had to look attractive.
   So when she finally showed up in the candlelit ballroom, what answer did she give Evan?
   "You seemed really genuine, really honest. You told me to trust you," she said.
   One of her rivals had said earlier Zora doesn’t handle manipulation well. Man, oh man, there had to be a "thanks, but no thanks" coming.
   Instead she said, "But the good news is, I really was turned off by the fact you had inherited all that money. I would like to continue the journey and see what happens."
   Paul Hogan, who acted as the show’s butler, offered the couple two champagne flutes on a silver tray. Jersey girl Zora, seemingly more comfortable with animals and the outdoors than with high society, reached for a glass before realizing Evan had done the gentlemanly thing and picked up a flute to hand to her.
   "To the journey after France," she said as a toast, still poised and smiling after the small gaffe.
   "To a somewhat battered old sneak such as myself," said the butler, who was in on the ruse from the start. "True love really is a treasure."
   "Gosh, I don’t believe I’m hearing myself say this, but I do believe in fairy tales," Zora said. "Life doesn’t get any better than this."
   Can anybody really have an outlook that sunny? She’d been pitted against 19 other women, the majority of which were catty, aggressive and underhanded vipers. She’d been deceived and manipulated.
   Residents of her hometown said yes, she really is that positive, that real.
   "She’s nice," said Mayor David Del Vecchio’s small son, Alex, when a Fox News reporter asked him what he thought of Zora.
   Patrons of a local watering hole, gathered there for Monday night’s show, agreed.
   The mayor had a small spot on the "Joe Millionaire" finale. From behind a desk in City Hall, he said, "With Zora, what you see is what you get."