If you just finished watching Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour on Netflix, you’re probably staring at your screen with a heavy knot in your stomach. It’s one of those true crime stories that feels too Hollywood to be real. A woman goes on a cheesy 1970s game show, picks a guy, and he turns out to be a prolific serial killer?
It happened.
Since the movie hit the mainstream, the question everyone is typing into Google is pretty simple: is Cheryl Bradshaw still alive? People want to know if the woman who stared down Rodney Alcala across a TV partition managed to live a long, happy life away from the cameras.
The short answer is complicated, mostly because Cheryl (often spelled Sheryl in show records) did exactly what most people would do after a brush with pure evil. She disappeared. Not in a "missing person" way, but in a "I’m moving and never looking back" way.
The Intuition That Changed Everything
In 1978, Cheryl Bradshaw was just a young woman looking for a break. She was an actress, a teacher, and, for one surreal afternoon, the bachelorette on The Dating Game.
She sat there in her ruffled outfit, asking questions to three hidden men. Bachelor Number One was Rodney Alcala. He was charming. He was "witty." The audience loved him. He eventually won the date, which was supposed to be a trip to Magic Mountain and tennis lessons.
But the "date" never happened.
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The moment the cameras stopped rolling and the artificial lights dimmed, the vibe changed. Cheryl felt it. She famously called the show's contestant coordinator, Ellen Metzger, and said something that probably saved her life: "Ellen, I can’t go out with this guy. There’s weird vibes coming off of him. He’s very strange. I’m not comfortable."
Metzger listened. The date was canceled. Alcala went on to continue his killing spree, and Cheryl moved on with her life.
Is Cheryl Bradshaw Still Alive Today?
There has been a lot of conflicting noise online about her current status. Honestly, the most reliable update we have comes directly from the team behind the film.
According to Anna Kendrick and the production notes for Woman of the Hour, the real Cheryl Bradshaw has passed away. Kendrick mentioned in interviews during the film's press run that Cheryl died fairly recently, before the movie was completed.
Before her passing, she had moved out of California, got married, and raised a family. She chose a life of total privacy. You won't find her on Instagram. She didn't do the "talk show circuit" or write a tell-all memoir about the time she almost dated a murderer. She just lived.
It's a bittersweet ending. On one hand, she escaped a monster. On the other, she passed away before the world could celebrate her incredible gut instinct on a global scale.
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Clearing Up the Author Confusion
If you search the name "Cheryl Bradshaw" online, you’re going to find a very active website for a New York Times bestselling mystery author.
This is not the same person.
The author Cheryl Bradshaw is a prolific writer of private eye and supernatural thrillers. She is very much alive, living in Australia, and regularly interacting with her fans. It’s a total coincidence of names, but it leads to a lot of "false hope" for true crime fans looking for the Dating Game contestant.
To recap the differences:
- Cheryl Bradshaw (The Survivor): Contestant on The Dating Game in 1978. Lived a private life in the American Southwest/Midwest. Reported to have passed away recently.
- Cheryl Bradshaw (The Author): Famous mystery writer. Lives in Australia. Still writing and very active in the literary world.
Why We Are Still Obsessed With Her Story
Why does "is Cheryl Bradshaw still alive" trend every time a new documentary or movie drops?
It’s because of the "What If."
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We live in a world of "red flags" and "gut feelings." Cheryl is the patron saint of listening to that tiny voice in the back of your head that says Run. Rodney Alcala had already served time for the brutal assault of an 8-year-old girl before he appeared on that show. The system failed. The background checks failed. The producers failed.
Cheryl was the only one who didn't fail.
She saw through the "photographer" persona and the clever wordplay. She saw the "weird vibes." In a decade where women were often told to be polite and "give the nice guy a chance," she said no.
What We Can Learn From Cheryl's Life
Even though she is no longer with us, her story is a masterclass in self-preservation. She didn't need to see Alcala’s "kill kit" to know he was dangerous. She just needed to spend five minutes with him off-camera.
If you’re looking for a takeaway, it’s this: Your comfort is more important than being polite. Cheryl didn't care if she "ruined" the show's production. She didn't care if she seemed "difficult" to the producers. She prioritized her safety over a free trip to an amusement park.
Final Thoughts on Her Legacy
While we don't have a public obituary or a grave site to visit, the legacy of Cheryl Bradshaw is alive in every person who chooses to trust their intuition. She proved that the most powerful tool we have against "monsters" isn't a weapon or a background check—it's that internal alarm system we're all born with.
If you're feeling inspired by her story, here are a few ways to honor that "Cheryl Energy" in your own life:
- Trust the "Ick": If someone feels off, they are off. You don't need a logical reason to walk away.
- Support Survivor Resources: Anna Kendrick donated her salary from the film to RAINN and the National Center for Victims of Crime. Supporting these organizations helps those who didn't get to "walk away" like Cheryl did.
- Research Before You Go: In the age of dating apps, use the tools Cheryl didn't have. A quick public records search can reveal more than a "charming" profile ever will.
Cheryl Bradshaw lived the rest of her life on her own terms, far away from the shadow of Rodney Alcala. That is the ultimate victory.