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‘Bachelorette’ Visits Hot Skates in Lynbrook

Hot Skates
Hot Skates (Picture from: www.hotskates.com)

Ashley Hebert, the star of this season’s “The Bachelorette,” has traveled to many places in her quest to discover which of the shows’ 25 contestants could give her the happiest future. She and her suitors have journeyed from Hollywood and Vegas to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and now Long Island.

Hebert’s journey brought her to Long Island when Roslyn native, J.P. Rosenbaum, brought her home to meet the family. And as part of his special surprise for the reality show star, Rosenbaum took Hebert to Hot Skates in Lynbrook–one of his favorite skating rinks growing up.

The episode of the couple goofing off in the skating rink aired Monday as the bachelorette visited the hometowns of the four remaining contestants on the show. After having several birthday parties at the popular rink he decided to bring Hebert to Hot Skates to make a new memory.

Luckily, for his family and friends cheering him on in Roslyn, Rosenbaum was handed a rose by the girl whose heart he’s trying to win over.

The general manager of Hot Skates, Art Freedland, explained that the show filmed on Easter Sunday, when the rink was normally closed to the public, so the episode didn’t end up interfering with the rink’s regular business.

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Screenshot from ABC.com

The show’s crew, of about eight people worked, with Freedland to help coordinate everything to create a warm, romantic scene for the couple’s date. Though Rosenbaum and the crew planned out the date, the rest was spontaneous and real, said Freedland, who added that the Bachelorette was surprised when she walked into the rink.

“I didn’t even know JP was who he was,” Freedland told the Press, “until I saw him come in with Ashley.” However, from what Freedland heard the crew say, and what he observed while he was working the lights, he believes they seemed very genuine. “Whether or not it’s love, only they know, but they were very affectionate,” he added. “And from what I could see, they had a great time.”

Freedland can’t be to off in his assessment because during the date the two exchanged heartfelt words of adoration and Rosenbaum did, after all, receive a rose to remain a contender on the show.

Only Hebert knowns why she decided to keep Rosenbaum around, but Freedland believes skating can really put a smile on people’s face. “You can make any place as romantic if you can create the right mood,” he explained. “But I think skating conjures up memories of your youth when you were carefree.” He said the nostalgia and youthfulness people can get from skating helps set a mood. And having a disco ball in the middle of a rink isn’t a bad feature either.

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Couple at Hot Skates (screenshot from ABC.com)

These features have made Hot Skates no stranger to the public eye. The rink has had a number of experiences in front of cameras. “We work well with other crews, we’re a large facility with a great open space…plenty of room for dancing and we can create a theatrical atmosphere,” Freedland explained.

Hot Skates has appeared in an episode of “Me or the Dog,” the MTV show “Made,” and NBC’s “LX New York.” It was even featured in the music video of a Latin singer, Prince Royce, when he did a remake of the famous song, “Stand By Me.”

The rink was also the scene of various photo shoots, most notably one for VS Magazine which featured Drew Barrymore, Ellen Paige, Zoe Bell and Juliette Lewis. “We’re glad to be a landmark facility to this day,” Freedland said, “and we are looking forward to hosting more events in the future.”

With all the experiences Hot Skates has had in the spotlight, fulfilling the confidentiality part of the contract between the Bachelorette and the skate rink was not a problem for the rink’s staff. No news was leaked, so there were no screaming fans waiting outside the rink as the couple walked in from Merrick Rd. in Lynbrook.

“The Bachelorette” returns Monday and Rosenbaum’s friends can cheer him on as he tries to find love with the attractive girl from Maine who seeks happiness that only one man can give her.