Dating nightmares. We've surely all got a couple of stories of where a date (or relationship) ended badly. But what about when things get really bad, such as you've been the victim of dating violence, or you've been taken in by an internet dating scam?

Cable channel E! Entertainment is airing a special this evening entitled Dating Nightmares that reveals the worst that can happen in the dating stratosphere, along with real-world scenarios and interviews with experts who provide suggestions on what you can do to protect yourself.

After reading the details about Dating Nightmares, it seems to me the show isn't for the faint of heart. One portion of the two-hour special is devoted to an interview with Nushawn Williams, the man convicted of knowingly infecting several women with the HIV virus, and another discusses the death of Peggy Klimke, whose time on earth was cut short by an obsessive ex-boyfriend. I'll still tape the episode (which premiers tonight at 8pm EST/PST), with the hopes of gleaning new information that could keep me safe in a hairy dating situation. If any of you catch the special, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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After hearing word that the Australian reality TV show The Farmer Wants a Wife was must-see dating television, I decided to take a peek earlier this evening. I was quickly hooked: a couple of hours later I'd already managed to watch all six episodes. I found the show was not only surprising in its humanity, but also in how meeting someone, dating relationships and the issues they pose are similar no matter where you live.

The premise of The Farmer Wants a Wife is simple: six single, full-time farmers are looking for long term relationships via the show. Women were invited to apply for the show via the Australian website, and of those who put themselves up for grabs, the farmers chose ten to meet in person. An hour or so later and a bunch of speed dates under their belt, the men are asked to whittle the list down to five each. After a group date the numbers are further reduced to two, and these women are invited back to the individual Romeos' farms for a 10-day farming "vacation".

Almost immediately upon arriving, chemistry and attraction come into play. One couple in particular fell head over heels in love almost instantly, and instead of creating a tear-filled and drama-laden show, the obviously third-wheel women quietly leave the farms early, wishing the lovebirds farewell and many good intentions. Not only were the women who chose to leave a breath of fresh air, but I found them to be excellent, upstanding role models for women around the world. Either there was a connection or there wasn't, and those who felt the special spark had no issue going with their hearts, and those who didn't were cheerful if sad upon leaving. If The Farmer Wants a Wife intention was to honor courtship at its core through an entertaining and very public television show, the original Australian version definitely succeeded.

The show was also realistic, and not everyone fell hard or was treated kindly. One gent in particular rubbed me the wrong way from the get-go; he seemed disingenuous to me, and I felt badly for the women he chose. Not surprisingly, this guy created more drama than all of the other participants combined by dropping bomb after bomb throughout all six episodes, leaving several women hurt and confused as to why he'd even come on the show in the first place.

Series Two of the Australian series is already in the works, and the Americanized spinoff just started airing last week. Unfortunately, the US show seems more like a reality TV version of Nicole Ritchie's The Simple Life than anything (to me), losing the freshness, spirit, integrity and hope of the Australian original.

Have you watched either version of The Farmer Wants a Wife? What did you think?

In a recent dating question, a Nicky asks, "I recently told a coworker that I was attracted to him. He feels the same. We have had sex, which was great, and we plan on seeing each other when I return home from school. We have a ton in common, feel completely at ease with each other, we were friends before we were intimate. The problem is, he has a girlfriend who he lives with and has been dating for two years. I was fine with being friends with benefits but we talk every day and can't wait to see each other. Should I stay in this and see if he leaves his girlfriend, or am I asking to get my heart broken?"

In a word, yes, you are asking to get your heart broken - especially if you believe that the "problem" is his girlfriend, and not the fact that you are sleeping with a man who is supposedly in a committed, live-in relationship. I realize these next words are so often mentioned that they seem trite and not very helpful, but they bear repeating: Someone who will be unfaithful with you, will have no issue cheating on you. So even if the gent does leave his girlfriend for you, you've got a huge uphill battle ahead. Few relationships (if any) can thrive with this kind of background.

You say you have no issue with the friends with benefits relationship, which isn't a problem if that's all you are looking for. But asking if your heart might be broken with this arrangement tells me another story: that you want more, but aren't quite ready to admit it, even to yourself.

My advice? The talking every day needs to stop, as does the friends with benefits arrangement. Being coworkers may make this a bit more challenging, but nevertheless it needs to occur. Sever all interaction. If he asks why and you feel the need to give a reason, let him know you feel you've made a mistake and need some space. Don't answer his calls, emails or any other methods of communication. If he's The One for you, he'll understand that he needs to break things off with his girlfriend, move out, and spend some time alone before trying to even be friends with you again, let alone attempt a sexual or romantic relationship. And if it was only friends with benefits for him, then you've lost nothing other than a casual sex partner, which isn't hard to find with someone who is available/single if that's all you were after in the first place. As for your friendship with the gent, it may survive the situation if what the two of you shared was strong to begin with before you became intimate, but do yourself a favor and steer clear of him for at least a couple of months.

What do you think? Do you have any advice for Nicky?

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It's not often that I get an email advising me that an online dating site is closing its doors. And yet, earlier today, I received this:

After much consideration we have decided to end the LoveHappens service. You may continue to use LoveHappens until May 31, 2008. After May 31, 2008 you will no longer have access to LoveHappens. We hope you enjoyed using LoveHappens as much as we enjoyed making it for you and we wish you love and success in the future.

I had to go log into the site to remind myself which site it was; I'd joined in 2004 for some dating quizzes, but never actually met anyone from the site, even though the concept was interesting. I think because, at the time, it was a pay-per-use site, and I preferred sites like Lavalife where only the person contacting me had to pay. Free dating sites like Plenty of Fish weren't around in full swing then.

So R.I.P LoveHappens. Thanks for the winks and giggles.

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I'll admit I have a bit of an unhealthy attraction to Sex and the City, even years after its initial release. It was one of the first television shows I identified with, and even though she was single and struggling with her on-again, off-again relationship with Big, a small part of me wanted to be Carrie Bradshaw. Ok, minus the NY living and shoe fetish.

So I've eagerly anticipated the Sex and the City Movie, which is supposed to hit theaters May 30th, 2008. Few details have been leaked up until this point, other than a short mock up of the trailer (which I wrote about here: Sex and the City Movie Trailer). But now, finally, a preview has been released! iVillage has the scoop.

In the preview, someone admits to having an affair, a la "It only happened once, it meant nothing," another lovely lass is finally expecting a long-anticipated baby, one is supposedly getting married, and the last says she doesn't believe in marriage, but botox is a whole other conversation. Fans of of the show will probably be able to figure out who's who quite easily. There also seems to be some debate as to whether or not Big and Carrie will end up together in the fairytale ending (surprise surprise), and Charlotte's adopted daughter also makes a quick appearance.

Do you have any predictions for the Sex and the City Movie based on the trailer and preview? What do you think will happen to Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, Miranda and the rest of the cast?