Utah woman tries to snag 'Bachelor' ELYSSA ANDRUS The Daily Herald on Wednesday, October 09 Kyla, who is from the Salt Lake area, is vying for the heart of Before meeting the potential man of her dreams in front of producers, television cameras and two dozen other becoming women, 22-year-old Kyla faced the question that plagues many ascending starlets. How do you gracefully climb out of a limo in a slinky dress and kitten heels? Kyla, an airline supervisor from the Salt Lake City area, is one of 15 contests competing tonight for the affections of a hunky bank vice president on ABC's reality dating show, "The Bachelor." Kyla has signed a confidentiality agreement with ABC not to disclose her last name or how the already taped series will unfold, but she will say this about her potential love connection, 28-year-old Aaron Buerge, "He's a total hottie." In case you've missed the pop culture phenomenon that was last season's original "Bachelor," here is how the series works: Thousands of romantic hopefuls send in applications and audition tapes, from which producers choose 25 accomplished, talented and telegenic females. From there, the bachelor schmoozes, wines and dines the lip-lacquered bunch, ever winnowing the pool until the final episode, in which he anoints -- and possibly proposes to -- the girl of his dreams. Love, marriage and a baby carriage to hopefully follow. One would think such fawning adoration could swell a bachelor's head, but Kyla said Buerge, an aviation enthusiast from Springfield, Mo., seemed surprisingly down-to-earth during their initial meeting. "You could tell he was nervous, which I kind of liked about him," she said in a telephone interview from her Salt Lake area home. "He wasn't all that with 25 women..." For Kyla, who watched last year's original "Bachelor" series on television, filming the second episode in the luxe mansion was kind of like a trip to the Twilight Zone. "It's a surreal feeling, actually," she said. "I just couldn't believe that I was there." In a fierce competition in which all the contestants are beautiful, charming and accomplished, Kyla says her down-to-earth nature and high standards make her unique. "I've got my head on pretty straight and I know where I'm going," she said. "And I think that sets me apart a little bit." Like Julie Stoffer on "The Real World 9: New Orleans," Kyla is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She says her religious commitment provides a balance to the all-makeout, all-the-time vibe that some reality television shows have taken on. "I think me being Mormon adds a little bit of spice to the show," she said, noting that reality shows often look to assemble a cast from different backgrounds and faiths. While some have asserted that the idea of dozens of young women vying for one man's attention is blatantly anti-feminist and even a little embarrassing, Kyla says she doesn't take the show too seriously. She says it's a "different approach to dating," one that forces people to get out of their comfort zones by, say, making romantic overtures in front of a television camera. Like the man she is competing to snare, Kyla has also broken off an engagement to be married. But she said she thinks she'll be ready to take the plunge when her soul mate comes along. Kyla's keeping mum about whether Buerge is The One, but she will say this about her ultimate love connection -- "The man of my dreams is definitely someone that is ambitious and driven and has high standards -- just a real person." And if he loves the outdoors and country dancing and wakeboarding like Kyla does, well, that wouldn't hurt either. Email Elyssa Andrus at eandrus@heraldextra.com. This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page C1.