TROPHY CLUB, Texas — In homes across North Texas, women gather for a Monday night ritual formed around friendship, food and a love of judging the drama of relationships and romance as shown on reality TV.
At a home in Trophy Club, a group of women catch up, fill their plates and cups and settle in to watch "The Bachelor." Their watch party might look like yours but this group is primed with a perspective on what is best for Peter Weber.
Why? Because they too fell in love with a pilot.
"I mean they vet these guys really well, so he's smart," said Alie Fonseca. "He's gotta be."
Once Fonseca's husband started flying with American Airlines, she started planning parties for other wives of pilots. They know what it takes to live a schedule that's far from your typical 9-to-5.
"When you have a pilot wife friend, maybe you have to cancel three times and they're not going to be mad at you, because they get it," Fonseca said.
But there are perks, such as what Elizabeth Whatley's husband brings home.
"The benefit I enjoy the most is all the hotel soap we can handle," she said.
But the women who want to make a life with Weber should know what they're signing up for.
"Being a pilot wife is the best of both worlds, because you get them home a lot and when they're home they're totally home. But when they're gone, it's all on you," Whatley said.
Whether it's a broken water heater or a sick kid, the pilot's partner has to solve it alone. But groups like this one are a secret weapon. When one woman's struggling with juggling it all, they've relied on one another to provide that extra help.
These wives are all quick to say Weber needs an independent woman. And what does she need?
"Here's what I would tell whoever wins Peter's affection, is to find a really good group of women, that adore this lifestyle and are willing to put up with whatever it is because of her man," Whatley said.