Stacey Anderson: Urbancougar of the Year 2009

Stacey Anderson

Urbancougar of the Year
Formerly Urbancougar of the Month April 2009


Hometown: Scottsdale, Arizona


After a careful review of all the worthy candidates and a period of intense deliberation, the crack team here at urbancougar.com is proud to announce our Urbancougar of the Year – Stacey Anderson! She is “The Cougar” after all. But she’s so much more than that. She’s everything we look for in a cougar – successful, self-assured and sexy beyond measure.

When we last spoke with Stacey, the TV Land show had wrapped and she became engaged to the young man she met on the show. Unfortunately, when we spoke with her again recently, we found that the engagement had been called off. But she remains in good spirits and maintains that healthy perspective we love in her. She tells us, “I am no longer engaged to the winner of the show. For me personally, the dynamics absolutely changed when I settled back into ‘reality,’ for lack of a better word! I will say, that age was not a prevalent force in why we chose to remain friends. Every relationship experience is uniquely individual and takes it's own course.”

Can one really find “true love” on a reality show, we wondered. “Absolutely!” Stacey says. “Jason and Molly from Bachelor season 15 are engaged, although he originally proposed to Melissa. They are a prime example of shifting dynamics once outside the context of the show. Ed and Jillian are still going strong from Bachelorette season 5, and we all know Trista and Ryan's fairy-tale ending from the original Bachelorette season. Couples from every walk of life still face the dynamics of real life issues that can make or break the relationship. If you met on a reality show or at Starbucks, it's irrelevant! What matters is the core of that relationship and what unfolds with time. “

Well said, Stacey. Well said. So what else has our Urbancougar of the Year been up to? On to the rest of the Q&A…

What have you been doing since the show aired?
I am very excited to announce I am in the process of forming a multi-media corporation that encompasses what it means to reinvent yourself as a woman of "40" something. There is a book in the works, a boutique-style line of clothing, and an online dating forum in the mix. I love to create and I'm blessed with a great team of people collaborating towards redefining the term Cougar.

What's your opinion of the reaction to the show? You mentioned before you hoped "to raise the bar of how people view cougars." Do you feel you have?
I have many fans who relate to and embrace my mission of redefining exactly what a Cougar stands for. I've received compliments, positive energy and praise from all over the world. For me, those messages make me feel like I accomplished what I set out to do, which was to connect with the audience and raise the bar. However, there are critics out there who still hang onto the preconceived notion that a Cougar is nothing more than an amped-up barbie doll. Those people have very little depth and insight into what a Cougar is, or maybe they don't have what it takes to be a true Cougar, so they shun it.

Do you find people recognize you on the street now? What's been the most interesting thing that's happened as a result of your newfound fame?
Even when I am in a baseball hat and sweats at the grocery store, I get stopped. I am like a kid in a candy store when I get asked, "Are you the Cougar?!". I get such a kick out of someone else's excitement over recognizing me! The best thing that has happened from the show is the connections (or reconnections) I have made. Friends from 30 years back have reached out as a result of the show, and I've met people I'd never have had the pleasure of knowing had it not been for The Cougar.
The Goo-Goo dolls called me and said, "You and your show are our forbidden pleasure!". THE Goo-Goo Dolls?! Whoaaa!

A very funny experience was when I broke my leg recently. (Darn those stilettos!) I was in the ER, getting a cast put on. I had to lie facing down with my leg straight up in the air for them to place the cast on. As the doctor and nurse were wrapping my leg with gauze and plaster, they were talking about the show. I kept trying to chime in, but I was in such an awkward position, I couldn't get a word in edgewise. They kept debating over who I chose, what I was really like in person, and that they knew I lived in Scottsdale. I listened and had one of those Cheshire Cat grins on my face. Finally when I turned over and had a chance to look the doc in the eye, he exclaims, "Hey, you look familiar!" Really??!! Hmmm... I wonder why??!

What's next on the horizon for you?
One of the reconnections I made was with a Director/Screenwriter friend of mine, David O'Neill. He was half-asleep with his TV on, and heard my voice. He looked up at the screen, and saw me on The Cougar. He called and said, "I always knew somehow you'd wind up on television." His most recent screenplay, a comedy titled, GOLF, "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden", stars Chris McDonald (Shooter McGavin in “Happy Gilmore”) and Tia Carrera. I have a participating role in the movie. We start shooting in the Spring.

...Better go work on my golf swing!