she has never been the "other woman" in extramarital affairs and never wanted to be. The only other time that occurred was when her beau's wife was revived by paramedics after she was declared dead. Blanche has also ruined good relationships with worthy men. Jake (Donnelly Rhodes) was perfect and wanted to marry her; he was charming and romantic, but Blanche found him a little 'rough around the edges' compared to the gentlemanly types she usually dated. She turned down his marriage proposal, to the disgust of her roommates, and regretted it later. When another beau, Steven (Robert Mandan), was hospitalized, she refused to visit him until much later, by which time he reconciled with his ex-girlfriend, Karen. Unlike Blanche, who feared commitment and having another man die on her, when Karen heard of Steven's illness, she went right to his side when he needed someone. Blanche dated a blind man, John Quinn (Edward Winter) and considered breaking up with him because she knew he was not attracted to her physical beauty. She later apologized to him and made plans to see him again, but the relationship apparently ended, as he was never mentioned on the series again. Blanche's most frequent (but only seen once in season six) date was Mel Bushman (Alan King), who was always available whenever she lacked male companionship. The one time he was not, Blanche assumed he was dead and promptly fell in temporary love with him when she realized he was alive. Because of his zipper manufacturing business, Mel was known as "The Zipper King". When Blanche's death was reported mistakenly in a newspaper, Mel sent flowers and a note, saying he went back to his ex-wife. Blanche is portrayed as promiscuous. In one episode, it is stated that her initials, Blanche Elizabeth Devereaux, spell out the word "BED". However, in a previous episode, Viola Watkins called her "Blanche Marie Hollingsworth". Blanche spends a great deal of her time with men, a source of condemnation from and amusement for her roommates. Blanche's seemingly liberated sexual behavior was in contrast to the sexual climate of the 1980s, when AIDS was beginning to seep into the nation's consciousness. However, in the episode "72 Hours", Blanche was cognizant of the dangers of HIV and STDs; she always used protection and knew every lover's sexual history. It was implied in one episode that she has had numerous interracial