Deb, I'll add my song to the chorus. I'm sure you smelled one of the stinky Bulbo's at the show you went to, and for sure, it is a turn-off for me, too. I would never grow one because I just can't stand the smell of stinky flowers or the appeal of growing them. Also I'd have to wonder - what dummy would bring a stinky Bulbo in bloom to a show? That's in the manual of "How to drive away your customers". On the other hand, if you don't like the smell of lilies, some orchids might turn you off, even if they didn't smell bad to other people. They can be very fragrant.
But I have nearly 100 orchids, and scents ranging from jasmine-like to fruity to spice cookies. It depends upon the type and cultivar. The one that smells like spice cookies attracts the raccoons when it's in bloom, so I have to bring it indoors. The variety and range of scents is truly amazing, almost as great as the astonishing array of sizes, shapes and colors of orchids. There's everything from plain, elegant white ones that look like modern art, to the most outrageous marked, frilled, fringed and floofed flowers you'll ever see. Multi-colors, stripes, dots, the full catastrophe, you might say.
I remember with amazement my mother saying "Orchids have no scent" because she loved fragrant flowers. Must be because my Dad bought her corsage after corsage of the wrong type of orchid (obviously).
Let's just say that if you do venture into growing orchids, be sure to smell before you buy, so you get one you're sure you like. There are lots with very soft, subtle fragrance and some with none at all. My favorites like the white one above only release their perfume at night. Their parent plant is nicknamed the "Lady of the Night" orchid.
