Backtracking Bachelor Star Jason (Really, Truly) Engaged to Molly
ABC/MATT KLITSCHER
Um, second time's a charm?
Flip-flopping Bachelor star Jason Mesnick—whose flaky ways single-handedly launched Melissa Rycroft's career and generated new interest in the ABC franchise—has finally, formally popped the question to his second-banana soul mate, Molly Malaney, Mesnick's rep confirms to E! News.
It was only a year ago that Mesnick opted to spend the rest of his life camera time with Rycroft, thus denying Malaney his final rose. But he quickly and publicly dumped the Dancing queen for the castoff. Mesnick attempted to make amends by proposing in New Zealand, the same place where he initially gave her the boot.
All's well that ends well.
And while the choice of proposal spot may not exactly bring back the most romantic memories for the couple, well, you don't argue with free airfare, folks!
The duo was flown to the idyllic nation as part of a promotion for Tourism NZ, arriving on an Air New Zealand special matchmaking singles' flight and being put up in Auckland and Queenstown to appear in further promotions before heading back home.
You can't put a price on true love. Especially when that price is comped.
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Luckily, it looks like ABC has honed its screening process for future Bachelors. Team WWK breaks down the five reasons newly crowned rose-giver Jake Pavelka may not suck.
Five Reasons the New Bachelor Might Not Suck
ABC/CRAIG SJODIN
The new Bachelor was revealed last night on Dancing With the Stars: long-rumored Dallas commercial pilot Jake Pavelka of the most recent Bachelorette. But the news isn't exactly having the wow effect ABC may have been hoping for.
"Jake takes vapid to a new, almost creepy level," E.W.'s Popwatch blog wrote today.
The New York Post's Popwrap "won't watch" and calls Jake a "loser."
And a fan calling herself Emmagirl wrote to us this morning to ask, "Are you kidding? Watching that guy Jake will be like watching paint dry. I'll pass."
To which we say: Not so fast! We've talked to Jake himself and to host Chris Harrison, and here are five reasons the new Bachelor season might not suck...
Oops! Was the Next Bachelor Just Outed?
ABC
The show hasn't even begun filming and we already know one important thing about possible future Bachelor contestant Brittney Gammel?she can't keep a secret.
Jillian Harris reject Jake Pavelka is ABC's next Mr. Right.
The 25-year-old Learjet pilot was at a party in Tennessee when she spilled the beans to local news station WKRN that fellow pilot Pavelka would be the next man lookin' for love on TV. And she was already skeptical about their chances at making a connection.
Something tells us ABC may put the kibosh on Gammel's chance at doing more blabbing for reporters. According to her, the show doesn't start taping until November, plenty of time for the network to find a replacement blonde.
"We are not going to confirm who the Bachelor is or if this woman is even one of the bachelorettes," a network spokesperson tells E! News. "People need to tune into Dancing With the Stars on Oct. 13 to find out the real identity of the next Bachelor."
For those who've forgotten, Pavelka was the Dallas native who told Harris that fellow bachelor Wes Hayden had a girlfriend.
The 14th season of the romantic journey premieres in January.
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Jillian recently told us who she thinks should be the next Bachelor. Find out here!
Bachelorette Jillian Harris Dishes Up Wedding Plans, Babies & Bachelors
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for IMG
The Bachelorette, Jillian Harris, and her chosen beau, Ed Swiderski, are about to take a huge step in their relationship.
Nope, it's not a breakup. And it ain't a trip to the altar or the delivery room either.
The Canadian reality show heroine is moving to Chicago to be with her fairy tale fiance on Tuesday, she dished to E! News Thursday at the Rosa Cha show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in N.Y.C.
"I'm all packed up and ready to go," the 30-year-old smiled.
Oddly enough, her date for the bathing suit-centric presentation was an entirely different bachelor than the one who put the ring on her finger…
Melissa Rycroft: Bachelorette Jillian & Ed "Madly in Love"
Couresy Sushisamba Rio; AP Photo/Tammie Arroyo; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
The Bachelorette's Jillian Harris and Ed Swiderski are doing just fine despite infidelity rumors, according to her former Bachelor costar and friend Melissa Rycroft.
"Jill's good!" Melissa said at the Victoria's Secret Beauty launch for Heavenly Enchanted, where she was joined by her fiancé, Tye Strickland. "She's so resilient. I know [she] and Ed are madly in love, and they're supporting each other. Nothing's easy when you're in the public eye, but they’re working through it. I love her and I wish her the best."
Someone who never wished Melissa the best on her engagement? Her former Bachelor fiancé, Jason Mesnick—or his current fiancée, Molly Malaney...
Exclusive
Trista Sutter Blogs About The Bachelorette: David the Belligerent Jackass
Hal Horowitz/Getty Images
Original Bachelorette Trista Sutter is putting her reality-TV experience to use for us here at Watch With Kristin by blogging about Jillian Harris' quest for the perfect guy. Take it away, Trista...
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I can hardly believe we've already reached the always crazy "The Men Tell All" special. I guess I should know how time flies, though, with two kiddos under 2 years old! Here's my take on some of the highlights...
Exclusive
Trista Sutter Blogs About The Bachelorette: Does Ed Need Cialis?
Hal Horowitz/Getty Images
Original Bachelorette Trista Sutter is putting her reality-TV experience to use for us here at Watch With Kristin, blogging about Jillian Harris' quest for the perfect guy. Take it away, Trista...
Update
Melissa Rycroft Reengaged!
AP Photo / Tammie Arroyo
Melissa Rycroft has officially rebounded.
Barely four months after enduring a nationally televised breakup with indecisive Bachelor Jason Mesnick, Rycroft is engaged to fellow Texan Tye Strickland, the bride-to-be confirmed on Good Morning America Tuesday.
"Sometimes the stars align and the clouds part and everything works out the way it should," she said in a phone call to the morning show.
Per Rycroft, the engagement took place in private at White's Chapel in Southlake, Texas, after which the happy couple "went and met up with our parents and friends"—who were apparently onto something when they were reluctant to meet Jason last year—at a nearby restaurant.
Do Reality TV Contestants Have to Quit Their Jobs?
ABC/Adam Larkey
I watched Ed depart from The Bachelorette, and it got me thinking: What do reality contestants do about work? If I told my boss I needed 12 weeks off to shoot a secret reality show, it wouldn't go over well.
—Katie P., via the Answer B!tch inbox
As sad as it sounds, some people consider appearing on the teevee a once-in-a-lifetime dream, an opportunity not to be missed, no matter what the cost. And that includes the ability to pay rent. Some reality-show contestants have said they took unpaid leave or vacation time to appear on a reality show.
Contestants who can't get a break from their bosses have been known to simply quit.
Sometimes the fallout extends to the bosses of the people who compete. Take the case of the boss who got fired for letting an employee appear on The Bachelor:
Exclusive
Bachelor's Jason & Molly: Life's a Beach
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
We all know what Melissa Rycroft has been up to since Bachelor Jason Mesnick dumped her on national television for Molly Malaney: winning fans—and mucho votes—on Dancing With the Stars.
So where in the world is Jason? Living it up in the Caribbean.
Former Bachelorette Jen Schefft Weds
Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Jen Schefft is a Bachelorette no longer.
The two-time reality TV star wed Joe Waterman in an intimate ceremony Friday night at a restaurant in Chicago, according to People.
Schefft, 32, and Waterman, a 35-year-old trader, met on a blind date in February 2008 and announced their engagement in September.
Jen was previously engaged to Andrew Firestone, who popped the question during the 2003 season finale of The Bachelor. She also turned down a proposal as the star of The Bachelorette in 2005 and wrote a book called Better Single Than Sorry.
Firestone and his new bride, Ivana Bozilovic, welcomed a son, Brooks, in March 2009.
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Brit Bachelor Guy: Don't Look for Love on Reality TV!
ABC/CRAIG SJODIN
A former Bachelor star has a warning for potential contestants looking for love on the long-running ABC dating show.
Matt Grant, the leading man on season 12 of The Bachelor, says the show's potential for making a successful match is pretty low. "There's always the possibility [of finding true love on the show], but I think the chances are slim," Grant told us this weekend at the 23rd Genesis Awards in Beverly Hills. "It's hard enough finding a good girlfriend in reality, let alone the nonreality of reality TV."
As for America's most hated Bachelor Jason Mesnick...
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