The Bachelor

The Bachelor is an ABC reality show where women compete for the affection of one man. The reverse is true in The Bachelorette series. Season 15 of The Bachelor premiered on January 3, 2011 with Brad Womack returning as the season's eligible guy looking for a wife.

The season opener recapped the ending of Brad Womack's first time on the show, when he sent both finalists, Jenni Croft and DeAnna Pappas home and did not choose anyone for his wife. Womack was interviewed by host Chris Harrison and spoke with both Pappas and Croft apologizing for not being able to make a commitment to them. Major portions of the first hour focus on Brad Womack's past experiences and why he believes he has changed enough to select a winner in season 15 and find a relationship.http://abc.go.com/watch/the-bachelor/SH559030/VD55103868/week-1-part-1

Throughout the weeks leading up to the initial episode, websites, blogs, and message boards predict who the winners will be, reveal what they can find out about the bachelorettes and attempt to find out information during filming. Prior to season 15's first episode, ABC released commercial videos which showed portions of the filmed episodes and created discussion regarding who would be chosen by Womack when the final rose ceremony occurs.

How It Works

Twenty five single women enter the series in hopes of finding true love. They live in the same house together and go on group dates and single dates with the bachelor. Contestants are eliminated if they do not receive a rose from the bachelor. When four ladies are left, he goes to their hometowns to meet their friends and family, and the final two ladies meet his family. At the finale, the bachelor chooses one woman to either marry or develop a further relationship with outside of the show. One bachelor, Brad Womack of the 2007 season, opted not to pursue a relationship with any of the women.

Season 13's Bachelor - Jason Mesnick

Jason Mesnick made it to the final two as a contestant on The Bachelorette. While the bachelorette DeAnna Pappas did not accept his proposal, Mesnick starred in his own version of the dating program. In the finale Mesnick picked Melissa Rycroft. The two ultimately broke up and Mesnick then dated runner-up Molly Malaney.

Season 13 Conspiracy Theory

Steve Carbone, from the website Reality Steve, posted on February 18, 2009, that he had inside information about a shocking ending that would take place on the show. He states that Jason chooses Melissa at the finale, but that Mesnick and Melissa are no longer dating following the "After the Final Rose" episode, and that Jason is now dating Molly. Carbone insists that the producers of the show fabricated the drama, but Host Chris Harrison denied that the show has ever been involved in scripting the ending of the series.MLive: Michigan's Molly Malaney... (February 19, 2009)EW.com: Chris Harrison Blogs...(February 24, 2009)