Jason Mesnick woke up the most hated man in America this morning, so who's to blame?

ABC, of course.

The Bachelor tells People.com that he had no choice but to break up with Melissa Rycroft, the perpetual dumpee, on national television.

"That was part of the deal. I signed up for it in my contract. Your relationship is in front of everybody," Mesnick said.

See previous Bachelors and Bachelorettes

For better or worse, or something like that. Jason should know -- the single father from Seattle has proposed to three women so far, and if rumors prove correct, he'll try to make the fourth time the charm when he proposes to runner-up Molly Malaney on tonight's After The Final Rose show on ABC.

See Jason Mesnick explain himself on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Meantime, former Bachelorette Trista Sutter is squarely in Melissa's camp. "I've spoken with Melissa. How could anyone do this?! I texted her last night and said, 'I'm proud of the way you handled it,'" Sutter tells Momlogic.com. "As far as I'm concerned, this is a blessing in disguise. Now she can find someone who truly loves her." Oh, Trista. Stop trying to stay relevant.

Read our After The Final Rose 2 Live Blog!

But let's find the silver lining in this mess and move on to happier things: Jillian as the next Bachelorette! Internet reports indicate it's a done deal, and Jillian will officially be announced tonight as the next Bachelorette. Personally, I'd prefer to see perky Melissa find happiness after being publicly humiliated by Jason Mesnick, but she's probably going into hiding as we speak.

Read our recap of The Bachelor season finale

At any rate, ABC is smart to keep milking this cast of characters as long as possible. Jason Mesnick, you'll recall, was cast as The Bachelor after being dumped by DeAnna Pappas, who became the Bachelorette after being dumped by Bachelor Brad Womack. The Bachelor and Bachelorette franchise has enjoyed a ratings surge the past two seasons not seen since 2004.

Recommend (0)

|  Comments (0)

|  Email

|  Share

Share  Facebook Digg del.icio.us