The reason Chris Harrison started referring to The Bachelor as the “most dramatic” show on TV probably has a little something to do with Jason Mesnick and Molly Mesnick (née Malaney).
Jason, a then-single father from Seattle, first appeared on season 4 of The Bachelorette in 2008. While he was ready to get down on one knee during the season finale, DeAnna Pappas rejected him and accepted a proposal from Jesse Csincsak. (The twosome called it quits in November 2018.)
The account executive, who shares son Ty with ex-wife Hilary Buckholz, went on to be named the lead for season 13 of The Bachelor, which premiered in January 2009. While he originally picked Melissa Rycroft to be his wife, Jason changed his mind after proposing. The show then moved up the typically live After the Final Rose taping so Jason could break up with Melissa and tell Molly, the runner-up, he wanted to be with her.
After the drama unfolded onscreen in March 2009, Jason proposed to Molly that October.
“Melissa is a great girl, but there wasn’t any chemistry,” he told Us Weekly at the time. “So I broke up with her after Christmas, about a month after we wrapped. Obviously, I didn’t want it all on TV, but I had to take the chance if it meant getting [Molly] back. I’d rather have picked up the phone, trust me!”
Melissa, for her part, reconnected with boyfriend Tye Strickland after she was dumped by Jason. The twosome, who wed in December 2009, now have three kids. While the former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader is happily married, she opened up about how embarrassing it was to relive the drama when The Bachelor season 13 was added to Netflix in January 2020.
“I don’t really need to go back because it’s so far away,” she told Us. “However, of course, I’m getting sent screenshots, and memes, and stuff that people are now watching and finding. I had, like, the poof in my hair. I was wearing tank tops and scarves, it was a mess. There was no YouTube to show us how to contour, or do makeup. … I mean, it’s just an embarrassing time that was documented that people are getting to relive it again. … Tye watched it the first time around, which was his mistake, so he has those images ingrained in him forever.”
Scroll through to revisit Jason and Molly’s love story:
Jason’s season of The Bachelor started airing in January 2009.
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Six weeks after Jason proposed to Melissa during the season finale, he changed his mind and broke up with her on the After the Final Rose special, which aired in March 2009.
“As soon as she left, I felt like a huge piece of me was gone, a piece that made me a better person and made me alive,” he explained at the time.
Melissa fired back, “I trusted you with everything. Getting engaged and finding that person was a once-in-a-lifetime thing and you took that from me!”
When Molly came on the stage, Jason revealed he wanted a second chance with her.
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Jason put a ring on it in New Zealand in October 2009.
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The couple tied the knot in front of ABC cameras — and in the pouring rain — in California on February 27, 2010.
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Molly announced she was pregnant with their first child in October 2012. “Ty’s been an only child all of his life, so he's really excited to be a big brother and he totally understands what's going on,” Jason told Us at the time. "And it's nice that he's older, so maybe he will be able to help out a little bit."
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The duo welcomed daughter Riley in March 2013. “We welcomed the most beautiful healthy baby girl to our family today Riley Anne Mesnick. Thank you all for your well wishes!” Jason tweeted at the time.
Courtesy Jason Mesnick/Instagram
Jason and Molly returned to TV for an episode of Wife Swap in July 2015 to switch lives with fellow Bachelor Nation couple Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici. While Sean came under fire for looking like “a complete jackass” (his words) on the show for leaving Catherine a to-do list, Molly defended her husband-for-a-week.
“I had THE best time filming #CelebrityWifeSwap with @seanloweksu! He is an incredible person who adores his beautiful wife more than anything in the world,” she wrote via Instagram. “I wouldn't have wanted to spend my week swapped with anyone else. Thank you @seanloweksu & @catherinegiudici for welcoming me into your home. You will be our life-long friends and I cannot wait for this world to be blessed with little Lowes ❤️💙❤️” (The season 18 Bachelor and his wife are now the parents of three kids.)
Courtesy Jason Mesnick/Instagram
ABC called on Jason and Molly for their expertise when Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s season of The Bachelor had a similar ending to theirs. “After watching the finale, Jason and I both wished Arie would have reached out before doing anything. Our first piece of advice, most certainly, would have been to break up privately,” the pair told Us Weekly exclusively at the time. “Unfortunately it didn’t happen that way, but Arie knows he messed up.”
Arie, for his part, broke up with fiancée Becca Kufrin in front of ABC cameras and the network aired their entire breakup unedited. He got engaged to runner-up Lauren Burnham during the live After the Final Rose special.
“Becca handled it like a pro and has completely moved forward,” Jason and Molly added. “Honestly, seeing where Jason, Melissa and myself are today, they will all be JUST fine and we’re rooting for all of them!”
Courtesy Jason Mesnick/Instagram
The family of four posed for a sweet selfie on the golf course in June 2019. “Happy Father’s Day to our rock, our leader, our sense of calm, our voice of reason, and the one who gets us out of the house to enjoy the incredible life we’ve built together!” Molly gushed at the time via Instagram. “You are ALL THE THINGS @jasonmesnick!!! We love you!!! 💚”
Courtesy Jason Mesnick/Instagram
Jason and Molly celebrated a decade of marriage on February 27, 2020.
Courtesy Jason Mesnick/Instagram
from Celebrity News – Us Weekly https://ift.tt/2VnzDZg
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