ABC Announces Jake Pavelka is the New 'Bachelor'

ABC has confirmed that 31 year old commercial pilot Jake Pavelka will be the next Bachelor on the long running series The Bachelor. Pavelka, a Dallas Texas native who was dissed by bachelorette Jillian Harris last season, was the rumored pick and it was confirmed last night on ABC's Dancing With the Stars. DWTS host Tom Bergeron announced that Jake Pavelka will be the new Bachelor after a commercial break showed Pavelka, DWTS dancer Derrick Hough and two unidentified men each holding roses.

Last season on The Bachelorette, Pavelka caused plenty of drama when he tattled to bachelorette Jillian Harris that one of the other contestants, country singer Wes Hayden, had a girlfriend, Lauren Kagay, back home. After being eliminated by Harris, Pavelka even made a trip back to the show to warn Harris to watch out for Hayden.

The announcement of Jake Pavelka as the new Bachelor did not come as a surprise to many. A fan favorite early on, Pavelka was the well liked Mr. Nice Guy who just couldn't seem to find love. Last month Brittney Gammel, an unconfirmed contestant on the new season of The Bachelor, leaked the news that Pavelka was indeed the new Bachelor.

While his return trip to see Jillian last season tuned some viewers off, Pavelka still has plenty of fans. Fans were eagerly posting on Bachelor message boards last night after they spotted Pavelka in the DWTS audience sitting next to Bachelor host, Chris Harrison.

The other rumored contenders for the new Bachelor spot were last season's finalists Kiptyn Locke and Reid Rosenthal. But fans ruled Locke out early as he didn't seem all that interested in returning to the series after Jillian Harris broke his heart on last season's finale of The Bachelorette. Rosenthal, the funny guy realtor from Philadelphia, would have been a decent Bachelor pick as well, but ABC decided to go with Jake Pavelka instead.

So what can fans expect for the new season of the Bachelor? Pavelka's parents told People magazine that their son, who enjoys flying, scuba diving and skiing, likes adventure and spontaneity, so expect to see plenty of fun filled dates.

With the announcement of Jake Pavelka as the new Bachelor now confirmed, the only other question that remains is : Who the heck were those other two guys holding roses last night on Dancing with the Stars?

Filming for The Bachelor begins in November and the show will air Monday nights beginning in January 2010. The expected start date for Season 14 of The Bachelor is Monday, January 4, 2010 on ABC so stay tuned.

Sources:

ABC TV

People magazine