The Bachelor Begins and, Finally, Jason Mesnick Gets His Second Chance

Last spring, it seemed like all of female America gasped in shock when Deanna Pappas of ABC-TV's "The Bachelorette" chose Jesse Csincsak over Jason Mesnick. And we were right. The engagement between Deanna and Jesse didn't last.

But Jason didn't give up on love. And as a new season of "The Bachelor" approached, neither did all the ladies who had watched his heart get broken. Letters and e-mails poured in from everywhere nominating Jason as the next "Bachelor" to choose a bride from 25 new women. And so it was. ABC knew a good thing when they saw it, and called Mesnick back.

The big question was; would he be ready so soon? And in "The Bachelor" Premiere last night, the answer came quickly. Jason proclaimed "My heart is completely healed and I'm ready to find love again."

Jason looked ready indeed. Smiling and relaxed in front of the camera like an old pro now, his body is buff. His pecks and biceps are, I suspect for many men, enviably "built" yet in proportion to his body type. He still seems genuine, humorous, loving and kind. Not to mention how good he looks in a suit.

As for the new bevy of beauties, it soon became clear that whatever the season holds, you could separate the immature girls from the worldly women immediately. There were those with orange skin from too much fake tan. There were some fidgeting with their clothes, others slouching and some squealing with babyish delight. Several absolute stunners and a few "where'd ABC find her?" were among the group.

Jason Mesnick remained a gentleman. He did his best to keep his eyes above cleavage level (and boy, there was some abundant cleavage), and not to change his expression in between girls. Although one could detect a special glimmer in his eyes now and then, he acted like a man who knows looks aren't everything.

Mesnick is the first parent ever to star in "The Bachelor" series. He has a 3-year-old son, Ty. Now, ABC has added some single moms with one and even two kids. And Ty is on location with his dad. Nice touch. Jason is totally open to expanding the family.

One thing's for sure. The women must understand how much Ty means to his daddy. As one sincere-looking lady put it, they may not all realize the impact of parenthood.

From the behavior of the hopeful brides to the previews of future episodes, it looks like "The Bachelor" viewers will have to withstand some activities from the girls that look more like an especially cheesy episode of "The Bad Girls' Club" - foul language and all.

Chris Harrison is getting a little boring as the host. Mesnick, his son and his brother (as a guardian for Ty) are residing in an interesting modern desert structure. The mansion which will house the contestants looked exotic and inviting as usual, lit from the ground up with a beautiful swell of colors.

Just when you'd say "The Bachelor" Premiere was taking its usual route, a surprise was added. It turned out the girls would get to vote on one girl to send home. Wow. What if it turned out to be the very one Jason was thinking of giving the "first impression rose" to? It was an interesting twist. However, it backfired. The very girl chosen earned an automatic rose.

But the show's most interesting moment came when one woman was allowed to cook hot dogs in order to test Jason's "marriageability". She said the best guy would choose mustard - a blend of the most desirable attributes from a "ketchup guy" and a "sauerkraut guy". Sure enough, Jason came in and he was all about choosing the mustard.

We all knew Jason was the right man for the season. Or seasoning.

Ten girls were eliminated on this very first night. Tune in to ABC next Monday at 8 pm EST, 7 Central to see what happens next.