No matter how forced and unbelievable the "love story," no matter how tasteless the "fantasy suite" scenes, no matter how awkward the "meet the family" visits ... I keep watching, hoping, even sometimes believing for awhile, that this couple will be different.
The show has a deplorable track record for actually creating marriages. So far, only one couple - Trista and Ryan - have actually tied the knot. Most of the romances (or "showmances") last until the After the Final Rose special is aired and the happy couple makes the publicity circuit. Then, after a few months, they break up, alerting the tabloids - and surprising no one.
Another new season of my favorite guilty pleasure has begun production, according to the spoiler sites, and this time clean-cut airline pilot Jake, the almost Ken-doll-like castoff from Jillian's season, will be handing out the infamous red roses.
Since my NaNoWriMo novel is set behind the scenes of a very Bachelor-esque television show, I've been paying a bit more attention than usual to this franchise, doing some reading, research and yes, even watching a few old episodes from seasons past. Recently, while perusing one of the spoiler/sleuther sites, I came across a piece of interesting news:
Jason Mesnick and Molly Malaney are engaged.
I'll admit it: this made me smile. A lot.
You might remember Jason. All season, Chris Harrison pummeled into our brains that Jason was a handsome single dad from Seattle (and there were plenty of adorable shots of Jason and his young son, Ty, playing together, to reinforce the tagline). From the earliest episodes of Jason's season, it seemed obvious that he was strongly attracted to the perky brunette from Texas, former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Melissa Rycroft. Adorable, giggly, eternally bubbly Melissa, who aspired to be a first-grade teacher, captured both Jason's attention and viewers' affections.
In the earliest episodes, though, another woman stood out to me (and probably to some other viewers). Molly was a bit of a tomboy, introducing herself to Jason wtih a challenge to see his golf swing. She was aggressive, ensuring she got one-on-one time with Jason at the cocktail parties and on group dates.
She was also the winner of the silly songwriting contest in which she serenaded Jason about how their love could be as perfect as the pairing of McNuggets and French fries. For this, she "won" a one-on-one date with Jason and became the first contestant to ever do the walk (a.k.a. limo ride) of shame back to the mansion after a date, wearing Jason's gym shorts and tee shirt. (Who knows what actually went on in that tent - the editors had a field day making it look and sound as non-innocent as possible.)
For some reason, I just liked Molly. Maybe in some ways she reminded me of myself, because let's face it, I'm definitely a Molly, not a Melissa. I'm neither tiny nor eternally perky nor a former cheerleader. I could relate to her, and I liked her.
From a viewer's perspective, I was pretty sure Jason liked Molly, too. But somewhere around mid-season I read some spoilers. Melissa was the woman Jason eventually chose, they said. Since I wanted to be able to watch the season finale without feeling let down by Jason's choice, I decided to get on board the Melissa train. After all, she was cute, sweet, and totally endearing - much more outwardly lovable than many of the other contestants, including my once-favorite, Molly.
Ultimately, Jason did choose Melissa, proposing to her with a huge, hideous ring in New Zealand - but only after rejecting an angry, confused, and obviously hurt Molly, who informed Jason that she felt she, not Melissa, was a better match for him and that he was making a mistake. It looked like Jason really was torn, crying like a little girl after saying goodbye to Molly, agonizing over what he had done. Who knows what possessed him to then propose to Melissa, but propose is what he did.
And then ... well, apparently then he realized that Molly was right: letting her go was a mistake. Choosing Melissa was a mistake. Perhaps because they were too different, perhaps because they met on a reality dating show, they couldn't make the relationship work.
My family and I watched, horrified, as Jason dumped Melissa on the After the Final Rose special (although she obviously already knew the relationship was over) and then, moments later, asked Molly for another chance.
"How could he do that?" we wondered aloud. "What a jerk. How could he do that to Melissa?"
Righteous indignation on the part of the woman scorned ran so high that for awhile, I refused to even acknowledge the one thing that ultimately matters. On the second reunion special, and in every television appearance and magazine article since, Jason and Molly seem really happy together.
The way it happened was undeniably ridiculous and ill-advised. Certainly Jason can't be excused for spinelessly going along with the producers' desire to tape, and air, the dump-and-switch routine. Certainly one can't help but wonder why the hell he didn't just choose Molly in the first place. But apparently the two are not only still together, they are happily together and newly engaged.
There has been a lot of talk about Molly and what kind of a person she must be. What kind of a woman does what she did? I've seen her called many things in internet articles and other sites, and none of them are nice things. People question her morals, her values, her self-esteem and self-respect. Would a woman with any self-respect take back the jerk who dumped her and proposed to someone else?
I guess taking back the jerk who dumped you is, perhaps, something that a woman with no self-respect would do, but I don't think that's what happened here. Molly seemed all season, and seems now, to be a confident, self-aware, intelligent woman. She had feelings for Jason and based on their limited dating experience on a highly-manipulated reality show, she felt like if they had a chance to date in private, they actually would be a good couple. So, when Jason realized that he still had feelings for her, as well, she had a choice: write him off as an asshole and walk away ... or make an educated decision to give him another chance and find out if she was right about their potential together.
Maybe Molly got caught up in her emotions. Maybe she is a risk taker. Maybe she just hates the what-ifs. For whatever reason, she took Jason back.
Somehow I doubt she simply welcomed him back with open arms and no questions or stern discussions, but it appears that this couple decided to work through their rocky beginning, put the past behind them, and see what the future held. Clearly, it's working for them.
Now, I have never met either of these people and I'm sure I never will. As I said before, I can't and won't defend Jason's decision to allow his dump-and-switch to be filmed and aired on national television. I think that part of his decision-making process set a pretty poor example for his son, who will, no doubt, someday find out the full story of how his dad and step-mom got together. But I can also allow for the fact that a reality show is not like everyday life and Jason may have felt unable, under the fast-paced filming schedule and the pressure from producers, to refuse.
But as I compile my research, outline my NaNoWriMo notes about people who take a risk to find happiness, and re-live some of the cringe moments and "aww" moments of Bachelor seasons past, I can't help but keep thinking about Molly. She obviously doesn't need some random woman defending her on the internet, but so many have disparaged her and I think that's pretty sad.
Relationships are a risk, and in the end, I can only applaud this woman for being able to hold her head up and take the risk that has brought her happiness. In her situation, I believe I would do the same.
And who knows - if this couple's engagement is the real deal, maybe The Bachelor franchise will be able to add another wedding to its record! ;)
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