ABC Television Network
PRESS RELEASE
TRANSCRIPT FROM THE DECEMBER 17 "THE BACHELOR" TELECONFERENCE WITH NEW BACHELOR JASON MESNICK
"The Bachelor" premieres MONDAY, JANUARY 5 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
Operator: Welcome to Disney's The Bachelor call with Cathy Rehl as the leader. This call is being recorded. By staying on this call you are confirming that you consent to this recording.
If you do not wish to be recorded please disconnect from the call at this time. Thank you. Ms. Rehl, you may now begin your call.
Cathy Rehl: Hi, everybody, thanks for joining us today. I know this is a long time coming from like last summer when you all saw Jason Mesnick being rejected, unfortunately, by DeAnna and now it's his turn.
And as you probably know he is very happy and he has proposed and is engaged. We obviously can't tell you to who but there's an announcement coming out today about the 25 women and there's a little bit of history being made there as well. There will be single mothers for the first time on The Bachelor.
And with that I'm just going to open it for questions.
Operator: And at this time if anyone would like to ask a question please press star then the number 1 on your telephone keypad. To withdraw your question press the pound key.
We'll pause for just a moment to compile the Q&A roster. And your first question comes from the line of Laura Saltman with Access Hollywood.
Laura Saltman: Wow, first on, I can't believe it. That never happens. Hey, Jason.
Jason Mesnick: Congratulations.
Laura Saltman: Thanks, I'm so excited. So that's interesting. Tell me about the fact that there were single mothers in there. Did that give you pause or did it make them more interesting to you? What was the dynamic with that?
Jason Mesnick: You know, honestly it doesn't make a difference either way. I mean, I think that I would hope people would view me as a person, not just as a single dad. So to me, you know, going into it I had no expectations really as to who was going to be there but it didn't surprise me that there were single mothers. But it didn't make me think any one way or the other whether they're a mom or not.
Laura Saltman: And talk to me about how your son plays into the show? How much will we see him?
Jason Mesnick: He plays a very small, small part in the show. He - I think you'll see that early on if you see him it's him and I, just him and I. And I've said this once before that, you know, I just knew that there was no way that I could truly fall in love with somebody unless they saw my son.
Laura Saltman: Right. And how did your son take to your final choices?
Jason Mesnick: I would never, ever introduce somebody to my son that I in my heart knew that wouldn't be great to him already.
Laura Saltman: Okay, and can you clear something up for me? I know you've said that you're hoping that the third time's a charm and that obviously you've been married before, you sort of popped the question to DeAnna and now you're engaged for a third time. But some of the guys from the last season of Bachelorette had mentioned that you were engaged prior to being married. Is that true or not true?
Jason Mesnick: Oh, no, not true at all. I don't know where that - I mean, the only - I had a high school girlfriend when I was 15, that doesn't mean engagement. But there's no - I don't know where they got that from. And I would say that I was not engaged to DeAnna is my best recollection of that experience.
Laura Saltman: Yeah, that's why I said, "sort of." The words never exactly got out.
Jason Mesnick: Yeah. Well, and she never accepted either. So...
Laura Saltman: Okay, and then one last question then I'll let some other people talk to you.
Jason Mesnick: Yeah, there's no way. I mean, this is my second engagement. I don't know where those other things come from.
Laura Saltman: Okay.
Cathy Rehl: The thing is, the third time's the charm in that the third time he's fell in love...
Laura Saltman: Oh, okay. Gotcha. Okay, my last question that I wanted to ask you is, why the decision to let everybody know that you got the engagement? Because I know with DeAnna she kind of didn't tell anybody until sort of the end. So why did you want to put it out there before the show even started airing?
Jason Mesnick: You know, that's a good question. I just remember, you know, in my opinion is that I - how could I hold something like that back when I'm as happy as I am and I feel like as transparent as I am. And there's only certain things, obviously, I can say with, you know, with the show not even starting yet. But I just said to myself and I said to anybody else involved, I said, "You know, this is me and I'm so excited and I'm so happy that I want everybody to know it."
And if people are going to ask me the same question over and over again there's no way I could hold that back.
Laura Saltman: All right, well, good luck to you.
Jason Mesnick: Thank you.
Operator: And your next question comes from the line of Mike Hughes with Syndicated.
Mike Hughes: Hey, Jason, first of all I'm wondering how old were you when your parents divorced?
Jason Mesnick: I was, let me think, I was 14, maybe turning 15.
Mike Hughes: Okay, and you lived with your mom then or your dad?
Jason Mesnick: I lived - I kind of split. My dad lived really close by so we kind of just alternated.
Mike Hughes: Okay, cool.
Jason Mesnick: I stayed at home. My mom was closer to where I went to school and whatnot.
Mike Hughes: Okay. Because I was wondering how important do you think it is for a kid to - for you to get back and have - how important is it for Ty to have a mother and a father both at home?
Jason Mesnick: I don't know, both there. You know, everybody, you know, look at the way the world works now. There's no guarantee in any relationship, obviously, and I'm living proof from my divorce and from my mom and dad and whatnot.
But I think it's important just to be loved no matter where you're at.
Mike Hughes: Okay, good...
((Crosstalk))
Jason Mesnick: And, you know, I've got that love for me from my family and stepparents and real parents and I think Ty has that from me and his mom and his grandparents and my family. So I think it's the love that's most important.
Mike Hughes: Is Ty with you most of the time or split or...
Jason Mesnick: It's split.
Mike Hughes: Okay, because the other thing I was wondering is you've got a lot of experience with a mostly male home. He's in an all male house right now with you and your brother and you had all those brothers, your mother was the only female. Do you think it's important to have a female there, too?
Jason Mesnick: Oh, of course. I mean, I think that there's something that I just can't give as a male, you know? There's something that a female's able to give to a child that none of us males can even relate to or maybe ever even think about or contemplate because it's just some innate thing that a woman can give to a child.
I think I do and my brother who's here and, you know, my other brother and my dad, we've all done a great job with kids in our families and whatnot. But, you know, there's something innately that a woman can give to a child.
Mike Hughes: Okay, cool. And one other thing, totally off point last thing, you know, some people saw the last one as, oh, the solid businessman going against the snowboarder, you know? So I thought it was interesting to see that you're an athlete, too. You used to be a golf pro at a golf club?
Jason Mesnick: Yeah, I did that for a while.
Mike Hughes: And what's your handicap now and what's your best handicap?
Jason Mesnick: Oh, geez, you know, I could say that I have played almost zero golf in the last five years. So handicap now I have no - I mean, I haven't - I've probably played two rounds of golf in the last five years.
Mike Hughes: What was your best handicap?
Jason Mesnick: Oh, I mean, like, you know, as far as the teaching pro it was a little bit different. I was probably like a 7 handicap at the time, not a scratch golfer by any means.
Mike Hughes: But you are, in other words, you're many things. You're not just a business guy who faced a snowboarder, you're an athlete and other stuff, too. Is that fair to say or...
Jason Mesnick: Yeah, I mean, I would think that I would say I have way more fun being an athlete and playing, you know, playing sports with my friends and my son than I do wearing a suit to work.
Mike Hughes: Okay, cool. Thanks a lot.
Jason Mesnick: Thank you.
Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Angela DeGregorio with Life & Style Weekly.
Angela DeGregorio: Hi, how are you?
Jason Mesnick: Hello.
Angela DeGregorio: Okay, so there's been like a belief that The Bachelor has been like this cursed kind of program because none of the relationships really work out. So what was it about your previous experience to kind of convince you to try again and start your own?
Jason Mesnick: Well, I mean, I just knew that regardless of anybody who's watching this, I just knew it was real and I think that, I mean, a real love experience for me. And I think it's one of those things you've got to experience to really truly know and if that didn't happen to me the first time, there's no way I would have done it before. Because I'm sure there's people that go on and have this experience and leave really early on and don't ever get to know the full feeling of it.
So that's why. I mean, first of all that's why because I knew I fell in love with DeAnna and I knew it was possible. But then they approached me and they said, "We're going to find girls that first of all are going to be a good match for you." You know, hobbies, interests, things that they like to do, their view on the world and how could you say no to somebody's who going to say, "We're going to find 25 incredible, amazing women and they're going to be right for you"?
Angela DeGregorio: Great. And I know you said that your son didn't really play a huge part on the show but, I mean, did he kind of give you advice like behind-the-scenes and what does he think about how it all turned out?
Jason Mesnick: I don't know if he - you know, he's three so he lives life day-to-day and has a great time no matter what he's doing. So I don't know as far as any advice by words but I think his advice more by living is that let's just live today.
And I think that as we get older in our real world when we've got work and responsibilities it's very easy to think about the past and the future but when you're with a little guy you know, it's all about today.
Angela DeGregorio: Okay, and can we expect there to be a TV wedding?
Jason Mesnick: I have not even thought about anything like that. I mean, my life is off of TV and I cannot even imagine that happening.
Angela DeGregorio: Okay, great, thanks.
Operator: And your next question comes from the line of Ruth Myles with Swerve Magazine at the Calgary Herald.
Ruth Myles: Hi, Jason, how are you?
Jason Mesnick: How are you?
Ruth Myles: I'm great, thanks. I'm wondering if you could maybe lead us through how you made the decision to become The Bachelor. You know, after you said you fell in love with DeAnna so you had to have had some recovery time from that, and how your family reacted to it as well being such a tight knit group.
Jason Mesnick: I made the decision - and, you know, it was an easy decision because first of all it was the same kind of questions that went through my mind the first time going on The Bachelorette was, you know, how would this impact Tyler and that was my first question.
And I talked to, you know, a therapist and I talked to his pediatrician and they said, "Listen, he's going to be fine. I think that you're probably going to be more impacted by the fact that you're not going to see him as much as you typically do more than he himself." And I just said, "You know what?" I said, "I'm not going to go more than a week or so without seeing him." I mean, I just can't do that.
And the show was great. They said, "You know what? Whatever you need. He's the most important thing in your life and we'll work with you on it." And they did without a problem. He was around when he needed to be and he went home and saw his mom when he needed to and my family was supportive. I know that the one thing that they probably would say is they just don't want to see me hurt again.
Ruth Myles: Yeah.
Jason Mesnick: And that started with going through a divorce and that went from kind of the public thing with DeAnna and that's all their main concern was. But they trust me. They trust me that, you know, I do things my own way and if this is my own way then they're going to support me.
Ruth Myles: Great, thanks and good luck to you.
Jason Mesnick: Thank you.
Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Monica Sotomayor at Flash News.
Monica Sotomayor: Hi, Jason, thanks for your time today.
Jason Mesnick: You're welcome.
Monica Sotomayor: So I'm hoping that you get to go on a lot of really fun dates on this show. But I was actually wondering can you take us a little bit back to your dating trajectory in your personal life? Like have you ever just had a really awful date that you always talk about with your friends and laugh?
Jason Mesnick: A really awful date? I don't, I mean, to me it doesn't necessarily matter what you're doing but I have been on dates where, you know, I feel like I could sit down and have a conversation with anybody about anything and I could carry a conversation and ask a lot of questions and get to know somebody.
But if it's a date where somebody, I don't know, maybe they're not confident in themselves or is, you know, uncomfortable in their own way in a new setting that they can't carry a conversation. That's when it gets awkward.
Monica Sotomayor: Um-hm.
Jason Mesnick: You know, it's all about, you know, like I could - really doesn't matter if we're just sitting at a little hole in the wall restaurant or if we're here in Seattle on the top of the Space Needle. The setting doesn't matter as much as like what we're talking about.
Monica Sotomayor: Yeah, definitely. So you definitely need a girl that can hold her own as far as conversation goes?
Jason Mesnick: Yeah, that's first and foremost, yeah.
Monica Sotomayor: Okay, perfect. And as far as, you know, the ladies kind of meeting Ty, I know you said you don't include him too much in the show. But how do you know if a woman can actually handle your son? Is she going to be able to talk him into going to bed at his regular bedtime or eat his vegetables, those kinds of things?
Jason Mesnick: No, actually I never thought about that because, you know, getting him to bed at his regular time I think that's something that every parent battles, even their biological parents.
Monica Sotomayor: Yeah.
Jason Mesnick: But I think it's just knowing that maybe, you know, everybody's got different experience with kids and, you know, it could be that they already have a different level of experience with kids. It could be that, you know, they've got nieces or nephews and, you know, they want to have kids. It's not - and it's something that they've actually thought about as well.
Monica Sotomayor: Okay, perfect. Thank you so much.
Jason Mesnick: You're welcome.
Operator: Your next question comes from the line of John Brokita with Reality TV World.
John Brokita: I've got a question. You said when it came to the type of woman you were looking for that you wanted more of a role model, not maybe a parent necessarily. And can you just go into detail about what you were looking for, for your ideal woman on the show?
Jason Mesnick: Yes. I mean when I'm saying - and I know I've said that before. And when I say "a parent," I mean of course I want to have more kids. And with that being said that, you know, I'm going to have more kids and the person that I've chosen, her and I will have a family and we'll have more kids and I - you know, obviously my expectations for that are that we are going to be parents together.
But with what I was saying with the person I was looking for is, you know, Ty has already got a mother. And - sorry, speaking of Tyler. Ty, he's already got a mother. So when I was coming into this I was thinking, you know what, I'm not looking for a mom for Ty. I'm looking for somebody that could be a partner for me, that can be a mentor for him, you know, with more authority.
But who has those traits because, you know, I know half of us in this country have step parents. And I think the hardest thing to do is for somebody to walk in and say, "Hey, here's your stepmom," or "Here's your stepdad." Versus, like, "Hey, here's Daddy's - here's my partner and she's also, you know, she's also going to be a friend to you, she's going to be a mentor to you, she's going to help you, she's going to help you learn. But you're also going to have to listen to her."
John Brokita: Okay.
Jason Mesnick: The word "stepmother" never crossed my mind.
John Brokita: Okay, okay. I got you. And is there anything you learned from your term as a contestant on The Bachelorette that you put to use when you - on The Bachelor this season?
Jason Mesnick: Yes. I mean, I think the first thing that really came to my mind is that when I was with - on The Bachelorette, it never really came into my mind - well, the first thing that came to my mind is, like, DeAnna had all these great qualities that, you know.
You're attracted - she's kind of the girl that would walk into a room and she'd light it up and she'd love getting to know everybody and everybody wanted to get to know here and she had a great heart. And that was always what I was looking for.
But what I also learned through that experience is that, you know, the person I need to be with has to have been through some kind of their own, like, experience in life to know that they're ready for, you know, a family. Because I've already got, like - it's already Ty and I. I've already got a family.
So I was looking for somebody that not only had all those qualities that DeAnna had but also I learned that they had to have been through - whether it's, you know, dating in a long-term relationship. Or experience with kids. Or, you know, they've got that party scene out of their system, you know. Because, you know, I love to do those type of things. But, you know, half the time, you know, I'm Dad at home with Ty.
So - and I think sometimes if things last for a month, sometimes if things last for 25 or 30 years, it all depends on the person.
John Brokita: Okay. And then this is the last question. Can you tell us at all about what your first impression of all the girls were when you met them?
Jason Mesnick: Of all the girls - was just - wow. I mean, it was just like, wow, are you kidding me? Everybody's here to meet me? I mean, it was just - I mean, who does this happen to? Really. Come on.
John Brokita: Okay. Great. Thanks a lot.
Jason Mesnick: Thank you.
Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Dan Rice with FYI Television.
Dan Rice: Hi, Jason.
Jason Mesnick: Hello.
Dan Rice: Given your experience of rejection on The Bachelorette, do you think you entered this series with more sympathy for those you have to reject in turn?
Jason Mesnick: Oh yes. I mean, it has nothing to do with my experience on The Bachelorette, necessarily. But, you know, I think I'm one of those people that no matter what I do in life, I don't want to hurt anybody.
I think before I say anything and, you know, definitely the hardest thing I ever had to do was reject women. And that didn't happen a lot in my regular life, you know, because I've had longer-term relationships. But, you know, going through that - it was absolutely horrible having to do that. The worst.
Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Reyhaneh Fathieh with USA Weekend.
Reyhaneh Fathieh: Hi, Jason.
Jason Mesnick: Hello.
Reyhaneh Fathieh: Hi. So my question is I want to hear your reaction to the news that DeAnna and Jesse split.
Jason Mesnick: You know, I was - when that all happened I was busy, you know, in the middle of filming The Bachelor. And so I don't know - other than the fact that I thought they were going to make it. I mean, I saw them afterwards. After everything was done and it made me feel really good to see how in love they were.
So when I saw that they were, you know - when I heard that they were done, I was just completely shocked. And just sad for both of them because I know they both really truly wanted it to work and were in love.
Reyhaneh Fathieh: And I wanted to know if you think it's tougher being The Bachelor or one of the 25 contestants and how different the experiences were?
Jason Mesnick: Oh, it's way tougher being The Bachelor. Way, way tougher. I mean, I wouldn't change that experience for the world and I'm actually glad that I was able to go through both of them. Because going through The Bachelorette I learned a lot about myself and going through The Bachelor I was really able to, I feel like, you know, reinforce myself and be proud for who I was going throughout all this.
Reyhaneh Fathieh: And one last thing. Can you reveal anything about your new fiancée? Are you guys living together, anything like that?
Jason Mesnick: I'll just say she's amazing.
Reyhaneh Fathieh: Nothing else?
Jason Mesnick: I can't say anything else. No, sorry.
Reyhaneh Fathieh: All right. Thanks.
Operator: And one again if anyone would like to ask a question please press star then the number 1 on your telephone keypad. Again that is star 1 to ask a question.
Your next question comes from the line of Sarah Grossbart with US Weekly Magazine.
Sarah Grossbart: Hi Jason. Congratulations.
Jason Mesnick: Hi, thank you. Good morning.
Sarah Grossbart: Morning. I was just wondering, and to kind of piggyback on the last question, have you been in touch with DeAnna at all since filming or actually since you filmed The Bachelorette?
Jason Mesnick: You know, I haven't talked to her. You know, I would love to and I know she's busy with some new stuff in her life too. But I have not talked to her yet.
Cathy Rehl: You should realize guys that this Bachelor just finished taping right before Thanksgiving so it has not been done that long. Okay?
Sarah Grossbart: Right. So you'd just finished taping like a month ago.
Jason Mesnick: I'm sorry?
Sarah Grossbart: Sorry. You just finished taping like a month ago?
Jason Mesnick: Less than a month ago.
Sarah Grossbart: Oh wow.
Cathy Rehl: Less than a month...
Jason Mesnick: Yes.
Sarah Grossbart: How has the transition been into kind of everyday life now?
Jason Mesnick: I think I love everyday life. I mean, I - Ty was with me a lot, like, off and on through filming but I - like, I didn't do this to go on these amazing dates. I did this to meet somebody to spend the rest of my life with. And then the other huge part of me is, you know, I love being at home with my little boy.
Sarah Grossbart: Absolutely. Well good luck with everything.
Jason Mesnick: Thank you.
Sarah Grossbart: Thank you.
Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Matt Sullivan with In Touch Weekly.
Matt Sullivan: Hi Jason. I was wondering if Ty is involved in, you know, in the final dates? Does he go with you with the final contestants? At what point does he get involved in - you know, was he the tie-breaker so to speak?
Cathy Rehl: Okay, we can't really reveal a lot about the ending of the show. So...
Matt Sullivan: Right. Well, then generally his - then generally back to his, like, how much screen time does he get? Like does he go on any dates with you?
Jason Mesnick: He doesn't - he is not a big part of the show. And the one thing that I think I mentioned earlier is that there's no way that I could ever truly fall in love with somebody unless I saw them with Ty. And I know that there are some people in the world that - and it even happened to me. Like, my parents got remarried. That failed, they dated, they fell in love with somebody on their own and then they brought them into our lives.
And I think a lot of people do that. But I think I'm completely opposite in the fact that I could not truly fall in love with somebody and give my heart to somebody unless I saw them with my son.
Matt Sullivan: What type of dates bring - or challenges bring out those, you know, potential maternal skills? Like, how do you get a read on that without Ty being so involved?
Jason Mesnick: I don't - I mean, it's just conversations. I think that I'm a good judge - I think I'm a fairly good judge of character. And when you sit down and you talk to somebody about, you know, their view on the world, you know, what they want out of life. Do they want kids, do they not want kids? I think you can get those answers, per se, without initially seeing them with a child.
Matt Sullivan: Okay. Thanks.
Operator: And once again if anyone would like to ask a question please press star then the number 1 on your telephone keypad. Again that is star 1 to ask a question.
And your next question comes from the line of Delaina Dixon with OK Magazine.
Delaina Dixon: Hi Jason. How are you doing?
Jason Mesnick: Good. How are you?
Delaina Dixon: I'm okay. I came in a little late so if somebody asked you this question I apologize. But I'm wonder - you announced that you were engaged so early, even before the show aired. Is there any fear - there's been so many broken engagements coming out of this show. Is there any fear that, you know, things are going to change and, you know, you're going to feel like, "Oh, why didn't I wait and keep it a secret?" I mean, how do you feel about that?
Jason Mesnick: You know, I - a similar question was asked. But all I said was, you know, this question comes to me every single interview or any conversation I'm having. And I said, "How can I not be open and honest about that?" If I had to swallow the fact that I'm extremely happy and I'm in love and I'm engaged for this long - there's no way I could do that.
So the reason I did it was because I had to be - I mean, there's only so much I can say until the show's done airing. But if I couldn't say that, that would have just killed me. So I just - anybody who was around me toward the ending of, you know, when we were filming. I just said, you know what, "I've got to be me and this is what I'm going to say." And everybody supported me.
Delaina Dixon: Well that's great. All right. That's all I wanted to know. Thank you.