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Tuesday, August 11, 2009
More from the ‘Bachelorette’ reunion
Five contestants from the last season of “The Bachelorette” reunited Monday night at Ranch 616 in Austin to talk with fans about the show and what’s happened in their lives since filming wrapped.
Mike Stagliano The former break-dance instructor, says he was heartbroken for more than two months after he was booted from the show before reaching the final four men fighting to win Harris in the end.
Then, at a wrap party following the show’s “Men Tell All” episode, Stagliano says he met his true love: “Bachelor” alum Holly Durst.
“I’m gonna marry her,” the 25-year old says with a smile on his face.
Stagliano said Durst, who appeared on “The Bachelor” as a potential suitor for Matt Grant, has met his parents and they love her.
For now, the two are commuting to see each other, Durst from her Los Angeles area home and Stagliano from his home in Queens.
Stagliano, who is a children’s book author as well, says sales for his “Wesley’s Stories: Afterschool Adventures,” have picked up since his appearance on the show. He’s now working on his second book.
“I’m so thankful,” Stagliano said.
Jesse Kovacs Kovacs, who comes from a winemaking family, says life has stayed busy since he left the show’s filming, and hasn’t slept in the same bed for more than three days.
His family received 75 wine orders the day after an episode showing Kovacs booted from the show aired.
The Carmel Valley, Calif. resident says that for now he’s spreading himself thin doing appearances and traveling, because he knows this won’t last forever.
He’s also doing his part to promote Kovacs Brothers wine, offering samples at Ranch 616 last night.
“It’s been crazy since the show ended,” he said.
David Good Much like Austinite Wes Hayden, Good, 33 has been on his own mission to clean up his name, after he was portrayed as angry and often drunk on the show.
Good says he and Hayden had something in common: They were raw with their comments, which made for good television.
“People can hate on Wes and I, but we tell it like it is,” he said.
Good said he’s also working on a book about the “man code,” a heavily discussed topic on this past season’s “Men Tell All” episode.
At one point, Good told host Chris Harrison not to mention the phrase anymore after a debate on whether it was appropriate to let Harris in on details about other men possibly having girlfriends.
But now, Good claims that there’s a lot more to the “man code,” and it’s about doing what’s right “for your family, your country and your friends.”
But Good still takes time out to bash some of his former castmates from the show, including Jake Pavelka, who came across as a squeaky-clean pilot from Dallas.
“Jake is a complete fake person,” he said. “People don’t like you (referring to Jake), because you’re a nerd!”
Tanner Pope Pope has left his contract position as a project manager for a financial firm in Dallas and has hired a publicist to look into doing television work or endorsement deals. Fans might wonder if that means becoming a nail-polish spokesman. After all, Pope was portrayed as the foot-fetish fiend on the past season of “The Bachelorette.”
The Dallas native, however, says there is more to him than a foot obsession, however. Pope says he’s 30, and he’s ready to find true love. Pope said he got off on the ‘wrong foot’ with Harris, talking to her about other men on the show. Pope is nephew of Austin developer Tom Stacey.
Stacey bought Pope a classy, Versace-laden wardrobe from Austin store Keepers for his appearance on the show, Pope said.
He said that after a scene with Pope stripping down to his undies in front of the other men and Harris, he got an offer to do porn, which he turned down.
For now, he’s enjoying the attention he gets.
“I get recognized now,” he said. “So it’s cool.”
Wes Hayden Weeks after Hayden launched his own public-relations fight to save his name, the Austinite says all has gotten better for him.
Hayden was portrayed as the ultimate villain on this season’s “The Bachelorette,” and he and the show went their separate ways after he began publicly criticizing his treatment on the show.
He use to receive hundreds of hate-mail messages, which have now all but ceased, he said.
He’s also resumed his music career with his band, and run into little trouble, especially since tales of Swiderski dating other women surfaced.
“Everything is really good,” he said. “I’m happy, music is great, and everything has changed.”
Hayden, however, won’t hesitate to take another shot at the show. Referring to Swiderski’s situation, he said “that just goes to show you the show is bull(expletive).”
Below, Wes Hayden, left, and David Good pose with ‘Bachelorette’ fan Helen Chu.
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ESPN chats with Porter of ‘Friday Night Lights’ today
ESPN is hosting a live chat with “Friday Night Lights” actor Scott Porter at 2 p.m. today.
Porter’s character, Jason Street, was last seen on “Friday Night Lights” moving to New York. Porter also appears in the Austin-filmed movie “Bandslam,” which opens Friday.
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‘Bachelorette’ men reunite in Austin
Several men from this season’s “The Bachelorette” said Monday that show winner Ed Swiderski had an extraordinary advantage: access to a computer and cell phone during filming.
The men, in Austin on Monday night for a mini-reunion appearance, said they were all banned from having the items during filming, but somehow Swiderski had access. They now say reports that Swiderski was in relationships with two more women during filming are pretty damning.
“I think I saw it coming,” said David Good, the Ohio transportation business exec who was portrayed as angry and often drunk on the show. He just missed the cut for the final 10.
Good — who joined Austinite Wes Hayden, Dallas resident Tanner Pope, New Yorker Mike Stagliano and winemaker Jesse Kovacs at downtown hotspot Ranch 616 - met Austin fans and reminisced about the past season of the ABC show, and subsequent fallout. The event was in part the brainchild of Austin publicist Pam Blanton, a fan of the series who helped get the men together in Austin.
Reached Tuesday, Warner Horizon, the show’s production company, had no comment about what the men said during the reunion.
In recent weeks, reports have surfaced that Swiderski, who proposed to Bachelorette Jillian Harris on national television this summer, was involved in relationships with two Chicago women during and after the filming of the show. This week, celebrity mag US Weekly detailed timelines and e-mails and text messages exchanged between Swiderski and the women, even after the proposal.
Good said only two of the men from this season’s “The Bachelorette” were actually “into Jillian”: Stagliano and Reid Rosenthal.
Good, who says he was recruited for the show, says he believed Melissa Rycroft of the preceding “Bachelor” season would be the next “Bachelorette.” But a week before filming, he learned it was Harris instead, and he was disappointed.
“If I saw Jillian in a bar, I would not approach her,” he said. “I mean, Melissa to Jillian, c’mon! That’s why I was drunk the whole time!”
The men agreed that while Hayden, the Austinite, was portrayed as a “bad guy” with a girlfriend, Swiderski was shown much more favorably, which they now question.
“The truth always comes out; you can only hide it for so long,” said Hayden, who once fended off weeks of hate mail for his appearance on the show.
Stagliano, who is now in a serious relationship with an alumna from a previous “Bachelor” season, said he went on a triple date with Harris and Swiderski and had a good time.
He said that since new details have emerged about Swiderski, he has texted the newly engaged couple with support and prayers. He heard back from Swiderski, who didn’t deny the claims, but has yet to hear from Harris, he said.
“I couldn’t say a bad thing about Ed,” he said. “He’s a blast, a good guy. But maybe he got caught up with the other girls.”
Kovacs says he was also recruited by a casting director. He says he had a genuine connection with Harris and that the Swiderski reports are disconcerting.
“Maybe Jillian trusts people too much,” he said. “Maybe Ed has some explaining to do.” Pope says he was the closest to Swiderski of all the men during taping, and yet was surprised to hear rumors about other women.
Pope said his friend was the only one who had access to a cell phone and laptop, but thought perhaps that Swiderski had negotiated the terms into his contract.
Pope said he was one of the few men to predict Swiderski would win Harris’ heart. Now, however, he says the details of the other women are disconcerting.
“It’s hard for me to dispute that,” he said. “There’s proof, e-mails. It’s hard to negate that. I feel bad for my boy Ed. …If he really had a girlfriend, I wish he was there for the right reasons.”
Previously:
Wes Hayden defends his reputation
More from our Wes Hayden interview
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