Remember When ABC Had 2 'Bachelors'? Loser Has Advice for 'The Bachelorettes'
So much popcorn was thrown into the air in shock and horror when ABC revealed its plan to have both Kaitlyn Bristowe and Britt Nilsson compete to be "The Bachelorette" for Season 11, which begins tonight at 9 p.m. Rosemaster Chris Harrison crowed that they had never had two Bachelorettes before, and that's true, but it's not a sexist twist pitting women against each other, it's a repeat of what they did back in "The Bachelor" Season 6 in 2004.
Have we already forgotten not only Byron Velvick but also the ill-fated Jay Overbye? Byron found love (for a while, anyway) with Mary Delgado, but real estate broker Jay got dumped on the first night when the ladies chose to continue dating pro fisherman Byron. It was a close one, though, and Jay lost by just one vote.
Jay Overbye had a lot to say to Huffington Post in their new "Here To Make Friends" podcast -- and you can listen to it all over here. Back then, they were going with new Bachelors, not recycled people from previous seasons, and Jay explained how he got the bittersweet casting news:
I got a call from [ABC], and they said 'Hey, we have great news for you! You are chosen as the Bachelor!'" he recalled. "They were congratulating me, and they said, 'Just so you know, there's going to be another Bachelor.'" Overbye admits his initial reaction was less than enthusiastic. "I was like, 'Wait a second, that's not fair! I just went through this whole process as the one guy!'"
Jay, who is engaged now, said it was awful to be rejected on national television, but Byron was a great guy about it. Jay said he was also so exhausted by the long night that he just wanted to get to bed. But his one regret, he said, is he didn't stop to say goodbye to everyone, because he wasn't sure if it was OK. Jay had some wise words on learning from rejection, and also offered some advice for the new Bachelorettes: "It sounds like such an adage, but you really have to open your heart." And? "You've gotta be careful with your alcohol." Truth.
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