Molly Mesnick is paying tribute to her husband’s former fiancée ahead of the cringe-worthy replay of their season of The Bachelor on the upcoming Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever!
In a long post on her Instagram page, the wife of the controversial former Bachelor star bowed down to her predecessor more than a decade after Jason Mesnick’s change of heart on the After the Final Rose special made their season the actual “most dramatic” one ever.
Molly, who married Jason after he blindsided Melissa Rycroft by breaking up with her on AFTR in 2009, shared a series of photos of her husband’s former flame to her social media page. In some of the pics, the two women stood side by side with the roses Jason had given them.
Other photos showed the controversial Bachelor addressing his harem of ladies, and another showed him on a group date. The final photos in the slideshow showed Jason and Molly at the end of their journey.
Longtime Bachelor fans know that Jason would go on to propose to Melissa but then changed his mind after the cameras stopped rolling when he realized he missed Molly. The ending to Jason’s journey — when he dumped Melissa and awkwardly took back her engagement ring — was seen as the most shocking finale in the history of the ABC dating show.
In the caption, Molly — who married Jason in 2010 and shares a daughter, Riley, with him — wrote that while she is “grateful” that she met her soulmate on the show, she wanted to offer a shoutout to Melissa. Molly wrote that Melissa is much more than a “jilted” woman.
She added that she first met Melissa when they shared a limo on their Bachelor opening night and they even shared a bedroom. While things later got “messy” between them, Molly said Melissa took the bad experience and turned it into “lemonade” with a winning appearance on Dancing with the Stars and the launch of a long hosting career.
Molly also noted that after her on-camera heartbreak, Melissa went on to marry a man she had known previously and had three kids with him. She added that a decade later, Melissa was the “first” to say she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be.
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In comments to the slideshow, several women from The Bachelor franchise, including two former Bachelorette stars, reacted to Molly’s thoughtful words in the post.
“You are a gracious and kind woman [Molly Mesnick]. Honored to know you and call you a friend! Can’t wait to watch again tonight!” wrote DeAnna Pappas Stagliano, the former Bachelorette who rejected Jason’s proposal ahead of his own Bachelor season.
“Love you and your heart!!” added original Bachelorette star Trista Sutter.
“Just gave me chills – love this! And I agree, you both are incredible women and I’m so glad to know you both!” Catherine Giudici Lowe chimed in.
