RANKING THE BACHELOR MEN!

Ranking The Men of The Bachelor

via: http://www.film.com/tv/the-bachelor/story/ranking-the-men-of-bachelor/28573877

Is Jason Mesnick the most-hated Bachelor in the franchise's history? Months after he dumped fiance Melissa Rycroft on national television in favor of runner-up Molly Malaney, Mesnick seems to be enjoying his 15 minutes of fame. He and girlfriend Malaney remain a tabloid staple, grant regular interviews to People magazine, and blog and tweet freely about their relationship. (Meantime, second runner-up Jillian Harris is continuing her journey toward love -- or fleeting fame, anyway -- on the current season of The Bachelorette.)

But let's not forget that Mesnick is only the latest in a long tradition of love-'em-and-leave-'em Bachelors who didn't always impress us with their gentlemanly behavior. After 13 seasons (and a 0 for 13 marriage record), it's high time we ranked the men of The Bachelor franchise, from least to most popular.

13. Jason Mesnick: Only time will tell if Jason stands as the Bachelor we most loved to hate. The single dad from Seattle won viewers' hearts with his nice-guy routine on DeAnna Pappas' season of The Bachelorette, and seemed on his way to becoming one of the most popular Bachelors in history. Then came After The Final Rose, where Jason betrayed a humiliated Melissa Rycroft as 17 million viewers watched. Blogs exploded, tabloids went wild, and ABC -- which enjoyed sky-high ratings for a lagging franchise -- came out smelling like a rose.

12. Brad Womack: Before Jason came along, Brad was undoubtedly the least popular Bachelor after dumping both DeAnna Pappas and perky cheerleader Jenni Croft in the finale. The scruffy Texas bar owner apparently left his Southern charm at home on the day he broke two hearts -- nay, all of our hearts! -- by sending both hopefuls home, becoming the first Bachelor ever to reject all 25 women. It was rumored that while filming the show, Womack was still not over his ex-girlfriend, Laurel Kagay of Austin, Texas.

11. Alex Michel: The original Bachelor was also a flip-flopper: After promising the final rose to Trista Rehn, he got down on one knee for Amanda Marsh instead. But the real shocker was that ABC chose Michel as The Bachelor in the first place. He was wishy-washy, had a creepy smile and threw up during a romantic helicopter date. Reports that Michel continued to contact Trista after choosing Amanda led to the demise of both relationships, thus beginning the tradition of Bachelors who really have no idea what they want. Men!

10. Bachelor Bob: Bob Guiney also benefited from Nice Guy Syndrome after serving as the comic relief on Trista Rehn's season of The Bachelorette. The curly-haired, slightly overweight "Bachelor Bob" was a departure for the franchise, but he quickly fell in line with the others by trimming down and inflating his ego. After becoming the first Bachelor to not propose marriage in the finale -- offering a promise ring to winner Estella Gardinier -- he quickly ditched her and later hooked up with soap opera actress Rebecca Budig. They are now married.

9. Prince Lorenzo: The so-called Prince Charming had suave hair but not much of a personality, and seemed mostly bewildered by the antics of these American girls. Case in point: Erica Rose, the Texas "socialite" who wore a tiara and fancied herself a princess. The ladies swooned over Lorenzo's title -- and family fortune -- and he eventually chose Jennifer Wilson, who is so forgettable I can't even remember a thing about her. Suffice to say, the Prince quickly became a distant memory when filming ended. The couple went their separate ways and Lorenzo reportedly starting dating runner-up Sadie Murray. That's amore.

8. Travis Stork: Even the romantic backdrop of Paris couldn't make our hearts flutter for Dr. Travis Stork, who exhibited none of the Southern charm one might expect from a Nashville guy. Alternately standoffish and smug -- not to mention off-puttingly tall -- Travis eventually chose the forgettable Nashville girl-next-door Sarah Stone, but the relationship ended before the final episode aired. Viewers did get to see one rejected bachelorette complain about her rotting eggs on national television, so the season wasn't a total loss.

7. Jesse Palmer: The former NFL quarterback proved to be as nimble at love as he was on the football field -- which is to say, not very. Jesse chose snoozefest Jessica Bowlin to be his footballer wife (never happened), but it was gold-digging bachelorette Trish who stole the show. After being sent home, she refused to take no for an answer and stalked Jesse on another date. What, and she didn't become the next Bachelorette? It's ratings gold, people!

6. Aaron Buerge: The second Bachelor was an improvement over the first, as the show's producers went a completely different direction with a seemingly wholesome Midwestern guy. Aaron was likable enough, but he lacked the title, last name, career or celebrity that future Bachelors would bring to the table. He eventually proposed to frosty Helene Eksterowicz, who later sold her engagement ring on eBay. Aaron then publicly lamented not having chosen runners-up Gwen or Brooke. Classy!

5. Byron Velvick: Byron the bass fisherman was The Bachelor's attempt to improve its dismal marriage rate with a more mature Bachelor. The season resulted in perhaps the most romantic and heartfelt proposal in the show's history, but alas, there would be no fairytale ending. Byron's fiancee Mary Delgado, a castoff from Bob Guiney's season, would later be arrested on separate occasions for public intoxication and assault after hitting Byron in the face. The couple is reportedly still engaged.

4. Charlie O'Connell: Actor Charlie O'Connell (the younger and less successful brother of Jerry O'Connell), aka Playboy Bachelor, was an unapologetic frat boy ready to party with 25 women. The goofy, outgoing Bachelor functioned as social director of the season, but eventually calmed down long enough to offger a promise ring to cute-as-a-button labor and delivery nurse Sarah Brice. The couple dated for a couple of years, broke up, then reconciled.

3. Andy Baldwin: The so-called Officer and A Gentleman was handsome, patriotic and accomplished -- not to mention his abs of steel -- but had the personality of a wooden board. However, he was less offensive than other Bachelors in his onscreen antics, so he wins points for being uninteresting. Andy seemed to forge a real connection with athletic Tessa Horst, but they broke up because, well, that's what Bachelor couples do.

2. Matt Grant: This likable Brit was a refreshing choice for The Bachelor, with his tall good looks and goofy sense of humor. Matt didn't take himself too seriously and seemed sincere in his quest for a wife -- even if it might have only been for a Green Card. (Just kidding.) However, he made the unfortunate mistake of choosing spoiled Shayne Lamas, the daughter of a has-been celebrity who was clearly only in it for her 15 minutes. Not surprisingly, the Lamas family has signed on to a new reality show on E!

1. Andrew Firestone: Our favorite Bachelor of all time -- and Chris Harrison's favorite, too -- is Andrew Firestone, the great grandson of the Firestone Tires founder. Viewers swooned over his love story with sweet girl-next-door Jen Schefft, who could barely contain herself when presented with a giant rock on bended knee. The couple seemed meant to be, but parted ways after 10 months of dating. Jen famously went on to reject all 25 suitors on The Bachelorette and became a poster girl for being single after writing a book on the subject. But all's well that ends well: Andrew just had a baby with wife Ivana Bozilovic, and Jen tied the knot in Chicago last month.

WHICH BACHELOR DID YOU LOVE OR HATE THE MOST?