Jason Mesnick Excited, Ready For The Bachelor

Jason Mesnick, the new star of ABC's The Bachelor, admits he hasn't been on a date since DeAnna Pappas rejected his proposal on The Bachelorette.

"I haven't dated at all since DeAnna," the single father tells Us Weekly. "I wanted to give myself time to heal so that when I got out there again I'd be ready to give whoever I am with the respect and attention she deserves."

But Mesnick, the 32-year-old single dad from Seattle, is looking forward to the opportunity to find love on the 13th season of The Bachelor:

"I am ready. I am open to giving these girls everything I can to find the one that is right for me. All I am missing, really, is someone to share my life with. There's no guarantee but 25 girls? It's a real opportunity to find just one."

Jason Mesnick says he was approached to do The Bachelor at the "After the Final Rose Special" by the long-running reality show's producers.

"All I could think was, 'Oh man, I am so excited' - mostly because really I am just the most regular guy you could ever come across and for this to be happening to me is unbelievable," he said. "It just leaves me completely speechless."

Even his former rivals are psyched. Jason Mesnick says all of the guys from The Bachelorette contacted him with congrats when his new gig was announced.