The Bachelor

Break out the wine, roses, ridiculous group dates and emotional baggage.

Beloved Bachelorette runner-up Ben Flajnik will begin his starring turn as The Bachelor when ABC premieres its 16th season of the reality romance show January 2.

The 29-year-old California winemaker says he's been in love three times in his life, but it wasn't until The Bachelorette finale that he proposed (to Ashley Hebert).

She turned him down and got engaged to JP Rosenbaum, but Ben has turned the corner - and will turn the tables this winter as the man doling out the roses.

Ben Flajnik loves crab fishing, golf, skateboarding, playing piano and surfing. One must-have trait in his soulmate? A love of Scotch ... his Jack Russell Terrier.

Taking the show seriously enough to be crushed by Ashley's rejection, and likable to pretty much everyone, Ben was a natural fit to succeed Brad Womack.

"They think he'll be ratings gold!" an ABC insider said.

"Everyone wants to realize the man he really is," Bachelor host and pimp in charge Chris Harrison has said of Flajnik. "He's in the right place to find love."

Ben Flajnik as The Bachelor: Good choice?

Former Bachelor and Bachelorette star DeAnna Pappas and Stephen Stagliano, the twin brother of Bachelor Pad winner Michael Stagliano, are married!

The couple wed Saturday in her home state of Georgia.

DeAnna Pappas, 29, walked down the aisle in a strapless Disney Bridal wedding gown with a birdcage veil and cowboy boots. "They were giddy with excitement," an observer at the unforgettable affair said. "She looked incredibly happy."

Michael Stagliano and Holly Durst, his then-fiance and also a contestant on The Bachelor, originally set the couple up. Stephen proposed in August 2010.

Durst and Michael Stagliano went on to win Bachelor Pad this summer, but he was caught off guard by her engagement to cast member Blake Julian.

Pappas, who was rejected by Brad Womack the first time he starred on The Bachelor, became The Bachelorette and got engaged to Jesse Csincsak.

That did not last long. But this one's gonna be forever!

[Photo: Pacific Coast News]

Matt Grant who starred on Season 12 of The Bachelor and was engaged to Shayne Lamas for about 12 minutes, is reportedly romancing a former Bachelor castoff.

That would be Natalie Getz, winner of the first season of Bachelor Pad!

"They are 100 percent dating, she told me!" a close friend of Nat's tells Life & Style. "It's still new, but they've gone out a few times and are seeing how things go. "

"All their friends think it's a good match."

Unlike other Bachelor-Bachelorette couplings, they met purely by chance.

"They always saw each other at Starbucks in L.A., so one day he was like, 'Let's hang out,' because he thought she was fun," a friend said. "It was totally organic."

Unlike Nat's sometimes Snooki-esque skin tone. Just saying.

In any case, Matt, 31, and Nat, 30, "have totally hit it off," the pal adds. "It's really in the early stages, but they have a great connection and have a lot of fun."

Natalie Getz was rejected by Jason Mesnick on his season of The Bachelor, but won Bachelor Pad with Dave Good, who she was romantically linked to for a time.

Brad Womack really needs to get over it and move on. Emily Maynard, who's dating Jeremy Shockey, clearly us. But the two-time Bachelor star refuses to let go.

That's the report from the new issue of Us Weekly, which says Brad "calls Emily every day and at all hours!" Unfortch for B-Dubs, "She just doesn't pick up."

"They actually haven't spoken for months."

Maynard, mom to six-year-old daughter Ricki, started dating NFL player Shockey this fall, and was previously linked to David Smith after splitting with Brad.

Brad is apparently far from pleased with either choice.

He's continually "filled up her voicemail with messages of him crying, saying how upset he was that she was with someone else," the source reveals.

At the same time, the typically non-committal stiff isn't sure he wants to be with her ... he's just jealous and pining for her because he can't have her.

As such, Emily "just feels like he is so messed up!"

Ben Flajnik, you have some pathetic shoes to fill.

Ben Flajnik is ready to come into his own as The Bachelor.

The runner-up for Ashley Hebert's heart on The Bachelorette was devastated by her season finale rejection, but credits her for allowing him to grow emotionally.

Now, the tables have turned and the 28-year-old Napa vineyard owner is ready to dole out the roses ... and the wine, obviously. We sense a theme with ABC's first promotional photo for the new season, beginning in January ...

ABC's press release for the new season (premiering January 2) describes Ben Flajnik as "a rare, modern Renaissance man." What makes him such a rarity?

"Ben dabbles in a lot of hobbies and crafts, such as crab fishing, sailing, golf, skate boarding, surfing, playing piano and singing in a tribute band."

"He is also quite handy with a hammer and saw, and loves fixing and building things, as well as landscaping. The woman who will share his life will also have to share one of his other great loves: his Jack Russell Terrier, Scotch."

Get ready to swoon away, ladies. Swoon away.

Ben F.: Good choice for The Bachelor?

The Bachelor star Ben Flajnik was seen filming the upcoming season of the hit ABC show this weekend. He and his bikini-clad babes were skiing. In California.

Shooting is currently underway for the 16th season and Ben was spotted in his home city (shirtless, obviously) skiing down one of SF's famous hills.

Here's a look at the hunk gripping his poles ...

The people at ABC managed to turn a San Fran street into a ski slope, filled with snow and ski bunnies, as seen in photos posted by Reality Steve.

Since it's not actually winter, there were no North Face parkas to be found. Ben Flajnik went shirtless and his suitors made for quality bikini photos.

Ben, as fans know, was passed over by Ashley Hebert on The Bachelorette finale, but was then tapped for The Bachelor, airing in January 2012.

We obviously wouldn't miss it.

Last night on Bachelor Pad, after the dust settled from ABC blindsiding Michael Stagliano and handing him a $125,000 parting gift, Ben Flajnik was formally introduced as the handsome, leading man of the upcoming season of The Bachelor.

The California winemaker proposed to Ashley Hebert on the The Bachelorette finale, only to be rebuffed. Next time around, he'll be doling out the roses.

The new season kicks off January 2. Here's Ben's introduction:

Ben Flajnik Interview on Bachelor Pad

Ben Flajnik seems perfect for the role in the sense that he takes the dating show seriously enough - even crediting his recent stint on The Bachelorette with helping him grow as an individual - while remaining pragmatic about it.

What do you think? A good choice for The Bachelor?

Ben Flajnik will star as The Bachelor this January.

He will also appear on the season finale of Bachelor Pad next week in some capacity. The winner of ABC's summer guilty pleasure will be revealed then.

As we told you last month, the 28-year-old winemaker who was turned down by Ashley Hebert on The Bachelorette will dole out the roses come winter.

Before starting his own Sonoma winery, Ben Flajnik attended the University of Arizona, where he majored in music production and minored in business.

After his father – to whom he was very close – died in 2007, he moved back to Northern California, where plans to stay for the foreseeable future.

Flajnik is a fan of outdoor hobbies, including fishing, skateboarding, golf, sailing and surfing. He currently lives with his Jack Russell terrier, Scotch.

ABC will presumably announce Ben as The Bachelor next Monday night on Bachelor Pad. Four couples remain on that show after last night's episode.

Ben Flajnik as The Bachelor: Good choice?

Vienna Girardi is in this for the money.

The former winner of The Bachelor and fiancee of Jake Pavelka has ZERO qualms about admitting that her second stint on reality TV is financially motivated.

“I said no at first,” she told The Huffington Post about coming on Bachelor Pad, adding that she only agreed to be on the summer show on one condition.

“They told me Jake wouldn’t be,” she said. “They clued me in a few days before we started filming, but by that point I was all packed and ready to go.”

Vienna need not worry about wearing a life preserver.

Jake was voted off the episode before last, but not before three weeks of fireworks between himself, Vienna and her current boyfriend, Kasey Kahl.

Vienna Girardi admits having Jake Pavelka around was “uncomfortable” but says she and Kasey had fun and are friends with many Bachelor Pad stars.

In fact, it Erica Rose that encouraged her nose job.

Ben Flajnik, whose marriage proposal Ashley Hebert turned down on the season finale of The Bachelorette, will be the next Bachelor, sources confirmed yesterday.

With one possible exception (Ames Brown) Ben was the guy most fans seemed to want in the starring role, especially after the final few Bachelorette episodes.

Similar to Chris Lambton a year ago, however, we question whether the show is actually beneath Ben Flajnik. Will it end up tarnishing our opinion of him?

Moreover, will producers actually find 25 women worthy of him?

Much as we're fans of Ben, part of us feels he'd be better off going back to his (admittedly awesome) old life in Sonoma, leaving the contrived nonsense behind.

You know, let the fame whores like Jake Pavelka or Brad Womack to entertain us, while continuing to be the man. We could accept that if it were his decision.

It's not, though, and while we have reservations, it's still way better to genuinely like The Bachelor than not, which will be the case for the first time since Jason.

He the show seriously enough to get upset when he was rejected, but not so much so that he couldn't reflect on it with a sense of clarity and self-awareness.

He cried while discussing his late father, apologized to his mom on TV, and even thanked Ashley for helping him open up. Okay, we're sold. How about you?

Ben Flajnik as The Bachelor: Good choice?