Jillian Harris and Ed Swiderski have been the subject of much speculation ever since they got engaged on The Bachelorette – and even prior to the finale.
The issue? Rumors that Ed Swiderski was two-timing a pair of women before, during and after the show (and cheating on Jillian even after getting engaged).
They appeared on Good Morning America last week to put and end to the rumors that they are breaking off their engagement and that Ed cheated on Jillian.
But rumors of Ed’s philandering, shadiness and racy emails to Lindsey Johnson and Bethany Steffen won’t stop, thanks to tabloids and the girls themselves.
What does Mike Fleiss, producer of The Bachelorette, have to say about it?
“They are a real couple,” he told ET. “They are engaged. I am optimistic about these things. They look like a real couple. I can see them staying together.”
“[Jillian Harris] is such a level-headed person. And Ed too seems like a level-headed person – maybe they will be able to survive this media blitz.”
Will Jillian Harris and Ed Swiderski break up?
Asked if all the scandals on both The Bachelorette and The Bachelor (which saw Jason Mesnick drop his chosen fiancee, Melissa Rycroft, for runner-up Molley Malaney) may hurt the show, Fleiss says, “What do you think? Booyah!”
More drama is great for ratings, no doubt.
As far as The Bachelor and The Bachelorette success stories, Fleiss stated, “Our batting average is about .250 … I think that’s pretty good. The show offers no guarantees, but has worked. Ed, on Good Morning America, said, you can find love.”
With 13 Bachelors, five Bachelorettes and one marriage between them, Fleiss’ math is fuzzy with his .250 claim, but Jason and Molly are still dating, at least.
As for the next season of The Bachelor, Fleiss teased that the franchise may continue its recent trend of making a star out of a high-profile, previous rejectee:
“When the new season of The Bachelor premieres, look for Reid Rosenthal, Kiptyn Locke or Jake Pavelka to be the one handing out the red roses.”
Hot! Who do you think should be the next Bachelor?