2012 is going to be Ben Flajnik's year!
The beloved Bachelorette alum becomes the latest star of The Bachelor, when ABC premieres its 16th season of the reality romance show on January 12.
Last season on The Bachelorette, Ashley Hebert famously broke Flajnik's heart– denying his marriage proposal on-camera. The 29 year-old California winemaker has said he's been in love three times in his life, but it wasn't until The Bachelorette that he proposed. (Hebert, 26, is now engaged to JP Rosenbaum.)
Renaissance man 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.
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Back in August, Us Weekly was first to break news that fan fave Flajnik would succeed Brad Womack as the next star of the blockbuster franchise. "They think he'll be ratings gold!" an insider said.
One lady who definitely appreciated Flajnik's charms? Jennifer Love Hewitt, who went on a date with the reality star Aug. 6. "It seemed like a first date, but he wasn't overly affectionate," one observer noted of the awkward night out.
"Everyone wants to realize the man he really is," Bachelor host Chris Harrison has said of Flajnik. "He's in the right place to find love."
