Kirkland’s ‘Bachelor’ Jason Mesnick returns to primetime in 2009

Local celebrity Jason Mesnick will have a second chance at on-air love and stardom on the next season of ABC’s “The Bachelor.”

Local celebrity Jason Mesnick will have a second chance at on-air love and stardom on the next season of ABC’s “The Bachelor.”

The television network confirmed the decision Aug. 20 to bring back the Kirkland account executive as the program’s leading man for the show’s January debut. ABC also is running a casting-call for 25 bachelorettes needed in the program.

Mesnick, 32, became a viewer favorite on ABC last season in “The Bachelorette” as he tried to win over the affections of DeAnna Pappas. The single father’s performance apparently struck a chord with many women. After the final episode, the network was reportedly flooded with sympathetic e-mails from fans.

The middle son in a Cleveland, Ohio family of three boys, Mesnick moved to Washington at the age of eight and received his BA in psychology at the University of Washington. Raising a three-year-old son, he shares a home with his younger brother, Larry.

This will be the 13th edition of ABC’s popular romance reality series.

Interested and eligible women can learn more about upcoming casting events and the application process by logging on to www.bachelor.abc.com or by calling (866) 739-3150.