Whether you were clapping your hands or shaking your fists at
Bachelor Jake Pavelka as he proposed to his chosen co-pilot, Vienna Girardi, during last night's
Bachelor finale, you were likely left jaw-dropped by the surprising announcement that immediately followed:
Jake will join this season's line-up of celebs on
Dancing with the Stars, which returns March 22 to ABC.
No doubt
Bachelor star Melissa Rycroft's popular appearance on
Dancing with the Stars two seasons ago--which has possibly led to a co-hosting job alongside Tom Bergeron, as she accompanied him during last night's casting announcements--alerted ABC to Jake's cross-over potential. Supporters of Jake's behavior during
The Bachelor, and his controversial final choice to propose to tabloid-victim Vienna, will tune in to cheer him on, while his many disillusioned detractors may watch just hoping to see him fall on his face. For ABC's ratings, it's a win-win!
But is it a win for Jake? How about
Dancing with the Stars fans?
For Jake, this is an irresistible publicity move, despite the shady message it sends to
Bachelor fans that, in the dawn of his engagement, he'd rather spend more time on TV and practicing with dancing partner Chelsie Hightower than with
Vienna. Could it be that Jake is more in love with being a celebrity than he is with the "love of his life"?
And, even if you're a Jake-lover, and you believe him when he says that learning to dance this way "has been a life's dream," there's still the risk of "too much of a good thing," right?
What do you think of Jake's casting on Dancing with the Stars? Will you tune in to watch him trade his suit jacket for a silky shirt?