A single father from Washington broadcasts his relationship status to the country only to be swamped with letters from adoring female fans. Sleepless in Kirkland?
Well, almost.
This time around, it’s Jason Mesnick, also known as the man The Bachelorette’s DeAnna Pappas passed over in the show’s finale. The 32-year-old father (son Ty is 3) has a new email account for any fans wishing to contact him.
“I’ve gotten thousands of comments from fans,” Mesnick tells PEOPLE. “The generosity and the kindness is unbelievable. Every one is so sweet and nice. All the comments are pure love.”
After Pappas told him in the finale her “heart is somewhere else,” Mesnick’s fans overloaded his MySpace account with comments and then bombarded ABC with requests to get in touch with him. Producers of the show finally set up a separate e-mail account just for him. Fans can contact Jason directly at fanofjason@gmail.com.
“This really was set up as a way to accommodate his fans who wanted to reach out to him, not as a way of finding a match for him,” an ABC rep says. Mesnick checks the address once a day and tries to respond to every fan — even if it is just with a simple thank you.
“Every email starts the same. ‘I’ve never done this before and I’m not a stalker,’” he says. “I’ve even gotten a Sleepless in Seattle letter.”
Even if he doesn’t find love online, Mesnick is feeling pretty good from the responses. “I don’t care who you are in the world, Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan, you have some sort of doubts about yourself,” he says. “To know that people like me and accept me for exactly who I am feels so good.” – Emmet Sullivan
Craig Sjodin/ABC
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