Looking Back at Melissa Rycroft’s Shocking ‘Bachelor’ Finale 16 Years Later: What Happened?

Melissa Rycroft had arguably one of the most shocking Bachelor finales in the franchise’s history.

Melissa, now 42, appeared on Jason Mesnick’s season 13 of The Bachelor in 2009. Jason, now 49, was the lovable single dad from 

DeAnna Pappas’ season the year prior before getting the chance to hand out the roses.

As Jason whittled down his crop of women to Melissa and his now-wife, Molly Mesnick

, he now infamously broke down in tears on multiple occasions. In the end, Jason opted to propose to Melissa and gave her the coveted final rose.

Cut to six weeks later: Jason broke up with Melissa during the taped 

After the Final Rose special in order to rekindle his relationship with runner-up Molly, now 41.

“We’re not right for each other,” Jason told Melissa at the time, claiming that their chemistry was “completely different” after the show ended. “I do have feelings for Molly. Over these last few weeks when I started thinking about her, I tried to get it out of our head because that was the right thing for us. … I wish I could control what I was feeling.”

Melissa, meanwhile, felt blindsided by Jason’s admission.

“To me, getting engaged and finding that person was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and you took that from me,” she tearfully said during the broadcast. “I wish more than anything that [on] that last day, you would have just let me go instead of doing this to me. I’m so mad at you. I don’t get it at all ’cause none of it makes sense.”

Melissa handed back her Neil Lane engagement ring before exiting the stage. Jason then had a chance to plead his case to Molly, who was in the dark about the breakup that just took place.

“Melissa was out here earlier and I ended things with her because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” Jason said. “My heart hasn’t let go, my head hasn’t let go [and] my gut hasn’t let go. This is a ridiculous day because I had to hurt a really great girl, say goodbye to her because my heart’s somewhere else. … I was hoping we could have a shot.”

Molly, who was flabbergasted by Jason’s request, wanted answers about what happened with Melissa before she ultimately agreed to give the then-Bachelor a second chance.

“I think we have a lot to talk about, but my feelings never went away,” Molly replied. “I think we can see where things go.”

Within months, Melissa reconnected with ex-boyfriend Tye Strickland and tied the knot in December 2009 before welcoming three children. As for Jason, he and Molly got married in a February 2010 televised wedding three years before their daughter, Riley, was born.

ABC aired Jason’s season again in 2020 as part of its “Greatest Seasons Ever” series.

“I was so angry with the whole production. I was like, ‘They all lied to me. They all got me here. They got me dressed up.’ [And] I was furious with him for doing it to me,” Melissa exclusively told 

Us Weekly at the time, looking back on the dramatic finale. “I didn’t even have feelings toward Molly because first of all, it’s not her fault. I mean, if he contacted her, she’s allowed to talk to him, and she can’t help if he wants to be with her.”

She added, “I was so angry at the time. I didn’t even think about what was happening on that stage as I was riding off in the limo. Filming that was the most awkward thing in the entire world because I’m looking at everybody going, ‘You all knew exactly why you were coming here.’ It was bad.”

While speaking to Us, Melissa acknowledged that she, Jason and Molly are “right where [they’re] supposed to be.”

“If Jason and I got married, it would have been the biggest blowup ever, like, it would have been terrible,” she said. “We are not supposed to be together.”