The Bachelor kicks off tonight for its 13th season!

Jason Mesnick, a single dad who was rejected at the last rose ceremony by (once again single!) Bachelorette DeAnna Pappas, is now in the driver’s seat as 25 gals vie to win his love.

We already know that one did. Jason announced last December that he’s engaged to one of his lovely Bachelor ladies.

I’m all for finding love in 2009 (and I plan to: Feel free to send in your suggestions!). But with the Bachelor’s track record, 0 – in – 13, I had to know if Jason was worried that his declaration would be D.O.A. before the show even got underway!

“This question comes to me in every single interview or any conversation I’m having. And I say, ‘How can I not be open and honest about that,’” Jason declared to me.

Simply put, the accountant from Seattle, Wash., knew he’d have a hard time keeping his mouth shut about being head over heels in love as the show aired.

“If I had to swallow the fact that I’m extremely happy and I’m in love and I’m engaged for this long, there’s no way I could do that,” he admitted.

Awww, so sweet! I really works it works out for Jason and his mystery fiancée!

The Bachelor, season 13, premieres Monday, Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

It’s my last installment of the cast members from the hot new reality series, Confessions of a Teen Idol. Enjoy Chris Atkins and Jeremy Jackson!

JEREMY JACKSON
Jeremy, 28, played David Hasselhoff’s son, Hobie, on Baywatch.

What was your craziest fan encounter during your teen idol days?
I was in Holland in a car with my mom, and it rushed by seas of people. They got 20 security guards to make a human tunnel so we could run into the studio. Hands were reaching through and grabbing me and pulling at my clothes. It was my insane Beatles moment.

Did being a teen idol contribute to your past drug addiction?
The entertainer personality, the hunger for acceptance and that raw hyper energy are traits that go hand in hand with an innate craving for more. Had I never been famous, I still would have ended up addicted to drugs, but fame helped me find a low place much more quickly.

What was the best lesson David Hasselhoff taught you about teen fame?
Me and the Hoff are so close, we still talk. He always said you have to believe in yourself more than anybody, and no one else can push you harder than you push yourself.

CHRIS ATKINS
Chris, 48, became an overnight sensation when he starred in the 1980 classic film, The Blue Lagoon.

Do people still approach you about the Blue Lagoon?
I was just in a parade in San Diego, and there was a  fan that showed up 5 in morning with her daughter. holding a sign that said, “Show me your loin cloth,” and her daughter had a sign that said, “my Mom thinks your hot.” It was flattering.  

You did a lot of nude scenes in the movie. Would you do one now?
I was jogging the other day, and I thought a dog was chasing me, but it was my ass hitting the back of my legs! I was doing a layout, and the photographer asked me if I would do some nude shoot, and I said, “Okay.” So yes, they still surprisingly call for it. There’s going to be a day where they say, “Will you please keep your clothes on!”
 
How did you cope with the darker side of fame?
I’ve been through everything in this business, from having extreme fame to nothing and having millions of dollars in the bank having it completely all stolen by a business manager who left me with $200 dollars and a child and another on the way. It’s been a wild ride. But the great equalizer has been my kids.

Are you still in touch with your Blue Lagoon co-star Brooke Shields?
We’re still friends, and I’m happy and excitied for her that she has her kids. When mine were growing up, my daughter was in awe of Brooke, and Brooke couldn’t have been nicer. She would pick them up and hold them and dote over them, and I thought, “She’s going to be a great mom someday.”

Once Confessions ends, will you give up your jobs building pools?
No way! It’s freaking brilliant and I’m learning a lot about it. I’ve built some really nice barbeque pits and lagoons, and did one job for John Goodman. Put the name in there, tropical-environments.com.You got to have a side job!

Catch the premiere of Confessions of a Teen Idol Sunday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. on VH1.

Confessions of a Teen Idol is only five days away!

I know you’re drooling to read more from the stars, so without further ado: Jamie Walters, Billy Hufsey and Eric Nies!

JAMIE WALTERS
Jamie, 39, starred on Beverly Hills 90210 and had a hit single, “How Do You Talk to an Angel.”

You work for the LA fire department. Do the guys rib you about being a former teen idol?
While I was a rookie, they moved me to one of the toughest stations. I showed up at 5:30 one morning to make coffee, and the guys really had printed really embarrassing pictures of me from Teen Beat magazine and posted them all over the kitchen. But after that some of guys asked me to sign copies of CDs for their girlfriends!

Would you like to return to 90210?
I hear that Tori Spelling is thinking about playing some kind of role, and I would imagine, if she gets on the show, I could have a guest spot. I would just hope they wouldn’t have me throwing anyone down the stairs.

What was the craziest rumor spread about you during your teen idol heyday?
There was a story printed that said Tori and I had taken our onscreen relationship offscreen, but the photograph was not of me. It was a completely different dude, but they were so desperate for the story, they used it anyway.

Do you miss having hordes of girls screaming out your name?
I still have screaming girls: my daughters, ages five, three and one.


BILLY HUFSEY
Billy, 50, starred on the TV series Fame and the soap opera Days of Our Lives.

What do you miss most about your teen idol days?
One time I was in New York City at a dance convention and there were 500 chicks chasing me. I'm running and thinking, “What the hell I'm running for? This is what I want.” People try to bust my chops saying, "You were a teen idol?" Dig it. If I had the chance to do it over, I would do it the same way. It was great.

What’s been your craziest fan encounter?
On the set of Fame, I was coming back from the commissary. I opened the door to my dressing room and there was a lady sitting in there with a gun. She said was in love with me and she said that she wanted us to go to heaven together. I said, “Can we have coffee first?” I'll never forget that.

Who has the biggest ego in the house?
Me! When you've been out of the business your talent is a rusty as nail that been sitting out in the rain, you gotta come up with something (laughs). You're talking about seven cats that were so huge in their day and now they're back to the basics trying to regenerate a career, so we really checked our egos at the door.

ERIC NIES
Eric, 37, appeared on the debut season of The Real World and hosted MTV’s The Grind.
 
Did your fellow Confession stars ask you for advice on how to handle reality TV?
It came up quite a few times. You’re always concerned on how you are portrayed, that the things you say or do are taken out of context. These guys didn’t really have that concern, because they don’t really want to be in reality television, it’s just an opportunity to get their name out there again. There was a couple of times I gave them some insight as how these things are edited and why they produce them the way they do. But that just brought us all really together, which was really special. This was a show about seven guys who had a lot in common, who were there to watch each other’s back and make sure everyone came out on top.
 
Do you keep in touch with anyone from your Real World days?
I was in Hawaii last year at a friend’s wedding and I just happened to run into Norm [Korpi]. I was driving around this corner, and all of a sudden he was coming down the street in a jeep It was so cool. He was there with a whole group of friends celebrating a birthday. We just randomly ran into each on Kawai, one of the most remote islands on the world. We always run into each other in the most random places.
 
What have you been working on since you left the teen spotlight?
I do life coaching. I rehabilitate drug addicts, help people to lose weight and get their life back together. I always been in health and fitness, and I’ve always been interested in wanting to give back and help other people. My brother and I have been working on a feature-length documentary about friends who grew up battling with drug addiction. Some are in jail, some are in dire need, and they’ve all agreed to share their story. It’s something that we’re very passionate about.

Was it weird to go from regular guy to reality show idol?
It’s always weird. People come up to you and they ask you personal questions about something they saw you do or say. The most difficult, you’re always your worst critic, so seeing yourself act, behave or respond in a certain way in a situation, is always very humbling.

Catch the premiere of Confessions of a Teen Idol Sunday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. on VH1.

 

FYI: Tonight, I'll be celebrating the New Year with EXTRA! host Mario Lopez at Joonbug 's party at Marquee nightclub here in New York City. Hope your ball drop is tons of fun, fellow fanatics!

Reason I love my job no. 298: Easy access to all my former teen celeb crushes!


VH1 launches Confessions of a Teen Idol this Sunday, where seven ex-heartthrobs take the plunge to try to reclaim the fame that has escaped them over the years.

I got the chance to interview the entire cast (for real!). Check back over the next few days for my exclusive chats with the boys who kept our bedroom walls from going bare.

DAVID CHOKACHI
David, 40, made a big splash starring on Baywatch.

You almost quit the series in the first episode!
They couldn’t disclose everything we would be doing on the show, and when I talked to our producer, Scott Baio, I said to him, “Would you say ‘yes’ to a movie without reading the script?” I had no idea  what they were planning to do to us. But it was a chance to a explore new medium I hadn’t worked in, and it wasn’t a competition, that was really positive. Still, doing the show was a gamble.

What’s your best memory from Baywatch?
On the show we had all these opportunities to do these amazing action scenes. I would be out in Catalina shooting diving sequences. Riding jet skis full blast and taking out a guy jumping from ski to ski, literally for me was the best part.

Have you ever had a crazy fan encounter?
People were always punking me to save them since I played a lifeguard. You can’t be crying wolf on me! But one time we were down in Miami Beach doing an appearance and a girl was having trouble in the water. I thought she was setting me up to clown me, but my manager and I swam out to her, and it was the real deal. Who I was never even came across her radar because she was so freaked out.

What have you been doing since you left the beach?
I did Witchblade, which was completely different from Baywatch. I was a New York City detective and the role was kind of dark and edgy and changed people’s perception of me completely. It’s hard to get the Baywatch image out of people’s mind, so I’m constantly finding things where I can play against type.


ADRIAN ZMED
Adrian, 54, starred in Grease 2 with Michelle Pfeiffer and on the TV series TJ Hooker with Heather Locklear.

What was your strangest fan interaction during your teen reign?
One day my doorbell rang and at the door was a framed intricate stained glass mosaic of the face of my one-year-old son! While I was touched by it's beauty, I was also disturbed that a stranger would spend what must have been countless hours studying the face of my son, and finding out where I lived.
        
What was it like living in the house with other former teen idols?
The first time the guys hung out in the locker room I could see we all had the same size – egos. But it's not how big your ego is, it's how you use it.  It was a frat house atmosphere that I never had when I was in college. The camaraderie with the guys was a very special brotherhood I will never forget.
               
What’s your best memory of being on Confessions?
We put together a little show for inner city kids. Creating it, performing it and seeing the joy in their faces made me very happy and proud of the guys.

What advice do you have for today’s teen idols like Zac Efron and Robert Pattinson?
So many young stars today seem to be losing their identities in all of the hype and publicity. Focus on doing great work with your acting, treat people well and do something to help the world along the way. Everything else in life will come naturally and so will all the publicity, in a good way.

Confessions of a Teen Idol premieres Sunday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. on VH1.