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42 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, April 9, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 15, 2005 No Valentine’s Day fairy tale for Ryan Jennifer Schefft shows him the door after he professes his love on ‘The Bachelorette’ By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Medford native Ryan Sheaffer began Monday morning in his regular world — teaching sixth-graders in the special-needs classroom at Santa Fe Middle School in Monrovia, Calif. He ended it watching himself on ABC as "The Bachelorette," Jennifer Schefft, left him rose-less on the year’s most romantic day. A week go, Schefft kept Sheaffer in the trio of bachelor semifinalists despite criticizing his parents as boring after a visit to their Medford home. But Monday, Schefft gave roses to finalists Jean Paul and Jerry and banished Sheaffer from TV land. "I got shot down in a blaze of glory, and on Valentine’s Day, no less," Sheaffer, 28, said in an interview after the telecast. "Just twist the knife a little more." But in reality — the real one, not reality TV — Sheaffer said he’s happy Schefft didn’t choose him for television’s latest ratings-grabbing arranged marriage. Advertisement "I think I got out exactly at the perfect time, knowing what I know now," Sheaffer said. He admitted he was gaga for Schefft from the beginning — and even professed that to Schefft on camera in Monday’s episode. But watching Schefft criticize his mother for appearing to drone on about a recent trip to Thailand in last week’s episode, Sheaffer said he now believes he’s better off a "Bachelorette" has-been then on the arm of "Jen." "At the time, I thought things were going well," Sheaffer said. "I didn’t realize her feelings were so strong and that she felt so uncomfortable at my family’s house," he said. Sheaffer, who lives in Manhattan Beach, Calif., made it through six episodes of the widely popular "The Bachelorette," which began with 25 men going to New York City to woo Schefft. Monday’s episode involved each of the three bachelors having an overnight date with Schefft. Sheaffer took Schefft to Cape Cod, where they walked on the beach, chatted in a lighthouse and had a romantic dinner in the small inn where they stayed. Before the episode-ending "rose ceremony," Sheaffer came clean about his strong feelings for Schefft. Sheaffer on Monday recalled roiling in emotions during the ceremony. "I felt a little like a sucker, after pouring my heart out to her like that," he said. "But there was a little relief. I finally got to know from her where I stood." Ryan-lovers instantly weighed in Monday evening with hundreds of comments on ABC’s "The Bachelorette" message board. "In my heart I knew he wouldn’t be Jen’s chosen one, but it’s been nice to look at him," one Ryan fan wrote during the East Coast airing of the episode. "I think she missed the boat with him." Sheaffer said he thought so, too, at first. But it didn’t take him long to shuck Schefft as well. "Once I got back to my life, my routine, I was fine," he said. "Looking back, it’s real easy to get caught up in the moment on these shows." It was even easier to get recaptured by that wacky TV net since the show began airing Jan. 10. By day, he was Mr. Sheaffer in the classroom. Monday nights, he was Ryan, the down-to-earth bachelor. "We’ve been living in these two different worlds — your day-to-day existence, living and working, and then there’s this TV persona," Sheaffer said. "It’s weird, having one foot in each world." Beginning today, Sheaffer will have both feet beneath him in the real world, with only a "Men Tell All" recap episode taped Friday left in his television world. Some Ryan-o-philes, however, are not ready to let go. Fans on Monday began lobbying ABC to make Ryan the next Jen by giving him a "Bachelor" version of his own love-quest next year. "I loved Ryan but I agree that he is too good for her," another viewer wrote on the show’s official message board. "I have been a person who didn’t like ABC to do recycles but I would love to see Ryan as the bachelor. He seems sweet and gentle." Sheaffer said he couldn’t see himself going through those emotions again in front of the camera. "My parents probably wouldn’t want to have the cameras come back," he said. "I think I’d like to find my future bride in a more normal setting. "It’ll happen." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s