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51 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, March 4, 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 Classifieds Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA 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 8, 2005 Ryan Sheaffer Medford native is still an eligible bachelor on reality show By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune A rose from any other woman wouldn’t be nearly as sweet for Medford native Ryan Sheaffer, who remained in the game Monday as a potential husband-to-be for Jennifer Schefft on ABC’s hit reality show, "The Bachelorette." Sheaffer, 28, a Southern California teacher and aspiring actor, received one of three roses from Schefft to stay in the running after Monday’s episode, which included a previously filmed trip to Medford. Sheaffer — known only as Ryan on the show — survived the first five episodes to remain in the hunt for Schefft’s hand. His remaining rivals are Jerry, a 29-year-old art gallery director, and John Paul, a 25-year-old entrepreneur. They all received roses during the "rose ceremony" at the end of the episode. "I made it. I survived another week," Sheaffer said in a telephone interview shortly after the episode aired. Advertisement "That was the first ceremony where I went in really unsure if I was going to get a rose," he said. "Up until then, I was really confident." It looked like Sheaffer’s run could have been over. During their Medford date, Schefft appeared bored during Sheaffer’s family discussion about his parents’ recent trip to Thailand. Schefft even criticized the parents, Scott and Barbara Sheaffer, outside of their presence about what she considered their Thailand ramblings, a move that annoyed viewers who hammered Schefft for her manners on ABC message boards Monday night. "I think Jenn felt that maybe our family wasn’t paying enough attention to the situation at hand," said Sheaffer, who learned of the scene early Monday evening from his sister in Florida. "With creative editing, it comes across like they talk about nothing but Thailand, but they had just gotten back from this huge vacation. "It was definitely a little awkward in the house at times," Sheaffer said. "I love my parents to death. I put them in a tough position. I’m standing by them." And he’s still standing on screen next to Jenn for at least one more episode of the show, which airs locally at 9 p.m. on Channel 12. In "The Bachelorette," Sheaffer is one of 25 initial bachelors vying for Schefft’s affection as the boys take turns romancing her around New York City. The bachelors all try to impress Schefft on weekly episodes. Each episode culminates when she hands roses to bachelors who make that week’s cut. For those living on the outskirts of the reality TV world, Schefft is a media darling. She was featured in "The Bachelorette’s" third season in 2003 and eventually accepted the marriage proposal of the last standing bachelor, Andrew Firestone. With the cameras off, their romance fizzled and they eventually broke up before getting married. She parlayed her popularity into her own show, and Sheaffer landed a slot as a way to meet Schefft, known to viewers across the continent as "Jenn." The episodes were taped between mid-October and Thanksgiving. Confidentiality agreements forbid anyone involved from revealing any details. America was introduced to Medford during Monday’s show. The Medford date included a limousine trip, a skating date at the RRRink, a visit to his parents’ Montessori School in Medford and time in the family’s east Medford house. "I was definitely nervous, but excited," Sheaffer said. "It’s always a big step to me whenever I bring a girl home to meet my parents." The pair were in town just one day, but escaped detection — in part because everyone who came in contact with Sheaffer and Schefft had to sign confidentiality agreements. "I don’t know how it didn’t get out," Sheaffer said. "I’m kind of surprised." Sheaffer is equally surprised at just what it means being in the midst of 15 minutes of fame. As anonymous as the guy in the next car just a month ago, Sheaffer now gets noticed regularly in public and has fans chatting about him on various "Bachelorette" Web sites. A 25-year- old Texas woman even e-mailed the Mail Tribune asking to get in touch with Sheaffer — or at least put a few pictures of her into his hands — if Jenn ever dumps him. "That’s funny," Sheaffer said. "It’s really been interesting how people come up to me out of the blue, coming up to me on the street and talking to me about the show. "You just can’t realize the magnitude of the show." 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 Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress Advertisement s