Brad Womack Is Back for 'Bachelor'

Sept. 28, 2010 — -- Hang on to your hearts, ladies. The self-proclaimed most hated "Bachelor" in America is back.

ABC announced Monday night during "Dancing With the Stars" that Brad Womack will make a return to romance for the upcoming season 15 of "The Bachelor," slated for January 2011.

The former "Bachelor" contestant, who first appeared in season 11, is infamously known for being the first "Bachelor" to reject the final two contestants.

"I am about to be the biggest jerk in America."

That's what Womack, now 37, said he was thinking immediately before the show's final rose ceremony in 2007.

Instead of offering a proposal or even a promise ring, Womack said goodbye to cheerleader Jenni Croft and real estate agent Deanna Pappas, leaving both women in tears.

When Womack appeared in a two-hour "20/20 special" in March, his first TV appearance since the show's season 11 finale, he said the show's end was an agonizing and heartbreaking moment for him.

"Not only am I dumping two girls, but I'm doing it on national television," he said in an exclusive interview with "20/20."

The backlash was immediate and intense. "I can't begin to tell you how many e-mails I received from countless people ... to my personal address which was a little scary," said Womack. "My family received some interesting phone calls. It was tough."

Womack said he went into hiding for weeks, despite owning four bars in Austin, Texas. "I stayed home for a little while and just did some self-analysis, wondering, am I really that bad?"

Womack said he underwent intensive therapy in the past three years after the show ended, and has dated here and there, but nothing serious. He added that now he's more than ready to find a wife and start a family.

In talking about that fateful show, Womack said he went into it with the best intentions.

"I do believe in the fairy tale that is 'The Bachelor,'" Womack said. "I believe, or I wanted to believe, that you can meet somebody, you can fall for them, you can try to make it work, kind of throw caution to the wind ... but I also believe in reality, true reality."

After weeks of dating, Womack said he realized he had not fallen in love, and that he wanted to leave the show the same way he entered it -- solo.

"The Bachelor" executive producer Martin Hilton admitted that Womack's choice initially made the producers nervous. "But in the end, it was clear that ... we couldn't force him to do anything, nor would we," said Hilton.

"We've never seen a guy choose no one," said Mike Fleiss, the show's creator and executive producer. "And so unpredictability is a good element in all these reality shows."

For the spurned Deanna Pappas, it was a shocking conclusion to a relationship she was convinced would have a happy ending.

"I was devastated, I was crushed, I was heartbroken," Pappas said. "I was just hurt and confused and I still kind of held onto something hoping that he would come to his senses and realize that he had made a mistake. And then once we filmed the 'After the Final Rose', that's when the anger set in -- because he didn't want me."