Ben Flajnik explains why he chose to do 'The Bachelor': 'I thought long and hard about this decision'

After Ben Flajnik was rejected on national television by Ashley Hebert on the season finale of "The Bachelorette," Flajnik had to give a lot of thought about going through the process again as the bachelor.

"I thought long and hard about this decision and how it was going to shift and change my life," Flajnik told OnTheRedCarpet.com recently. "In the end I have my family and friends and support and the people that matter to me."

"They encouraged me to do it and I had such a great experience with the last one and really working with Chris and the producers and everyone," he added. "It is a big family and it's like coming into a big family and they make you feel very comfortable."

Flajnik was confirmed as the bachelor for season 16 in September. The 28-year-old winemaker from Sonoma, California had fallen for recent "Bachelorette" star Ashley Hebert and made it down to the final two. He proposed but she picked J.P Rosenbaum over him. They are now engaged. (Check out a recap and photos from the finale.)

Now Flajnik will take a chance on finding love through the reality show and have his pick of 25 women to find "the one." Meet the 25 contestants here and check out some sneak peek photos from the premiere.

"The Bachelor" host Chris Harrison said that because Flajnik was a little reluctant, he knew Flajnik was the right person to fill the bachelor spot for the show's 16th season.

"It would worry me if someone wasn't skeptical and wasn't worried about coming in. If we said, 'Hey do you wanna come in' and they said 'Of course I'd do it!' That's not the kind of person we're looking for," Harrison said. "This was a long process to get him to be the bachelor but I very much respect that and I very much worry about a man or a woman that didn't think twice about doing this."

Harrison also said that fan input is important to the show.

"One example of listening to fans is sitting right next to me. There's a reason he's the bachelor," Harrison said. "It's a delicate little waiting proposition where you gotta listen to the fans but at the same time they don't necessarily know exactly what great TV will be and so, you know, the fact that they did choose Ben and there are certain things they want more of, you try and appease them but at the same time you have to stick to your guns and you know what good television is."

The host also dished about one of the older contestants seen in the promotional ads for the show. "People should know we take his journey very serious and we would not take up an entire spot on the show as a gag or a bit," Harrison said. "And you should know while it seems sensational in the ad, the purpose behind it is romantic and very sweet ... and Ben does hook up with her."

Flajnik quipped, "Yeah, I'm into older women. I'm into much older women."

"The Bachelor" season 16 premieres on January 2 at 8 p.m. on ABC. Check out scenes from the upcoming season in the video below.

ABC is the parent company of OnTheRedCarpet.com.

Reporting by Cari Skillman of KABC Television, which produces the entertainment show "On The Red Carpet" (check for local TV listings).

(Copyright ©2012 OnTheRedCarpet.com. All Rights Reserved.)

View the original article here

Rescued hiker: 'I thought I was going to die'

The California hiker who clung to the side of a cliff for more than 90 minutes Thursday before being rescued said he thought he was going to die.

“When I was going halfway down, that’s when I thought that was the end for myself,” Ivan Salas, 19, said today on “Good Morning America.”  ”I was going too fast and I couldn’t stop.”

Salas, his father and two dogs were hiking along a 300-foot-high ridge in the northeast San Fernando Valley outside of Los Angeles Thursday afternoon when his father threw a water bottle off the cliff’s edge.

Salas’ 1-year-old German Shepherd mix, Lola, chased after the bottle but lost her balance and tumbled over.  Salas tried to rescue her, but instead became trapped, clinging for life alongside Lola, 100 feet down the steep hillside.

“Once I was sliding down, I was just trying to hold onto whatever I could,” said Salas, who appeared on “GMA” with Lola and two of their rescuers from the Los Angeles Fire Department.

“I managed to hold onto a rock that was stable inside the dirt and from there I just got Lola and stayed with her,” he said.  “Any little mistake, I could have just gone straight down.”

Firefighters quickly arrived on the scene, alerted by 911 callers and a police helicopter. A first attempt at a helicopter rescue had to be diverted because of loose dirt and debris on the cliff.

“When the helicopter didn’t rescue me, that’s when I thought I was going to die because the dog was getting nervous,” Salas said.  “She was shaking a lot and I was sliding down as well.”

Firefighters instead went with what they termed their “Plan B” option of using an on-the-ground rescue team to help. Two firefighters rappelled down the cliff and used a rope and harness to bring Salas and Lola, both uninjured in the fall, to stable ground.

“When I got down to them to assist to make sure Ivan was secure, the dog was very nervous, scared, and was basically just clinging on,” rescuer Robert Macinnes said on “GMA.”

The entire rescue took about 90 minutes.

“To be honest, maybe 20 minutes more,” Salas said of how much longer he could have held on.  “I was tired and exhausted.”

Salas said his father, whose throwing of the water bottle started the episode of scary events for his son and family pet, was waiting for him on the ground with a hug, and a reward.

“He gave me money because he knew it was his fault,” said Salas, who also said he would hike with his dog again, but not his dad. “I was happy with that,” he said.

ABC News’ Ellen Tumposky contributed to this report.

View the original article here