Molly Sullivan

"My girlfriends and I were watching the second season [of "The Bachelor"] and calling each other on every commercial break...watching the train wreck, wondering `Who are these girls?'" Jen Schefft says about her days before her own reality-TV fame. Little did she know she would soon be thrown into the middle of that train wreck--but somehow she'd manage to find her way out, unlike many reality TV stars.

A friend encouraged Schefft to apply online, not thinking anything would come of it. Soon producers were calling for a video and, despite not wanting to, that friend convinced her again. Before she knew it she had to take six weeks off from work at Getty Images in Chicago. "I'm sure if I had asked for six weeks to go to Europe it would have been different, but when I said it was for `The Bachelor,' they said `Yeah, you have to go,'" she laughs. The joke continued--she won and was on her way to the altar. "I never thought I would be the girl who was chosen...then everything exploded," Schefft recalls about the months after the show.

Fast-forward through the engagement and Schefft found herself single again, living in Chicago with friends and unemployed. But "The Bachelor" called again with her leading as "The Bachelorette." "I probably was not in the best place mentally and had they asked me a year later instead, I don't know if I would have gone back," Schefft admits. At the time though, it was hard to turn down the chance of getting help to meet the man of her dreams. And there's always the thought, "If it worked, great, and if it didn't, then hopefully I would have learned something from it."

Lessons can be hard to learn though. After not choosing either man, people let her know exactly what they thought. Schefft was labeled as too picky. "It's one thing to have your friends gossiping about your love life, it's another to have everyone...saying you'll never find someone," Schefft says.

Luckily, she managed to learn about herself and a lot more about being single, which she now passes on in her newly released book, "Better Single Than Sorry." Annoyed with relationship books where women are told how to change to find Mr. Right, Schefft explored the choice to be single. Around her thirtieth birthday she thought, "It's a strange age to be single, not in a bad way, but when you're young you never think you'll be single at thirty. And then you are and it isn't so bad."

After two years of work, this is one of her proudest accomplishments. "Doing reality TV, you're not sure how people will react and you're not even sure how you feel," Schefft says. "But doing the book is something you know you've worked for." And even though living back in Chicago, winding down a book tour and working in public relations might seem less glamorous than rose ceremonies and fantasy dates--Schefft isn't complaining. "I'm glad it's over."

(2007-02-20)

Also by Molly Sullivan

The Talk
I wholeheartedly feel for those men who break up with women by email or over voicemail, figuring out when they won't be home so they can avoid "the talk." I'm one of them, the female version, and I'm sure there are more of my kind out there
(2007-02-06)

Global Flavors
The Hideout is under the glow of the twinkling lights, for a night of storytelling--the crowd gathers calmly, nestles in. Passing by the bar, those in search of a peaceful ambiance find the Make magazine release party in the back, comfortably filling the room as the readings from the fourth issue begin
(2007-01-30)

Dog City
ARFhouse, a no-kill shelter, moved into Bucktown just five months ago, and pairs up tonight with its new neighbor, three-and-a-half-month-old Red Dog House, an upscale pet boutique, to get the word out that they are both open and here to stay
(2007-01-23)

The Art Community
Everyone knows a picture is worth a thousand words, but how many words does it take to create a picture? At Caro D'Offay Gallery you need only a few words to describe what you want the picture to look like and the rest will be left up to interpretation as "The Colorist Chess" exhibition opens for public collaboration
(2007-01-16)

Maxim-um Attention
(2007-01-09)

Portrait of a Man
(2006-12-19)

Choose Chomsky
(2006-12-12)

Oopsie Daisy
(2006-12-05)

Anime Marinara
(2006-11-28)

Machinehand
(2006-11-07)

Rolling Bling
(2006-10-17)

Only Connect
(2006-09-19)

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