It's hard to believe that it's been nearly a decade of roses, tears and broken engagements, but Chris Harrison, who's been the face of 'The Bachelor' franchise since it began in 2002, promises that the upcoming Season 16 will be the best yet -- with a little help from a grandmother named Sheryl, of course.

"We might have outdone ourselves this season," Harrison told AOL TV. "I will say this about the grandmother that gets out of the car: It made for a fun, sensational ad, and obviously, it worked because people are talking. But people should know that we would never take up a spot on the show as a cocktail joke. It definitely was funny, but it has much more meaning than you see in the ad. There's something very sweet and romantic about it."

After a decade of tearful drama, Harrison switched it up in November and debuted a new feel-good game show, 'You Deserve It,' where each week, a contestant tries to win money for someone in their life who they would like to reward. Okay, so maybe there will still be some tears.

Everybody wants a piece of J.J. Abrams. The in-demand producer is teaming up with 'One Tree Hill' creator Mark Schwahn for a new drama project based around a hotel.

According to Deadline, the project is one of the highest-profile projects at the network. Schwahn will pen 'Maine' (tentatively title) with both men executive producing the project. 'Maine,' described as a character-based drama, will follow the staff of a hotel and its guests.

This is a homecoming of sorts for Abrams. He started his TV career on The WB with 'Felicity.'

In other TV news ...

Snooki's poof apparently doesn't work its magic on Republicans.

A new study by Experian-Simmons found conservative-leaning viewers tend to favor reality programming like 'Dancing With the Stars,' 'The Bachelor,' 'The Biggest Loser,' 'MythBusters,' but one exception to that trend was 'Jersey Shore.' Also among GOP favorites is the History Channel's block of programming: 'Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy,' 'American Pickers,' and 'Swamp People.'

Two other popular liberal shows, 'Glee' and 'Modern Family,' topped the conservative list last year, but are no longer two of the favorite shows among Republican viewers, according to EW. They did, however, still rank high with those on the more liberal end of the political spectrum.

Even celebrities aren't immune to the siren song of trashy reality TV. When actress Kirsten Dunst paid a visit to 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon' (Weeknights, 12:37AM ET on NBC), the pair soon got caught up in their mutual love of 'The Bachelor' and 'The Bachelorette.'

"I like 'The Bachelor' better because the girls go so crazy over this dude they don't know, and they're so in love with him and dying for these roses," Dunst laughed. "Like, you haven't even met the guy for five minutes and you're already ready to rip this girl's hair out!"

Fallon admitted that his favorite 'Bachelorette' season was Ali Fedotowsky's, thanks in large part to the weirdness of Kasey Kahl, the kooky suitor who promised to "guard and protect" Fedotowsky's heart. Fallon then launched into an uncanny impression of the contestant, leaving both of them in hysterics. You've officially made it, Kasey!

Season 16 of ABC's 'The Bachelor' -- yes, there have been that many seasons -- kicks off Mon., Jan. 2 at 8PM ET.

Starring Ashley Hebert's rejected beau Ben Flajnik, the new season will feature 25 contestants vying for Ben's heart. According to ABC, Ben claims to have been in love only three times -- one of them being with Ashley.

The 16th season premiere will be two hours.

Oh, 'The Bachelor.' Somehow, we just can't quit you, no matter how predictable you get.

If this new portrait of Ben Flajnik is any indication, we're in for one bland, awkward season.

In the new ABC publicity photo, Ben's all smiles, which is a good thing. He seems like a decent guy, but come on -- it looks like he stepped right on to the stage of a Sears portrait studio.

Check out the full photo and an impromptu instant message critique session below.

So, it was the season finale at last on 'Bachelor Pad' last night. Time to pack away the thong bikinis and swim trunks as one lucky couple was awarded the $250,000 grand prize. For the others, it was rejection time. (Again.)

And the winners are: Holly Durst and Michael Stagliano. Yes, the on-again off-again couple walked away with the win despite the fact that Holly has already gotten engaged to housemate Blake Julian after a whirlwind romance.

That's right, she's engaged to Blake, and if you didn't already know that before the finale then you weren't alone. Michael didn't know either.

Another tear-stained season of 'Bachelor Pad' has come to a close, filled with more fights, more feuds, and more than a few revelations (even though many of them were ruined by the media long before the episode actually aired).

Jake and Vienna, Vienna and Kasey, Melissa and Blake, Blake and Holly, Holly and Michael, Erica and gavel -- it's hard to keep track, but by gum, I tried!

Summer is most certainly over and we have blah-blah-Ben to "look forward to" as our next 'Bachelor,' so let's savor the trashy triumph of 'BP' while we still can and look back at the top five most awkward moments from the 'Bachelor Pad' season finale.

The long-rumored news is finally official: Ben Flajnik is the next 'Bachelor.'

The 'Bachelorette' runner-up will appear as the new 'Bachelor' during the season finale of ABC's 'Bachelor Pad' on Mon., Sept. 12.

'The Bachelor' returns to ABC in January 2012.

According to ABC, the 28-year-old has been in love three times -- 'Bachelorette' Ashley Hebert was his third -- but has only proposed once ... on TV.

Here's how ABC describes Ben and his desire to find a wife:

"A rare, modern Renaissance man, Ben dabbles in a lot of hobbies and crafts, such as crab fishing, sailing, golf, skate boarding, surfing, playing piano and singing in a tribute band. He is also quite handy with a hammer and saw, and loves fixing and building things, as well as landscaping. The woman who will share his life will also have to share one of his other great loves: his Jack Russell Terrier, Scotch."

Have you ever wanted to know what someone looks like when they're having a mental breakdown on national television? If so, you probably owe Melissa a muffin basket for sating your curiosity on this week's 'Bachelor Pad.'

The kooky blonde has been slowly unraveling for the past few weeks, but her cray-cray behavior (behay-hay?) finally reached its boiling point in the latest episode, after she had at least three very public meltdowns at/because of Blake.

As a result, I'm switching things up in this week's recap, and instead of choosing the top five most awkward moments, I'm going to come right out and name the top five most awkward people instead. (Okay, Melissa was so cringeworthy that I may have chosen her twice, so sue me.)

He may have gotten rejected by Ashley, but Ben Flajnik has reportedly gotten a pretty sweet consolation prize: Becoming the next 'Bachelor.'

Life & Style reports Ben will suit up and hand out roses of his own when the ABC series returns. The 28-year-old Sonoma winemaker made it all the way to the finale, but lost out to J.P. Rosenbaum.

ABC has yet to confirm the news, but the show has a history of plucking contestants and making them stars of their own reality love search.

Ashley Hebert was rejected by Brad Womack on his second go-around on 'The Bachelor.' She was the second runner-up before headlining 'The Bachelorette.'

If you thought last week's 'Bachelor Pad' was knee-deep in awkwardness, the first 10 minutes of this week's episode probably realigned your world view quite a bit.

Nothing says ego-boost like being pelted with paint-filled eggs, as poor Erica quickly discovered (though, to be fair, I kind of want to throw eggs at her every time I see her in that tiara, too).

Still, there was enough double-crossing, manipulation and awkward making out to keep everyone occupied, and a twist in the game gave someone a second chance at survival.

Read on for our Top 5 awkward moments, and two that were "aww"-worthy.

The conclusion of another season of the 'The Bachelorette' and last night's debut of the dirty after-party called 'Bachelor Pad' got me thinking about the state of marriage -- at least on reality TV.

My parents got married at City Hall. My mom was wearing a caftan over her baby bump (I was born a few months later) and my dad wore a V-neck sweater, high-heeled boots and five o'clock shadow. It was the '70s and the whole thing cost as much as the marriage license. Granted, it didn't last, but as I'm sure you've noticed, most marriages don't.

It's been a tough old season for Ashley Hebert. Usually it's 'The Bachelorette' who turns men down, but over the last few weeks we've seen a record number of suitors choose to walk away from her and the show.

However, on last night's Season 7 finale Ashley finally got that romantic ending she'd been looking for.

On a beach in Fiji she tearfully accepted a proposal of marriage from the last man standing kneeling: None other than fan favorite J.P. Rosenbaum.

The 34-year-old construction manager from Roslyn, New York faced a tough grilling from her family and beat out Ben Flajnik to win Ashley's heart in the end.

But did Ashley find true love? Or was it all rigged for the viewers' benefit?

This week, an eliminated bachelor flew to Fiji to try and get another chance with Ashley Hebert on 'The Bachelorette' (Mon., 8PM ET on ABC), and it wasn't Bentley. It wasn't Ames either, though we suspect that's because he still may not have fully registered that he was eliminated last week.

!!SPOILER ALERT!!

Apparently, Ryan thought getting eliminated in the middle of a date may indicate a hasty decision on Ashley's part, so he came back and gave Ashley a second chance to consider him.

"I don't know if after I left if you sat back and you regretted anything, if you thought ... maybe we should have had more of a chance," he told her. "If that's in your mind at all, then I want to spend more time with you."