The Bachelorette’s Michael Proves Women Don’t Really Want Sweet Guys Who Make Them Laugh

Michael Stagliano, The Bachelorette’s So Called Breakdancing Instructor (he reveals his real jobs below), was as cute as a basket of puppies. He seemed to have more genuine interest in Jillian than any of the other guys. He was funny. He could dance. But Jillian could not get past the staggering four year age difference between them. (Jillian is unaware that she’s living in the age of the cougar.) She was convinced he was too young to settle down, unlike say, sleazy musician Wes. Though he got the short shrift in the Most Dramatic Episode Ever, Michael’s sweet, romantic closing interview insured that he’ll have no trouble getting women to take him seriously in the future. In a press conference, Michael revealed himself to be the truly nice guy that he was on camera.

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Do you think the age difference was a factor in Jillian’s decision to let you go?

She talked about that with me directly a few times. But I never felt that she was older than me. If anything, there were times where I felt like, ‘This girl is more goofy than I am.’ She’s very young at heart. I saw her say very openly to my brother that it was a factor. But did I ever feel the need to act like a thirty year old? No. It wasn’t an issue for me, but for her I think unfortunately it was.

The show portrayed you as a breakdancing instructor. What do you actually do?

What paid the bills before I got on the show was bartending. I’ve done some acting. I’ve done some modeling. I published a book in December. I’m starting to get residual checks so quote unquote I’m an author, but that’s not paying any bills. I sing and write songs, so I do gigs a little bit in New York. Since I’ve gotten off the show I’ve been getting a whole lot of modeling gigs.

What’s your book called?

It is nerdtacular. It is called Wesley’s Stories: After School Adventures. It’s a middle reader/Young Adult fantasy novel. It’s five short stories. I wrote it in college. It’s about a boy named Wesley and his best friend David finding all of these hidden worlds around their house in Connecticut.

Who do you think is the right man for Jillian?

My top two guys were Kiptyn and Jesse. I think Kiptyn is a really good guy, real down to earth. Jesse isn’t on the show anymore, but I thought he was going to win it.

The audience had such a positive response to you and your twin brother during the home visit episode. Would the two of you like to be the first twin Bachelors?

That has started to come up. It’s a loaded question and probably a loaded answer. I’ll try to keep it short. I think Steve and I would make a really fun show. It’s never been done before. I think it would be great. I honestly got to see that the process works. I did not go on the show for the right reasons. I didn’t really know that Jillian was the Bachelorette when I was going through the casting process. But I fell for her. There’s no denying that. I know it’s possible to find love [on the show.] I also think that Steve and I could find our girls at the same time, propose at the same time, and have weddings at the same time. I couldn’t imagine anything better happening. We are absolutely considering it.

Did you really fall in love with Jillian? How long did it take you to get over her?

When you get on the show there’s definitely an element of, ‘Wait a minute. What was that?’ I think you have to admit that it’s an [artificial] situation to meet someone. There’s no stress. There’s no bills coming in. You’re going on these wonderful dates. Jillian’s the only girl you see for six weeks. But to this day, I still think about her. I would not say anything bad about her. I liked everything I got to see about her: all of her flaws, all of her wonderful qualities. Those were real feelings. If we were just nine to five, regular day, coming home, watching movies, making pasta, and paying bills, I think there were absolutely real feelings. [Since the show] I have not dated anyone. I am terrified of girls. It’s a total disaster. The Men Tell All [episode] films in about a week and I am really nervous to see her. The last thing I did on the show, besides get dumped, was make out with her. I went out on a high note. She looked so beautiful that last night, so I kind of have that ingrained in my head. I’m not saying I’m crying in the corner eating buckets of ice cream, but I still think she’s a really great person.

If it doesn’t work out with the guy that she picks, and she asked you for another chance, would you go for it?

My uncle said that to me after the first week. He was like, “Maybe she’ll come back for you.” I said, “No. She didn’t even like me.” I think I’d probably be pretty awestruck. I don’t even know.

Do you think Wes got a fair edit? Could he be a good match for Jillian?

I don’t know that I would say that Wes is right for Jillian. I think Wes is being cleverly edited to make it look like he’s saying some things that were out of context. More importantly, I sat down with Wes at one point. I was like, “Dude what’s your deal? You’re a musician, what are you doing here?” He said, “I’m 32. I’ve been with a lot of girls. I’ve done the whole rock star thing and I’m ready to settle down.” Seeing him on the show is a little concerning, but I will stand by Wes. He’s my boy. I feel bad for him. I think he’s a good guy.

How did you feel when she kicked off Jesse to keep Wes?

I thought Jesse was going to win the whole thing. She was always giving him the first rose. When Ed came back, when Reid got the first rose, I knew I was out. When it got down to Jesse, Wes and I, I thought that Wes and I were going home. What I saw on the show: Wes wrote Jillian a song. It made her cry. They were kissing a lot. But I thought Jesse would get a rose over him.

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