[1-14-04] - Apparently rejected Average Joe suitor Adam Mesh's "very happy" relationship with his new girlfriend has ended, because NBC has announced that Adam will be returning to the reality dating show scene for his own aptly titled "Average Joe: Adam Returns" reality series. Average Joe: Adam Returns, a four-part series starring Adam, the runner-up for the heart of Average Joe beauty Melana Scantlin in the original series, will premiere Monday, March 15. But now, Adam is calling the shots as he dates some of the tens of thousands of women who have tried to contact him since the broadcast.

[12-9-03] - In the finale of NBC's Average Joe, Melana Scantlin, a 26-year-old former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader and wannabe actress who is decidedly above average in looks, opted to reject the last of the 'average Joes' among her suitors, choosing Jason Peoples, 27, one of the three good-looking "ringers" added to the show in a twist partway through the six-episode run, over Adam Mesh, 28. At the end of the finale, Melana and Jason went on a five-day trip to a resort on a waiting jet, while Adam was relegated to a waiting bus. Jason, a part-time waiter who lives with his parents in Costa Mesa, Calif. and takes business courses in college, seemed to be Melana's choice ever since he convinced her that he wasn't gay (her first question to him). Leaving no doubt that her choice was motivated solely by looks, Melana called Jason "gorgeous" and added, "The eyes, the face, the smile. How could you deny that?" By contrast, Adam, a successful Wall Street trader who was once featured in Fortune magazine, was husky and big-toothed and spoke with a strong New York accent, negating his financial success and winning personality, at least in Melana's eyes.

However, the "romance" between Jason and Melana appears to have ended when the couple left the resort after the show. In a joint appearance on NBC's Today Show on December 9, Jason and Melana said that they had been in contact only three times since the show ended, and they left the distinct impression that a Bachelorette-style wedding was not in their future. Meanwhile, Adam, who was interviewed by telephone, said that he had a new girlfriend and was very happy -- leading show host Katie Couric to note that he may have been that happy because Melana didn't pick him.