There have been 12 winners of the popular reality-dating-show The Bachelor, and to date, not one of them has made a successful pairing with their bachelor. Even so, some of the ladies have entered fascinating careers because of the exposure they received while on the show.

Melissa Rycroft has been the most successful in the entertainment world. After being chosen as the bride-to-be by bachelor-dad Jason Mesnick, and just weeks later dumped for the second banana, Molly Malaney, she rose to great heights after making a splash on Dancing with the Stars. Rycroft became engaged to her former boyfriend Tye Strickland in June 2009, and to top off her fabulous year, was named one of People Magazine‘s World’s Most Beautiful People.

Former General Hospital star and winner of The Bachelor: London Calling, Shayne Lamas, is no longer in a relationship with Matt Grant, as they mutually called off their relationship in 2008.

She is starring in a new reality show on E! about her famous acting family, called Leave it to Lamas.

Former school teacher Sarah Stone was chosen as the finalist by Dr. Travis Stork, but never got the coveted ring. The two dated for a while in Nashville, but broke up soon after. The doc landed his own TV show, called appropriately, The Doctors, where he doles out medical advice, while Stone remains in Nashville selling real estate.

In season seven, Charlie O’Connell chose cute-little-blond Sarah Brice, to be his one and only. After an on-again-off-again relationship, the two are making plans to be married. Will they be the first to succeed? I’m not holding my breath, but I wish them well.

Mary Delgado, what can I say? I rooted for the tiny raven-haired beauty to capture the down-to-earth fisherman’s heart on season six, and so she did. Little did I know that she would get arrested in 2007, for assaulting the poor guy. Even so, she and Byron Velvick are still reportedly a couple, and they intend to marry some day.

At the end of season three, winery heir Andrew Firestone chose Jen Schefft and things looked like they were going well. She moved near the vineyard to be with him, but they fell out of love, and she became the next Bachelorette. On the show, Schefft rejected the proposal of Jerry Ferris and left the show as she joined it-all alone. In 2009, she finally got an engagement ring from suitor Joe Waterman. No wedding date has been announced.

As for the other winners, their 15 minutes of fame came and went during the show. Not many people even remember who they were. Does anyone really want to know what happened to Amanda Marsh, Helene Eksterowicz, Estella Gardinier, Jessica Bowlin, Jennifer Wilson or Tessa Horst? If you do, let me know and I’ll be happy to hunt them down for you.