ET was the first to reveal that Jason Mesnick was going to be the new "Bachelor," and he tells us, "I watched the announcement [on Entertainment Tonight] with [my son] Ty," Mesnick says. "He liked seeing us together golfing and stuff on TV. He remembers doing that stuff with me and it's fun for us to watch together."

And here's a revelation -- the popular single dad tells ET that he hasn't dated since he was turned down by "Bachelorette" Deanna Pappas in last season's finale: "I wanted to give myself the time to heal so that when I go out there again I was really ready to give whoever I am with the respect and total attention she deserves."

Mesnick, who calls himself "the most regular guy," will audition a bevy of beauties to be his bride, starting next January on ABC, and says he's excited at the prospect: "I mean, there's no guarantee but 25 girls? I mean, it's a real opportunity to find just one."