Melissa Rycroft

This is Melissa Rycroft. She used to be a cheerleader with the Dallas Cowboys, and hails from that fine state of Texas.

But much as we love cheerleaders, that's not how we know her.

Rycroft was a contestant on Season 13 of The Bachelor. She actually earned Jason Mesnick's final rose and enjoyed a few weeks of happiness. Until he dumped her on national TV for another Bachelor suitor, that is. Ouch!

Melissa quickly became a national sensation, though. Her first step after having her heart broken for all to see? Rycroft joined season eight of Dancing with the Stars. She performed very well on it, finishing in third

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Cover Story: The Revenge of Melissa Rycroft!

Melissa Rycroft had a head-shaking experience the other day.

Walking between trailers on the set where both Dancing with the Stars and American Idol tapes, the reality TV star was spotted - and recognized! - by Randy Jackson. He even gave Rycroft a hug.

“Just three months ago I was on the other side,” she says in the latest issue of People. “I am so not a celebrity.”

Sorry, Melissa. Yet another cover featuring your "revenge," a practical replica of an issue from a few weeks ago, begs to differ.

Inside the publication, Rycroft talks about dealing with the heartbreak brought on by Jason Mesnick's public exchange of her for Molly Malaney.

“I go through stages. I will shut down and lock myself in my room. And then I’ll get to the point where I can’t be by myself and I have to be around other people all the time. Otherwise I’ll drive myself nuts crying. I cry it out. Then one day I wake up and go, I’m okay."

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