AGE 25
HOMETOWN Denver
LATEST GIG The new bachelor on FLOM
•The twists: First he chooses a woman from a bevy of 16. Then she chooses between him and the money, which could be $1 million or $1. Then he chooses between her and the money. Complicated? You bet. And maybe more wrinkles to come. "There were moments when I thought I was in control," says Mercer, "and I was wrong. By the end, I'd no longer get surprised."
•Early years: Growing up in Boulder, Colo., "I went to every high school dance and took a different girl every time," says the mortgage broker. "I don't know what that says about his ability for relationships," says his dad, Gary, an insurance agent married for 38 years to Diana, a homemaker. "As soon as he'd meet his girlfriend's parents, that was the kiss of death. The pressure of their getting so serious would make him back out."
•The un-Rob: Mercer says he won't "make the same mistakes" as FLOMI bachelor Rob Campos did. "I tried to come at it with a humble attitude and not like I am the Man and these girls are lucky to have me."
•A chance for romance: So does he meet the woman of his dreams? Mercer can't say. But at least he's looking for inspiration in the right places. "I used to work out at the same gym as [The Bachelorette's] Ryan Sutter," he says, "and the next thing I see, he is getting married on TV. It can work."
•If he takes the money: He'll spend it mainly on clothes. "I am a little fashion freak," says the part-time model. "Just last week I did a Tommy Hilfiger show. Unfortunately they didn't give us the clothes."
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