The Bachelorette: Which Contestant Makes the Most Money?

When we checked out our site statistics on Tuesday morning, we couldn't figure out why a bunch of random job searches spiked the night before. The reason? Monday night was ABC's 9th season premiere of The Bachelorette.

For those unfamiliar with the show, 25 men compete for the heart of one woman -- this year it's 27-year-old Desiree Hartsock. Each week at the end of the telecast, she gives roses to the men she likes and sends the rest packing. That continues until she chooses one of the original 25 and they (theoretically) live happily ever after.

So what does a reality TV dating show have to do with Salary.com?

I know we all say sense of humor and great eyes are the most important things we look for in a potential spouse, but it appears large segments of the American public disagree. Instead, people come to our site to look up the job titles of all the male contestants on the show -- and their corresponding salaries. So we figured we'd make it easier for everyone. We examined all the job titles of the 25 contestants, plugged in their geographic locations, and came up with Desiree's top 10 choices as ranked by salary. Some jobs weren't in our database so we didn't include them, and these are only estimates and not their actual salaries. But based on our job titles and salary data, here are the best choices if Desiree is concerned about money.

Obviously this doesn't guarantee true love and there's much more to choosing a mate than money, but as our analytics indicate, earning potential still plays a big role in romantic matters.

Name: Brad
Occupation: Accountant/DJ
Hometown: Denver, CO
Median annual salary: $55,177

Accountant AND a club DJ? That's quite the mix of mundane and super hip. But Brad was much more accountant than DJ during the season premiere, as his big move during the introductions was to bring a wishbone and present it to Desiree.

While we don't have salary information for DJs, the accountant part of Brad's life might be what Desiree found appealing and subsequently kept him in the game, as he was one of the lucky ones who received a rose. As this season progresses, we'll see if Brad's opportunities are multiplied or if the accountant is divided from his potential bride.

Name: Kasey
Occupation: Advertising Executive
Hometown: Tulsa, OK
Median annual salary: $64,293

The good news for Kasey is he got a rose, and he clocks in at #9 on the 10 most lucrative bachelors list with a Madison Avenue level, ultra hip advertising gig. But the bad news is he might be remembered as one of the most annoying men on the Season 9 premiere.

Part of Kasey's advertising duties apparently require social media use, which is fine. What's not fine, however, is his insistence on speaking in Twitter hashtags. He made his entrance by admitting that he stalked Desiree online, and then spent the rest of the episode speaking in Twitter-ese. #reallyannoying #stopitnow #noroseforyouifyoukeepthisup.

Name: Brian
Occupation: Financial Advisor
Hometown: Olney, MD
Median annual salary: $67,140

Brian, the Maryland financial advisor, is -- by virtue of his job -- good with money. So maybe he can use some of that money to take a friend shopping with him to buy something other than a velvet jacket and jeans with glittery sparkles on his derriere. But he did get a rose, so either Desiree is impressed with his job in finance or she likes guys who look like a disco ball.

Name: Robert
Occupation: Advertising Executive
Hometown: Glendale, AZ
Median annual salary: $67,348

What do you think of when you think of advertising executives? Don Draper and his Mad Men gang clad in suit and ties? Well despite being in advertising, Robert is blazing a new trail. In fact, the first thing he did when he met Desiree was throw his tie in the bushes. Then he bragged about supposedly creating those signs on the side of the road that spin around in the breeze while advertising different products. Look out Desiree.

Name: Brooks
Occupation: Marketing & Sales
Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT
Median annual salary: $72,424

Word on the street is Brooks is one of 10 siblings, a former model, and now works in marketing and sales at a Salt Lake City company. However he's marketing himself he's doing it right, since Desiree recognized him with a rose and sent him onto the next round.

Name: Will
Occupation: Banker
Hometown: Federal Way, WA
Median annual salary: $73,336

Whoever said bankers are boring never met Will. Not only does his job as a banker earn him a spot on this Top 10 list, his infectious personality earned him a rose and a spot in the next round. He has a propensity for talking to strangers (perhaps due to his interaction with customers), and even greeted Desiree by high-fiving her.

Name: Nick M.
Occupation: Investment Advisor
Hometown: Rochester, NY
Median annual salary: $74,269

Thankfully for Nick, we're making this list based on lucrative and successful career choices. He qualifies based on being an investment advisor who can turn Desiree's financial windfall from the show into even more money. But then he read a poem that included the phrase "The way you showed such genuine emotion, made my heart flutter like waves in the ocean." And now we know why he's an investment advisor instead of a poet.

Name: James
Occupation: Sales Representative
Hometown: Marietta, GA
Median annual salary: $75,230

If you didn't already know James is a successful salesman, his opening dialogue with Desiree proved it. Even though they just met, he gives he his best line about undying loyalty and promises to grow "old and fat" with her. Despite the hard sell, he obviously knows what he's doing because he received a rose and will woo Desiree in future episodes.

Name: Zak
Occupation: Drilling Engineer
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Median annual salary: $84,481

We're not sure if it was Zak's big-time job that earned him a rose, or his outgoing personality. The Texas native decided to greet Desiree for the first time shirtless, and later stripped down and took a dip in the pool. While it didn't seem to impress the lady of the hour then, it was apparently enough to get him a rose and give him an opportunity to drill down deeper into Desiree's good graces next week.

Name: Dan
Occupation: Beverage Sales Director
Hometown: Dublin, CA
Median annual salary: $86,583

Topping the list of remaining candidates as far as salary goes, is Dan the Beverage Sales Director. I guess when you're at the top of any list you don't have to say much, and Dan certainly proved that. Although clearly successful, he didn't make too many waves for better or worse, yet still received a rose. Maybe Desiree looked up our job titles in advance and realized he's a keeper.

Lest you think Desiree is only concerned with money, let us set the record straight.

Larry is an emergency room physician from Kansas, and she sent him packing despite ER doctors making $244,149 a year, according to our numbers, after he accidentally tore her dress while attempting to chivalrously dip her. She also rejected Marketing Manager Diogo, who showed up fully clad in medieval armor. But they were not to be outdone by Jonathan, a presumably highly paid attorney from North Carolina, who creeped everyone out when he tried to drag Desiree into the "Fantasy Suite" not once, not twice, but three times until she finally gave him the boot right then and there.

But she also rejected Micah the law student, Mike the dental student, and Nick R. -- a magician. So while it's not ALL about the money, I bet it's at least a LITTLE about the money.

Whether you're negotiating your way through a relationship or you have an upcoming job interview, you need research and the skills necessary to be successful. And Salary.com can help.

The first thing you should do is research, so you're able to come to the table armed with the knowledge of what your job is worth. Use our free Salary Wizard below to find out what's a fair salary for your position. You can enter your location, education level, years of experience and more to find out an appropriate salary range before you negotiate.

Good luck.