As 2009 draws to a close, it is with great pride that The Hollywood Gossip staff unveils 10 finalists for its prestigious, Third Annual Celebrity of the Year award.

These celebs have given us their best, their worst, their nude pics (sometimes) and their scandals (often). Now it’s time THG paid tribute to their greatness.

Yesterday, we kicked off the ’09 countdown with Levi Johnston in the #10 spot.

Today: Celebrity of the Year finalist #9 … Molly Malaney and Melissa Rycroft!

Molly and Melissa are both famous for getting engaged to Jason Mesnick.

ABC’s The Bachelor isn’t know for creating much in the way of real drama. But this spring changed all that when its star changed his mind … on national television.

Realizing he made the wrong choice, Jason Mesnick cast winner Melissa Rycroft to the curb in favor of runner-up Molly Malaney, who he went on to get engaged to.

This put America in a tough spot. It had fallen in love with Melissa, but Molly Malaney did nothing wrong. In the end, the controversy faded and everyone is happy.

Jason and Molly are planning on getting married and breaking The Bachelor’s 0-for-12 curse. Melissa Rycroft also got engaged to insurance agent Tye Strickland.

By handling the situation with class and grace, both ladies showed us that while there’s very little real about reality TV, there are some real people who go on it.

Here’s a little photo tribute to Molly and Melissa (and the men who will be lucky enough to call them their wives) Click to enlarge images of The Bachelor’s finest …

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