O'Connell appeared in small roles in such films as Dude, Where's My Car? and The New Guy, the latter of which also paired him with his brother Jerry. He obtained greater notoriety when he appeared on the seventh season of the reality television series The Bachelor between March 2005 and May 2005. In the show, he chose Sarah Brice, a labor and delivery nurse who resided in Texas. They broke up in September 2007, got back together in late 2008, and though they spoke of marriage in interviews in 2009, they broke up again in April 2010.
