Kent Tuttle steps down as the Mormon bachelor

Kent Tuttle, previously announced as the Mormon bachelor for the online show’s fourth season, announced that he is resigning from the show.

He has already found love.

According to his blog, Tuttle met 25-year-old Carlie Butler near Venice Beach while he was in Los Angeles for the filming of "The Mormon Bachelor." Butler is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Tuttle said on his blog that she immediately “left an impression.”

Tuttle contacted her on Twitter and they soon became friends. Pretty soon, Tuttle was left with a dilemma — should he pursue this woman who he said “has so much of what I am looking for in a girl” or keep his commitment to "The Mormon Bachelor"?

Tuttle said that eventually Erin Elton, producer of "The Mormon Bachelor," noticed that Butler was making him happy and if he went on the show he would only be “putting a smile on,” and Elton did not want this. Tuttle said he prayed a lot about his decision and felt that it was right for him to pursue a relationship with Butler.

However, Tuttle credits his decision to be on "The Mormon Bachelor" with why he was ready to fall for Butler at all.

“If it weren’t for the show, I wouldn’t have met Carlie in the first place,” he said. “Yet the biggest reason the show would get credit is because through the process of preparing I was transformed into a better man. … I will forever be indebted to 'The Mormon Bachelor' for how it transformed me in my brain and in my heart.”

"The Mormon Bachelor" will continue forward with its fourth season. The website www.themormonbachelor.com has announced a new pre-dental student to take Tuttle’s place — Chris Barbour. The show is now scheduled to air on July 5.

EMAIL: mgarrett@desnews.com