This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Utahn Jef Holm has reached "The Bachelorette's" final four. He and three other guys are still vying for the hand of Emily Maynard.

That means it's time to visit the guys' hometowns. To meet the parents. Which is complicated because Holm's mom and dad aren't in Utah.

"My parents are serving in a Mormon mission as mission presidents in South Carolina," Holm said in a teleconference with reporters.

Which, presumably, means they weren't around when Emily visited the family's St. George ranch while filming Monday's episode (7 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4).

For those of you wondering — and I know you're out there because you keep emailing me — Holm sort of explained his religious affiliation in response to a "reporter" who hilariously said she had read that he's "half Mormon."

"I'm not half Mormon," Holm replied. "I was raised Mormon. And my family is still Mormon.

"My parents raised me with the standards of the Mormon Church and everything.  And I'm just not practicing right now. I mean, faith is something that's a huge priority on my list and in my life.  And I'm really active in church and everything.  I'm just not active Mormon."

Got all that?

Holm portrays himself as a reluctant dating-show participant and promised he has no plans to make a career out of it. Unlike Maynard, who returned as "The Bachelorette" after appearing on "The Bachelor."

"Would I consider being the next bachelor? Probably not," Holm said. "No, I wouldn't. I'm kind of done with the whole dating-on-TV thing."

(Is that because he's engaged to Maynard? Hmmmm ... )

Holm did, however, reveal that he didn't apply to be on "The Bachelorette."

"My sister-in-law submitted an application for me without me knowing," he said. When he got a call that the show had received his application, he replied, "No, you didn't. I think you have the wrong guy."

The casting agents asked him to send a video, but Holm was hesitant "because I come from a really private family. I'm really private about my life. And I didn't want to go out on a dating TV show."

He was eventually talked into sending a video. And he changed his mind when he learned Maynard would be "The Bachelorette."

There are rumors that Holm is the eventual "winner" and that Maynard picks him. But they're only rumors.

"I'm flattered that people think that it's me," he said. "I think that's cool. And I definitely developed strong feelings for Emily. I still am crazy about her.

"But as for what happens, you'll have to tune in to find out."

Scott D. Pierce covers television for The Salt Lake Tribune. Email him at spierce@sltrib.com; follow him on Twitter @ScottDPierce; read his blog at sltrib.com/blogs/tv