The Bachelor
Gossip (Page 16)

Andy Baldwin. He's hot (as the pictures below, courtesy of Us Weekly, show). And an officer in the U.S. Navy. And a total gentleman.

"I'm just a guy that grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania with a great family," the star of the newest season of The Bachelor says. "I have no ulterior motives other than I just haven't met the woman who is right for me yet."

As these girls gather to giggle poolside with their bachelor, Andy Baldwin explains what he looks for in the perfect mate.

"One of the sexiest things about a woman is if she's intelligent and witty. If she can challenge me in that a manner, she's so much more beautiful in my eyes," he explains.

This bachelor's also looking for a match willing to have fun with fitness. Having recently participated in the Iron Man triathlon - with Bachelorette winner Ryan Sutter (now husband of Trista Sutter), Baldwin is very body conscious.

"I love to work out and exercise with my girlfriend," he said. "The most romantic thing I like to do is go for a run and get the blood pumping, get sweaty and take a dip in the ocean and watch the sun rise."

THG NOTE: For Britney Spears, it's an evening of clubbing, Red Bull, smokes and projectile vomiting, followed by an all-night roll in the hay. To each their own.

Baldwin, who went to Duke University, says Southern hospitality is something he adores. Lucky for him, there are a bevy of Southern belles vying for his affections this season. No, Jennifer Wilson isn't one of them.

"They must have had a good casting call in Dallas," says Baldwin, who's nothing like his predecessor, Lorenzo Borghese, with a chuckle.

"Meeting the girls, I was like 'You're from Texas, too?'"

We've recapped Dancing with the Stars.

We've given you the blow by blow (and Spencer Pratt really blows) of last night's season finale of The Hills.

Now it's time for T.H. Gossip to break down last night's third television event, the premiere of the 10th season of The Bachelor.

But we really can't do it justice, so we're turning it over to the Sports Gal, wife of ESPN's beloved sports scribe, the Sports Guy (a.k.a. Bill Simmons).

She's going to be recapping each riveting episode for ESPN and ABC. We're just passing the word along. Let's get down to business. Take it away, Sports Gal!

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ABC wants the new season of The Bachelor to remind people of Richard Gere in "An Officer and a Gentleman." We know this because they're calling this season, "The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman."

At least they came right out and said it. The Bachelor himself, Lt. Andy Baldwin, isn't as sexy as Richard Gere in that movie, but I liked him immediately and thought he was the cutest bachelor yet. He works as a doctor in the Navy's dive unit with Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner, does charity work and Ironman triathalons and even has a hot body.

Of course, Bill (my husband) was suspicious as soon as we learned Andy's alma mater was Duke. He kept saying, "You watch, you watch, he's going to end up being a [bad word]."

Not even 30 seconds later, we watched Andy get into his fancy sports car, which looked like a DeLorean (do they still make those?) and had those dorky doors that open straight up.

I hate when Bill's right. You should know that my friend Terera and I have a list of things that instantly bother us about guys - like guys who wear man sandals (those leather ones that look like the ones girls would wear, only they're for guys, I call them "mandals"); guys who wear black jeans or black tennis shoes; guys who wear Speedos at the beach; guys who drink daiquiris or frozen mudslides; guys who tuck their sweaters into their pants; and especially, guys who drive weird sports cars (like Miatas or Corvettes). I don't know the name of Andy's car, but it should be called "The Overcompensator."

We watched Andy Baldwin tool around in his DeLorean hoping he'd pick up Doc and head back to the future. Instead, he pulled up to the clock tower, I mean, bachelor mansion, and was greeted by our old friend Chris Harrison.

I like Chris Harrison - he knows his place and never interferes, not even when a girl has too much champagne during the opening cocktail reception and might drown in the pool. Meanwhile, Andy looked so excited to meet the girls, it was uncomfortable. It looked like he was going to burst. Bill described him as "a much, much, much hornier Richie Cunningham."

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Tonight, The Bachelor returns for its 10th season (record: 0-9) with "An Officer and a Gentleman." Will Lieutenant Doctor Andy Baldwin live up to all his hype?

We'll have to watch and see... and it's just part of a terrific night of medicore, yet addictive TV. Of course, the new season of The Bachelor starts at an odd time (9:45) following an hour-and-45-minute Dancing with the Stars. We're also going to have to TiVo the season finale of The Hills, at 10 p.m. OMG!

ABC's preview says "the bachelorettes pull out all the stops" to impress Andy Baldwin tonight, which in various cases includes baking him a cake with tequila, challenging him to a push-up contest, doing backflips in an evening gown (Heather Mills style, minus the peg leg), et cetera.

Of course, the #1 reason to watch tonight is that these girls know that 10 of them are not even going to make it through this episode, and that level of pathetic desperation (combined with booze) makes for incredible drama.

Is Andy looking for a party girl? We doubt it. He grew up in a conservative family, and there's little doubt he's traditional and looking for a life partner, not a wild Dita Von Teese type. In other words, he's a gentleman. And an officer. Follow?

"I don't need to go on national TV to make out," says Andy. "I'm looking for a wife."

Well, that settles that. He means business, this officer. In other words, unlike Lorenzo Borghese, this guy isn't here to screw around. Pun.... intended!

Word has it that Baldwin does find true love, and proposes to one of the lucky ladies on the season finale. But there's a long way to go before we find out who. And before the show even gets started tonight, we've got a full 105 minutes of Dancing With the Stars action.

Look for Joey Fatone and Laila Ali to continue their dominance as the show returns tonight. More importantly, will Shandi Finnessey show off more than just her amazing bod and improve upon last week's mediocre performance? And will America come to its senses and vote off (the Sanjaya Malakar-esque) Mills?

On tonight's finale of Season 2 of The Hills, which stars the lovely Lauren Conrad, it's her BFFs that are at personal crossroads and laying it all on the line. How will they handle their respective career and relationship drama!?

Tonight's the night we find out if Whitney Port gets the Teen Vogue job she covets so. We also get to see if Heidi Montag really does lose her spine and go back to that complete ass bag Spencer Pratt.

Break out the Milwaukee's best and the pork rinds (Britney Spears would be proud) - tonight is a night of TV that is not to be missed.

Ray J.

Kim Kardashian.

Some things are just meant to be together.

With this philosophy in mind, ESPN and ABC decided to collaborate with the Sports Gal for weekly recaps of The Bachelor, the new season of which debuts Monday.

Her recaps will run Tuesdays after the show.

Suffice it to say, the Sports Gal's worse half, the Sports Guy (a.k.a. Bill Simmons) is pretty psyched up about her efforts, which will run alongside his ESPN columns.

He writes:

"She's aiming for four paragraphs per recap. So alert your girlfriends, wives, mistresses and platonic female friends that you're secretly trying to sleep with - on April 2, the Sports Gal returns. In the words of Pete Carroll, I'm as shocked as you guys."

Well put. Like the Sports Gal, T.H. Gossip will be tracking the progress of Andy Baldwin as he attempts to follow in the footsteps of Lorenzo Borghese.

And after what he pulled with Sadie Murray, those are some big footsteps.

When Andy Baldwin takes center stage on the new edition of The Bachelor, which premieres next week, he'll certainly have some tough choices.

One is a lawyer who's also a bodybuilder. That's hard core. Another will sing the national anthem to a guy in the first episode. There's a former beauty queen in there too (sadly, her name isn't Katie Rees - she's a one-time Miss Illinois).

And there are 22 more.

Subtitled "Officer and a Gentleman," the 10th edition of The Bachelor will feature Andy Baldwin, a 30-year-old doctor and lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, surrounded by 25 women all looking for the man of their dreams.

The show debuts at 9:45 p.m. next Monday, April 2. We can't wait.

As usual, the festivities begin with the women arriving via limousine. But unlike past seasons of The Bachelor, Baldwin must give a rose to one of them as soon as she says hello.

ABC notes that Linda, the aforementioned bodybuilder, challenges Baldwin (a veteran triathlete not related to Alec Baldwin) to a push-up contest. Another lovely lady does backflips in her evening gown. Ten women go home on the first night, with one of them really not happy about it.

Maybe this time will be the charm for the lucky lady. None of the past seasons of The Bachelor have spawned an actual lasting marriage. That's right. We're talking 0-9.

It's worth noting that The Bachelorette spinoff star, Trista Rehn (now Trista Sutter) is married to Ryan Sutter, however. She's also pregnant with their first child! Congrats, Trista and Ryan!

As for last year's Bachelor, Lorenzo Borghese? He could still make it 1-8... sort of. In terms of entertainment, he set the bar pretty high for Andy Baldwin after choosing Jennifer Wilson in the season finale, only to dump her for runner-up Sadie Murray after the show ended.

Follow the link below for the first names, occupations and hometowns of the 25 would-be wives on this season's exciting season of The Bachelor ...

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Yes, it's true!

Us Weekly has confirmed that Lorenzo Borghese has given his chosen lady love the proverbial heave-ho - and traded up for the woman he spurned on the season finale of The Bachelor.

The cosmetics heir and dog products entrepreneur (who is of Italian nobility) picked public school teacher Jennifer Wilson over L.A. publicist Sadie Murray (below, right).

"Watching Sadie drive away in the limo was by far the worst moment of this entire journey," a tearful Borghese said during the finale.

Apparently, he came to his senses and never got over saying goodbye to Sadie Murray, a 24-year-old San Diego publicist who is proudly saving herself for marriage.

Despite having given Wilson (below, left) a promise ring on the show's finale, they were said to have parted ways soon after, and a source close to Borghese tells Us Weekly:

"Lorenzo and Jennifer are now on the rocks, and he's gone back to Sadie. They're spending time together. Sadie is moving to New York City, where Lorenzo lives, to pursue her career."

Rumors were flying that Borghese's brother, who works for the Home Shopping Network, unintentionally spilled the beans regarding this scandalous reality TV switcheroo last month. We've been unable to confirm it - until now. Go Sadie! 

As The Bachelor: Rome concluded, Lorenzo Borghese and Jennifer Wilson made it clear they intended to approach their new, long-distance relationship cautiously. Jennifer will not be moving to New York until at least next May and has stated this more than once.

But now, scandalous reports are surfacing that Jennifer Wilson is already dating another man in her native Florida.

The National Enquirer reports that Wilson is already "secretly dating" a fellow named Dan Herrero, another teacher at Glades Middle School, the Pembroke Pines, Fla., school at which the eighth grade reading teacher is employed.

The magazine contains a picture of Jennifer and her new beau, and claims she had been dating the guy for weeks before the Bachelor's controversial finale in late November.

"I can't believe I had just watched her accept the last rose from Prince Lorenzo Borghese on television, then only days later she was making out with Dan!," an Enquirer source told MSNBC.

"When Dan asked Jennifer about what she was going to do about Lorenzo, she told him point blank that she doesn't have any romantic feelings for him at all and has absolutely no intention of following through with their plans to start a future together."

When reached by the Enquirer, Herrero denied that he's seeing Wilson and insists that the pair are only "good friends."

Wilson didn't respond to the tabloid's requests for comment. However, three days later, photographers reportedly captured the pair frolicking on the beach together. If these developments are true, that leaves The Bachelor 0-for-9 on the marriage front. Fairy tale romance, indeed.

Meanwhile, a reader of T.H. Gossip is reporting that Lorenzo is now with Sadie Murray, the sweet, wonderful, virginal San Diego native he shunned for Jennifer. We have found no evidence to corroborate this, however. If this rumor is true, and anyone can verify it, our staff urges you to come forward with your source so that we may verify this exclusive!

Lorenzo might have appeared confident in his decision to pick Jen Wilson over the superior, sweet, sensitive, sexy Sadie Murray during the finale of the The Bachelor.

But according to the bachelor himself, it was a last minute decision.

"I decided about two hours before the final Rose Ceremony and it was obviously a very difficult decision because I had strong feelings for both Jen and Sadie," Lorenzo Borghese said in a post-Bachelor interview.

"I felt a little stronger with [Jennifer Wilson] just because I thought we had more chemistry. I was trying to find faults with both of them and it was almost impossible but I knew I had to make a decision and it was just that I felt a little closer to Jen and that's why I went with what I was feeling at the time."

However despite waiting so long to decide which woman to present his final rose to, Lorenzo says he has never doubted his decision.

"I'm very glad that I made my decision," he said.

But despite Lorenzo's confidence that he made the right decision, both he and Jennifer plan to approach their new relationship cautiously.

"We're still very happy and we're definitely together but we're just kinda trying to figure things out and really grow into a relationship now," Jen explained.

"These [The Bachelor] shows are successful because people actually do find love in the moment and what they try and find out after the show is 'Was it just a moment of love or is this really a person who I can spend the rest of my life with,'" Lorenzo added. "I think that's the stage that Jen and I are at right now, we found love on the show -- we had a great time and I'm very happy I did it and got to know Jen and this is where we stand today."

After getting to be together only once since The Bachelor finished filming in late September, the New York City cosmetics entrepreneur and Miami area teacher plan to continue to conduct a long distance relationship -- at least until Jennifer's school system ends its school year next May.

"I'm a schoolteacher in South Florida so I have to finish the year there with my kids but when May hits and I'm looking to possibly go back or not then at that time then me and Lorenzo will make a decision that's best for us," Jennifer said.

"I save lots of frequent flyer miles right now, I love New York and Lorenzo loves Miami so in that sense it's pretty easy. We couldn't live in two better cities and a lot of people make relationships work from New York to Miami is a common, easy flight. So I think it's going to be visiting each other, talking on the phone as much as you can, staying in contact -- he's going to come down and see my [school] kids -- and you know we're just going to work on it as best as we can in any long distance relationship," she said.

Should their relationship last and an offer be made, the pair also admit that this might not be the last that reality viewers see of them. Can anybody say Nick and Jessica?

THG NOTE: Please, don't.

"I would never say no to anything until I know what it really is, I think we'd both be stupid if we said 'I'm not going to do anything else ever again,'" Lorenzo said.

"I feel the same way, I think if any opportunity presented itself we'd both probably want to take it but are we looking for a reality TV wedding at this point, probably not," Jennifer added.

Her princess title will have to wait, but Jennifer Wilson got her prince on The Bachelor.

That's right, Lorenzo Borghese somehow chose ditzy Jen over the far superior Sadie Murray on Monday's two-hour finale.

"I came here for one reason and that was in search for love," the 34-year-old Manhattanite and Italian noble family member told Jennifer as he informed her of his decision during the reality TV show's final rose ceremony. "I didn't want 25 women, I wanted one."

"Oh my god!," the giddy 24-year-old eighth grade teacher from Pembroke Pines, Fla., replied, as our staff members vowed to stick to Laguna Beach for our reality fix from now on.

However, Lorenzo didn't propose, or even attempt to present his network-supplied engagement ring to Jennifer as a "promise ring." No one needs to get married these days - just ask Brangelina. Instead, he presented the Florida teacher with an offer to leave the "Garden of Eden" and "take it on" with him in New York.

After meeting with both fathers, Lorenzo had his final one-on-one dates with Jennifer (below, left) and Sadie (below, right), setting the stage for the final ceremony in which each woman arrived separately learn of his decision. Sadie arrived first and, following some brief praise of her, Lorenzo cut right to his decision.

"In your wish list, you said 'I want to be with a guy that can't fathom to be with another woman' ... the truth is that there is another woman here and at this point I would rather be with her," Lorenzo told the 23-year-old from San Diego. "I don't know what else to say, Sadie."

THG NOTE: He could have invited Britney Spears to accept his ring instead, but that would have been against the show's rules.

Sadie, a classy, spunky, composed and virginal cutie, initially took the news well.

"I'm grateful for everything and thank you, really, thank you... I'm not good but I will be, I'm fine," she said.

But as the conversation continued, Sadie began to get more emotional.

"I just don't know why I did this... I feel so foolish... I thought it was real," Sadie lamented.

When we say "the bachelor," do you think of George Clooney? Most ladies probably do.

Another single man is making his mark, however. ABC's latest, desperate hunk is an actual prince named Lorenzo Borghese. Us Weekly recently sat down with him for an interview:

Q: Is there more pressure when you're a prince and a bachelor? Did the girls react differently?
LB: I don't think so. I hope the girls didn't flip out more than normal. I don't think having a title has anything to do with who I am. And if it does, then I start getting a little nervous about it. I found it interesting that the girls knew who I was before the show started because ABC released it early. But if a girl is interested (in me) because of my family history, it's sort of a turn off.

Q: Was it weird to have so many women vying for your attention?
LB: Yes. It's something I've never experienced in my life obviously, and it made me feel vulnerable in a way. I get scared when people meet me and they immediately start telling me how strong their feelings are for me. They don't even know me. Fortunately, on that first night, no one told me how in love with me they were.

Q: You're an animal lover, so we have to ask: Why didn't, Laura, the dolphin trainer make the cut?
LB: The dolphin trainer didn't make he cut because she was very nice, but I didn't feel like I got to know her. The twelve girls who made it are the girls I spent the most time with, that I thought I made a good connection with, and I really got to know.

Q: You've said you're not in PDA. How did you manage to escape the cameras?
LB: Well to be honest, I didn't escape it. I don't like being all over somebody like a slug. I don't think it's bad holding hands, but I've seen guys grab girls' butts while they're walking or making out like it's their last kiss in the world. It should be done in private.

** THG Note: Are you listening, TomKat?

Q: What was your favorite part of filming in Rome?
LB: Talk about PDA â€" it's accepted in Rome. At every corner someone is making out, someone is kissing. But the whole backdrop lends itself to that. You turn a corner and there's the coliseum. You're like, "Wow. This is romantic."

Q: How are Italian women different from American women?
LB: Italian women are more cautious about getting involved in a relationship. When you start getting involved with an Italian woman, one of the first things they do is introduce you to their family. In America, you don't meet the family for months. In Italy, they really want approval from their family before they go one step further.

Q: How do your parents & family feel about you participating in the show?
LB: They told me, "Just be yourself. If you do that, then we're going to support you. But if you're going to be someone you're not, don't do it."

Q: Are you "metrosexual"?
LB: I use a face cream with SPF as a moisturizer. I use cologne. And that's about it. I don't use hair gel. I take a shower, I get out and I'm ready to go. I'm low maintenance.

** THG Note: For more on metrosexualism, see David Beckham.

Q: What's the typical day in the life of a prince like?
LB: I'm just like any other guy. I get up, have a cup of coffee, work, have lunch, work in the afternoon until about 7pm, run, and then have dinner. I think about my job, my friends and my family. I'm just like anybody else.

Q: Who is your favorite prince?
LB: Prince, the singer. I'm more entertained by him. I like "Little Red Corvette." That's a fun song.