Where Are They Now? Life After 'The Bachelor'

July 26, 2010— -- The quest for true love and eternal happiness hasn't been easy for the stars and contestants of ""The Bachelor" and its sister spin-off "The Bachelorette."

"Bachelor" couple Jake Pavelka and Vienna Girardi's very public courtship went from sparks at the beginning to a very different kind of fireworks at the end as they aired their grievances with one another and feuded over allegations of infidelity in a contentious television interview.

Now, a bunch of fan favorites from across the seasons are looking for happy endings on the new ABC series, "Bachelor Pad." It's a relationship show, but also a game show. Ousted contestants like Kiptyn Locke, runner-up from season 5 of "The Bachelorette," and bad boy Wes Hayden, sultry swimsuit model Gia Allemand and season 14 "Bachelor" runner-up Tenley Molzahn will face off in zany competitions like kissing contests, half-naked Twister and more.

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"Someone will win a competition. Then you get, basically immunity, you get a rose, you're safe at the next rose ceremony and you're that much closer to a quarter of a million dollars," said host Chris Harrison.

Signature "Bachelor" touches, like the hot tub and fantasy suites, will also be in the mix. Over the course of the show, four couples spend at least one night together in the fantasy suite, according to production insiders, and five couples will get steamy in the hot tub.

"They have no idea what's in store," said Harrison.

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But what about contestants who are out of the limelight? How have they faired when it comes to love post-"Bachelor" and "Bachelorette"?

For season 2 bachelorette Meredith Phillips, it didn't take long for her engagement to contestant Ian McKee to fizzle and for her breakup to make tabloid headlines.

"We broke up, and you know, after a breakup you don't feel fantastic," she said. "But it's tough, to have to go before the world and [say], 'Hey, I broke up, you know? I'm devastated, I'm crying.'"

Seven years post-"Bachelorette," Phillips lives in the Los Angeles area and has written a cookbook titled "The Date Night Cookbook: Romantic Recipes for the Busy Couple."

Phillips met her boyfriend of five years, filmmaker Fritz Manger, at a cooking class, and vows an engagement is on the horizon. The couple is planning to get a puppy by the end of summer.

Season 3 bachelor Andrew Firestone wasn't sure what he was getting into when he agreed to be on "The Bachelor."

"They said, 'Well, it's you and 25 girls and a bunch of hot tubs and champagne and, you know, you get to run around with them for two months.' I said, 'OK, well where do I sign up?'" Firestone said.

Firestone split with winner Jen Schefft after the show, citing his workaholic tendencies. He was down on his romantic luck when he met his future wife, Serbian model Ivana Bozilovic.

"When I met my wife, I thought, gosh, I hope she hasn't watched the show," Firestone said. "Luckily she was out of the country when that aired, and I've done my best to go burn every copy of that show."

To win over Bozilovic, Firestone had to really romance her -- "Bachelor" style.

Bozilovic cites his "Bachelor" experience for helping their courtship. "He dated women, found out what he wanted and didn't want," she said. "I think it was great for our relationship."

When it came to proposing, Firestone rivaled the exotic fantasy dates on "The Bachelor," planning the perfect proposal on Bozilovic's 30th birthday. Firestone took her out ATV riding on Pismo Beach, Calif., and on the beach they walked over to a shovel in the ground.

"I start digging down, and I pull out a [treasure] chest. And in the chest, there was a, a blanket, and a bottle of champagne, and two glasses, a CD player, a disposable camera, and a ring," Firestone said. "It was a pretty cool moment."

Hours later, Firestone whisked her away to a surprise birthday and engagement party with scores of friends who had flown in for from all over the country.

The couple has settled down on Firestone's family vineyards in Santa Barbara, California's wine country, with their 1-year-old son, Brooks.

"Maybe it's not everybody's perfect life, but it's the life that we thought was perfect," Firestone said. "Between son and wife and, I don't know. We feel very blessed."

Firestone's pick, Jen Schefft found her own happy ending too. After she split with Firestone, she was on the third season of "The Bachelorette," where she rejected both finalists. Now, after a whirlwind 'Bachelor' run, she is happily married and living in the Chicago suburbs with a baby girl due this November.