Where Are They Now? Life After 'The Bachelor'
Where are they now? "Bachelor" contestants tackle love, career after limelight.
March 12, 2010 -- After 19 combined seasons of "The Bachelor" and its sister spin-off' "The Bachelorette," two couples have tied the knot. Season 13 "Bachelor" single father Jason Mesnick, tied the knot to Molly Malaney on national television this week, following in the footsteps of season 1 "Bachelorette" couple Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter.
The quest for true love and eternal happiness hasn't been easy for many of the show's stars and contestants, .
For season 2 "Bachelorette" Meredith Phillips, it didn't take long for her engagement to contestant Ian McKee to fizzle and for her break up 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.'"
Watch "Inside the Bachelor: Stories Behind the Rose" on a special edition of "20/20," Monday, March 15 at 8 p.m. ET
Seven years post-"Bachelorette," Phillips lives in the Los Angeles area and has written a cookbook called "The Date Night Cookbook: Romantic Recipes for the Busy Couple."
Phillips met her current boyfriend, filmmaker Fritz Manger, at a cooking class, and vows she will be engaged by the fall.
Andrew Firestone Finds Love
Season 3 "Bachelor" Andrew Firestone wasn't sure what he was getting into when he agreed to be 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 Jenn Scheftt 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."
A 'Bachelor'-Inspired Proposal
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, Calif., 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."
Love Knockouts, but Career Bliss
While many Bachelors have struck out when it comes to love, some have catapulted their realty TV fame into career success. Season 5 Bachelor and former pro football quarterback Jesse Palmer made a seamless transition to the broadcast studio as a college football analyst for ESPN.
Season 8 Bachelor Dr. Travis Stork became the host of the television show "The Doctors," and in January he brought his healing hands to Haiti, following the devastating earthquake.
"I've never taken care of patients who are number one, more grateful and more resilient," Stork said about the relief effort, "It was a life-changing experience. And it's one that, that I'll carry with me forever."
Since his season 9 bachelorhood, Prince Lorenzo Borghese has become royalty in the pet world. He sells Royal Treatment, his line of pet products, on the Home Shopping Network, and recently launched a Web site.
Remember hunky contestant Kiptyn Locke from bachelorette season 5 with Jillian Harris? After the show, he developed a charity, called "Hope Rose," to give back.
"The most important thing for me was to take this visibility and put it towards something positive, so I've created a business around giving," Locke explained. When it's up and running, the charity will allow "people to send a rose to a loved one along with...a redemption code to redeem funds to a charity."
Bob Guiney
Bob Guiney, who made his debut as a suitor on season 1 of "The Bachelorette," and then returned as "The Bachelor" in season 4, landed regular hosting gigs on the Game Show Network and sings in a classic rock band called "Band from TV" with "Desperate Housewives" actor James Denton.
"One of the best things about the show for me was, you know, they allowed me to showcase the fact that I'd been a musician," Guiney said.
Click here to see bloopers of Bob Guiney from the show!
America remembers Guiney as the good-hearted, good-time bachelor who chose California mortgage broker Estella Gardinier. But the couple broke up months after the final rose ceremony.
"We go out and live in the real world, and he wasn't taking me on any fantasy dates," she joked. "I just started to see that we weren't compatible. We just had a lot of things that didn't line up."
After Gardinier, Guiney wed "All My Children" star Rebecca Budig in July 2004. The pair delighted many fans, but after five years they are going through a divorce.
"At this point we're thankful to have our friendship, but we're just going our separate ways," Guiney said, adding that he can't imagine dating for a while.
As for his Bachelor pick, Gardinier said fans are constantly bringing up Guiney, making it harder for her to move on.
"It's harder to move on because that person keeps getting brought up, and every little thing they do gets brought up," she said. "I can't tell you how many people are like, 'Did you know? Bob is getting a divorce!' ... Whatever they're going through, I hope they work it out."
But now, Gardinier is ready to move on: "I've no rings," she said, "I'm not married, but, I'm looking forward to it!"