The Ladies That Have Won ‘The Bachelor’: Where Are They Now?

Last month, The Ashley wrote about what’s happened to all of the men that have appeared as The Bachelor since their time on the show. (To read that story click here.)

Many of you Roundupers were curious to know what’s become of the “winners” of ‘The Bachelor’ (i.e. the women that these men chose as “the love of their lives” at the end of their seasons).

Because The Ashley loves a good “Where Are They Now” article, she decided to try to find out what’s happened to these women since the cameras turned off and rose wilted. (That was so cheesy but I just couldn’t resist. I think I should write for the show, yes?)

Anyway, here’s what The Ashley came up with…

(Season 1 Alex) : Amanda Marsh

THEN: Original ‘Bachelor’ Alex Michel chose Amanda Marsh at the end of the first season of ‘The Bachelor;’ however he didn’t propose. The couple split after a few months. After the ‘Bachelor’ hype died down, Amanda pretty much left the public eye, except for a brief stint as a DJ at a Kansas City radio station. In 2005, she got engaged to a salesman but they broke up before they could get married.

TODAY: Today she is a registered nurse and is married to a man named Jay. She lives in Kansas and gave birth to a daughter, Chloe, in March of 2010.

(Photo: ABC)

(Season 2 Aaron) : Helene Eksterowicz

THEN: Helene was the first woman that ever received a proposal on ‘The Bachelor.’ Aaron Buerge got down on one knee and proposed to her at the end of season 2. Helene accepted, but their relationship ended a few weeks after the show aired.

“After this all didn’t turn out, I am taking things a bit slower,” Helene told People magazine in 2004. Later that year, she released a book with fellow ‘Bachelor’ contestant Gwen Gioia (who later starred on ‘Bachelor Pad’) called Nobody’s Perfect. The book’s subtitle was “What to do if you’ve fallen for a jerk but you want to make it work.”

TODAY: She worked as a model in Philadelphia for a while and is now a psychologist at an elementary school in New Jersey. She does ‘Bachelor’ blogs for the website Philly2Philly.com.

(Photos: ABC; Philly ChitChat)

(Season 3 Andrew) : Jen Schefft

THEN: Rich hunk Andrew Firestone chose Jen at the end of Season 3 in 2003 to be his wife. However, the couple broke up after a few months but remained friends. Afterwards, Jen was chosen to be the third ‘Bachelorette.’ She chose Jerry Ferris at the end of the season. Jerry proposed but Jen rejected his proposal and he slunked off into the sunset alone.

TODAY: Jen published a book in 2007 called Better Single Than Sorry, which discussed what it’s like to be single and over 30 in America. Wanna order the book? Click here.

In 2009, she married public relations executive Joe Waterman in 2009 and moved to Chicago with him. She gave birth to their daughter, Mae, in November 2010.

(Photos: ABC, Twitter)

(Season 4 Bob) : Estella Gardinier

THEN: Bob gave Estella a promise ring at the end of Season 4 in 2003. He did not propose but wanted to continue to date her. Unfortunately (but not surprisingly, of course) they broke up shortly after the show aired.

The following year she dated country singer Steve Holy (Don’t feel bad; I’ve never heard of him either!) and appeared in his music video. Also in 2004, she told People magazine that she got $22,300 for her $45,000 ‘Bachelor’ diamond ring and used the money to buy a house for her mom. (Nowadays, the girls are required to return the rings immediately to the show’s producers.)

TODAY: These days, Estella is living in San Diego and working in real estate. She doesn’t appear to be in a relationship at this point.

(Photos: ABC, Facebook)

(Season 5 Jesse) : Jessica Bowlin

THEN: At the end of Season 5 in 2004, NFL football player Jesse Palmer chose Southern California law student Jessica, even though he did not propose. They only lasted a few months.

TODAY: After the split, Jessica graduated from East Carolina University in North Carolina and Chapman University Law School and was admitted to the State of California Bar in December 2007. She currently practices law for the District Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. She appears to be single, but it’s hard to tell because she doesn’t use any sort of social networking. The Ashley wasn’t able to find a current photo of Jessica.

(Photo: ABC)

(Season 6 Byron) : Mary Delgado

THEN: In 2004, “mature” ‘Bachelor’ Byron Velvick proposed to Mary to the delight of viewers, who hadn’t seen a ‘Bachelor’ propose for two seasons. Mary and Byron lasted longer than nearly every other ‘Bachelor’ couple to date, finally breaking up in 2009 after five years together (and a few domestic violence charges, naturally).

TODAY: In addition to doing various hosting gigs and public appearances since her ‘Bachelor’ time, Mary caught the fishing bug from professional fisherman Byron and continues to fish competitively today. She’s currently working on a English/Spanish language fishing travel show. She no longer speaks with Byron, but is still a fan of ‘The Bachelor.’

(Photos: ABC, Facebook)

(Season 7 Charlie) Sarah Brice

THEN: Charlie chose Sarah Brice at the end of Season 7 in 2005. Even though he didn’t propose, their relationship lasted two years, with them calling it quits in 2007,allegedly due to Charlie’s excessive drinking. Charlie got sober and Sarah got back with him in 2008; however they broke up for good in 2010.

TODAY: Sarah has moved on from Charlie. In fact, she got married in May 2012 and gave birth to her first child, a boy she named Jack, a month later. She works for a company that sells laser products for cosmetic procedures. She appears to still be friendly with Charlie, as the two exchange Twitter messages now and then.

(Season 8: Travis) Sarah Stone

THEN: Dr. Travis Stork chose kindergarten teacher Sarah Brice at the end of Season 8 in 2006. He presented her with a ring, but did not propose. Although the two Nashville residents seemed like a perfect match, they ended up lasting only a few months.

TODAY: Sarah is no longer a kindergarten teacher. After ‘The Bachelor,’ she became a real estate agent in Nashville. She got married (she’s now Sarah Stone Smith!) and she and her husband have a young daughter.

Update: Sarah was kind enough to write to The Ashley in late 2012 and give her us more information on her life today, and her experience on ‘The Bachelor!’

“It was such a fun experience to look back on,” she said of her time on the show. “My little girl (Taylor May) is two years old now and I have baby girl number #2  due in a few weeks. My life is all about play groups rather than group dates now. [It's] funny how quickly things change.”

(Photos: ABC/Facebook)

(Season 9: Lorenzo) Jennifer Wilson

THEN: “Prince” Lorenzo Borghese selected teacher Jennifer Wilson at the end of his season in 2006. He did not propose but they continued to date for a little while. Shortly after the finale aired, Jennifer was accused by The National Enquirer of cheating on Lorenzo with a coworker. They split soon after and Lorenzo began to date runner-up Sadie Murray. (Maybe that’s where Jason Mesnick got the idea!?)

TODAY: Jennifer appears to be still teaching at the same Florida middle school that she was before ‘The Bachelor.’ (So is the guy she was supposedly dating in 2006!) The Ashley was not able to confirm this; however she was still a teacher there as of 2010 (and according to her students, she was a tough one!)

No word if Jennifer is still single; however her school lists a “Jennifer Lostumbo” on their staff list, which means it’s likely that Jennifer has gotten married. However, The Ashley wasn’t able to find anything that confirms this. The Ashley also could not find a current photo of Jennifer!

(Photo: ABC)

(Season 10: Andy) Tessa Horst

THEN: Super-hunky ‘Bachelor’ Dr. Andy Baldwin proposed to Tessa Horst at the end of Season 10 in 2007. One month after the finale aired, the couple announced that they were no longer engaged but were still together. Their relationship lasted about eight months.

TODAY: Tessa is still  living in San Francisco and is now married to a guy named Tom Pickard. The couple got hitched on February 16, 2013 in Carmel, California. They enjoy doing outdoorsy things and making big donations to the American Prairie Foundation. (Who doesn’t?) Tessa is the founder of the Infant Growth Group, and she also works as a clinical supervisor at A Better Way.

(Photo: ABC, Facebook)

(Season 11: Brad) Brad didn’t choose anyone.

(Season 12: Matt) Shayne Lamas

THEN: All of America could see that Shayne Lamas was more in love with fame than she was with ‘Bachelor’ Matt Grant back in 2008. Even so, Matt proposed to Shayne at the end of Season 12. They broke up shortly after.

TODAY: In 2009, Shayne was arrested for DUI (she later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge). She landed a few acting roles including a part in a horror movie called “In the Pines.” In April 2010, she met and married Nick Richie, who runs the website TheDirty.com. The couple only knew each other a few hours before they got married, which is always a good idea. Still, they’ve managed to last longer than most of the couples on this show so they must be doing something right!

Shayne gave birth to a daughter in November 2011. Guess what they named her? Press. Yes. You read that correctly. But honestly, would you expect anything else from this chick? (For a LOL you should read her bio on her website. It literally could not be more self-indulgent and ridiculous.)

(Photos: ABC, Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

(Season 13: Jason) Melissa Rycroft

THEN: In one of the most shocking ‘Bachelor’ moments ever (I know they say that before every episode but this time it really was) Jason Mesnick chose Melissa Rycroft over Molly Malaney, only to change his mind a little while later and dump Melissa for Molly on national television. It had millions of American women screaming “Oh hellllllll no!” at their television screens. (Jason and Molly ended up getting married a year or so later. Unfortunately, Melissa did not attend. That would have been the best TV moment ever if she had!)

TODAY: Melissa did not shrink away after being publicly humiliated. Instead, she appeared on the next season of ‘Dancing With the Stars.’ (Her appearance on the show was no doubt ABC’s way of trying to make peace with her after the ‘Bachelor’ fiasco.) She later went on to co-host the first season of ‘Bachelor Pad’ with Chris Harrison. (I love her but she was terrible and was thankfully let go after one season.) She also worked as a guest correspondent for ‘Good Morning America’ and ‘Entertainment Tonight.’

In June of 2009, Melissa became engaged to her longtime friend Tye Strickland and in December of that year, they got married in Mexico. Melissa gave birth to their daughter, Ava, in February of 2011.

She joined the cast of the ‘Dancing With the Stars: All-Stars” season, and ended up winning the entire thing!

(Photos: ABC, Twitter)

(Season 14: Jake) Vienna Girardi

THEN: Despite the fact that all of America wanted Jake Pavelka to choose Girl Next Door Tenley Molzahn at the end of Season 14 in 2010, he followed his heart groin and chose vampy Vienna to be his wife. He proposed and the couple appeared in a slew of magazines to gain more publicity. Vienna was front-and-center cheering on Jake while he competed on ‘Dancing With the Stars.’ However, things went south fast and the couple broke up in June of 2010. They later met face-to-face (on camera, of course) for a very special televised screaming match in July of that year.

TODAY: Vienna and Jake both appeared on the last season of ‘Bachelor Pad.’ They appear to have somewhat made amends and don’t despise each other anymore (at least for now). Vienna dated ‘Bachelorette’ star Kasey Kahl for nearly a year but they split in November.

These days, Vienna is once again single and living in Florida (and enjoying her new nose). She opened a clothing store called Vixen Boutique on January 20, 2012. She frequently hosts bar and club events, and tries to extend her 15 minutes of fame whenever possible.

(Photos: ABC, Twitter)

(Season 15: Brad) Emily Maynard

THEN: Americans (and Brad Womack) were smitten with Southern belle Emily as soon as they met her. Brad fell hard for Emily, proposing to her at the end of Season 15 in the spring of 2011. By the time the “After the Final Rose” special filmed, the couple had already broken up several times. In July 2011 they called it quits for good. Emily sat down with Chris Harrison for a special interview to discuss what went wrong with the relationship.

TODAY: Emily is still living in North Carolina with her daughter, Ricki. Emily has also been linked to a bunch of men by tabloid magazines including reality star Matt Nordgren, and NFL star Jeremy Shockey, but she denies dating anyone and insists she’s still single.

She is currently working on opening a children’s store in Charlotte, North Carolina, and just started a fashion blog. Although she told The Ashley back in January that she would not be doing ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ I think we’ll see her foxtrotting on the show in a few seasons!

(Season 16: Ben) Courtney Robertson

THEN: Courtney certainly didn’t make any lifelong pals during her time on Ben Flajnik’s season of ‘The Bachelor.’ Courtney played the villainess all season long: stealing Ben away from the other girls, going topless on a group date and skin-dipping with Ben in Puerto Rico. Ben shocked (and horrified) all of America when he chose catty Courtney over sweet Lindzi Cox on the season finale.

NOW: After lasting about a year, Courtney and Ben split for good in October 2012. At the time, they told In Touch magazine that they would remain friends, but their break-up quickly turned nasty, with both Courtney and Ben running to various tabloid magazines to trash their ex. A month after her break-up with Ben, Courtney was dating Emily Maynard’s ex, Arie Luyendyk Jr., but their relationship fizzled after a few months. Courtney is still modeling and living in Los Angeles.

(Photos: ABC, Twitter)