Maybe hoping people will actually watch the Bachelor this year, ABC is running around telling anyone who will listen that this bachelor really DID find true love!

Andy Baldwin is not your average “Bachelor.”

The 30-year-old Navy doctor has really truly found the love of his life on the ABC reality show, which unspools its 10th cycle on April 2 after “Dancing With the Stars.”

“I came out with an amazing woman and I’m totally in love,” Baldwin declared during a conference call with reporters yesterday.

And he really seemed to mean it.

Unlike many of his predecessors, Baldwin, who grew up in Lancaster, Pa., didn’t go into the show on a lark.

“Andy came into this with real sincerity and that’s something that we haven’t had from all of our bachelors, unfortunately,” said executive producer Mike Fleiss.

Indeed, “The Bachelor” has seemed more Grimm’s fairy tale than Cinderella story, except for the camera-hungry bachelorettes who come off like ugly stepsisters. So far three couples remain together, according to Fleiss: Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter (who actually made their love connection on “The Bachelorette”), Charlie O’Connell and Sarah Brice, and Byron Velvick and Mary Delgado. But last year’s “Bachelor” with the so-called Prince Lorenzo Borghese seemed particularly manufactured.

MORE BS AFTER THE JUMP!

“Andy’s a real guy who’s accomplished real things on his own in his life,” said Fleiss adding “so many of our other bachelors were the product of their father’s largess and given something or inherited something.”

Baldwin does come with an impressive resume. A Navy lieutenant, he’s stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where he’s an undersea medical officer for a special operations dive unit. He earned an ROTC scholarship at Duke University where he was an All-American swimmer. He was named ESPN’s National Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1995 and remains an avid triathalete. He went to medical school at UC San Francisco and now raises money for pancreatic cancer research in honor of a beloved uncle who died of the disease. He volunteers to treat uninsured patients in Honolulu, and he recently traveled to Laos to minister to underprivileged villagers.

Since “The Bachelor” wrapped last week, Baldwin will only be able to spend limited time with his new love.

“We fly them to undisclosed locations and at undisclosed times to get them together,” said Fleiss.

“And I think it’s really crucial that that happen,” said Baldwin.

They can also talk on the phone, said Fleiss, adding that the same option has been available to previous bachelors, although many declined to take advantage of it. The 25 women who vied for Baldwin’s affection, including two New Yorkers, will be revealed next week. And viewers will find out who stole Baldwin’s heart on the May 21 finale.

And while he seems aware of the show’s image as a cheesy prime-time dating service where women degrade themselves for maximum exposure, he’s also able to see the up-side.

“I definitely was skeptical,” he admitted. “But where do people find the love of their life? What are the odds of finding it in a nightclub or bar? It’s basically a professional screening process. I’m totally in love right now and I’m a believer.”

Source

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 21st, 2007 at 7:54 pm and is filed under ABC, TV News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.