Ahhh...they said it wouldn't last. They were right. Bachelor" Breakup You Can't Avoid by Lia Haberman Feb 5, 2003, 2:00 PM PT Surprise, surprise. Bachelor Aaron Buerge and Helene Eksterowicz have broken up. That's the not so good news. The bad news is the former sweethearts, like any couple on the rebound, will be rehashing the collapse of their relationship over and over again. Only, these would-be lovebirds get to share their dating woes in a very public way. The pair, who supposedly still keep in touch by email, will discuss their failed romance on TV's Extra this weekend and then again February 20 during an ABC special. Details of the Alphabet net's production were still vague according to reps. Meanwhile, People magazine will be publishing a splashy feature in their next issue detailing the couple's romantic demise, which apparently occurred before New Year's Eve. That would explain why Buerge was a no-show in New Jersey for Eksterowicz's 28th birthday last week. According to a People excerpt released today, "There has not been any dagger throwing," said Buerge, adding that both he and Eksterowicz had stayed faithful during their courtship (gee, that must have been a tough couple of months). The 28-year-old Missouri banker proposed to the 27-year-old New Jersey school psychologist in the second season finale of ABC's hit reality show minutes after he ditched potential missus Brooke, who was considered the odds-on favorite. Close to 26 million hopeless romantics tuned in. That's a second strikeout for Buerge, who popped the question to another gal-pal a couple of years ago but got cold feet before walking down the aisle. Kind of a pattern, don't you think? News of the current breakup came earlier this year as each of the injured parties confessed their rebound status to the press. "This is very difficult for me right now," Eksterowicz told Mark Coleman of In Touch magazine in January, adding, "I don't really want to talk about this in any detail. I mean, it's not as if the world's ended. I'll be okay." For his part, Buerge blabbed to local paper, the Springfield News Leader, saying "I'll be relieved to have the status of the relationship out there, sure. I have nothing bad to say about her, and I don't want different accounts of my story turning into rumors. Do it one time on national TV, and everybody will know it's cut and dry, and what was said and what wasn't said." Does this mean Eksterowicz has returned the ring that Buerge bought (despite ABC's offers to pay for the rock)? That will be revealed during the ABC special, according to a spokeswoman. Meanwhile, the Bachelorette spinoff series is also causing some buzz (and not just because lovelorn Greg Todtman was busted for drugs this week). Charlie Maher, one of the three finalists competing for Trista Rehn's attention, was caught riding in a car with the physical therapist. With the Bachelorette narrowing the race down to her two favorite suitors tonight on ABC, everyone is staying mum on who ends up with Rehn, but Maher told the Associated Press Radio that he's ready to settle down with someone just like Rehn, saying, "I've always been attracted to petite blondes. Obviously, Trista fits that mold very well. She's a very beautiful woman--even more beautiful in person."
