From PEOPLE Magazine
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Nevertheless, like Michel, 32 (an aspiring TV host who has yet to pop the question to his chosen one, Amanda Marsh), Buerge found late summer's L.A. taping of The Bachelor, which premiered Sept. 25, no piece of wedding cake. "It's emotionally draining," he says of the eight-week series, in which he had to whittle 25 alluring contenders down to one potential wife. "It takes a tenacious person to juggle five women at the same time." But through candlelit dinners, intimate dips in the pool and fantasy dates, Buerge persevered in his quest for a mate. "He's very serious about it," says longtime pal Melissa Close, 29, a pharmacist. "He wants to find The One."
It's a wonder he's still looking. A pilot, pianist and water-skier, "Aaron is smart, talented, charismatic, good-looking and well-off," says co-executive producer Lisa Levenson. And "when he is done," says host Chris Harrison, "he's out of here."
That means back to Springfield, where he runs the local branch of a family-owned group of banks. Buerge didn't even watch the first Bachelor—but the tellers he works with were addicted. "They were like, 'Hey Aaron, we're going to nominate you!' I was like, 'Whatever.'"
Growing up in Joplin, Mo., with two younger brothers, Buerge, a star athlete at Joplin High, didn't play the field: "If I had a girlfriend, it was usually a steady." In late 1997, while in Italy studying for an M.B.A. in international finance from Clemson University, he had a four-month romance with a Moroccan woman who'd speak to him only in Italian. "It forced me to learn the language," he says. Back in the U.S. he became engaged to a dental hygienist in Tulsa, but after three years together they called it quits earlier this year. "We were miserable," he says. "I understand that a relationship is work, but it's also supposed to be fun."
"He just hasn't found the right person," says his friend Close. Which means, says Buerge, a smart, career-driven woman who will fit into his "high-profile lifestyle." That includes opening a new Springfield restaurant and sports bar this month: "If they are not goal-oriented, they are not going to understand why I am the way I am."
Which is why he was drawn only to like-minded bachelorettes. "This process has been amazing," he says. "I never thought I could grow so close to somebody in such a short time." So can we expect a ring? Sworn to secrecy until the show's November finale, Buerge smiles and says, "I'm really glad it worked out the way it did."
Susan Horsburgh
Cynthia Wang in Los Angeles
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- Cynthia Wang.
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