Trista and Ryan Emerge as Media Stars

By Stephen M. Silverman

Friday February 21, 2003 11:00 AM EST

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Good news for Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter: they're famous. But some disappointing news, too: Their ratings weren't spectacular.

The hot couple, who shared their marriage proposal on national TV Wednesday night when she picked him on ABC's "The Bachelorette," made their media rounds on Thursday. Turn on a talk show and they were there.

As for their ratings, Trista and Ryan's engagement was seen by 20.4 million viewers -- down 21 percent from last November's "The Bachelor" finale, despite higher ratings throughout this latest show's run.

One factor is believed to be FOX's unstoppable "American Idol," which drew nearly 20 million viewers in the same Wednesday timeslot.

Speaking to the reporters at a press conference Thursday, Rehn, 30, explained why she picked Sutter, 28, a pensive firefighter from Vail, Colo., over financial analyst Charlie Maher.

"There was an unspoken chemistry that Ryan and I had that told me he was the one. We complement each other very nicely," she said.

Even so, "I like to think of my relationship as being a relationship, and not just a relationship on television, even though that's how you guys see it," Trista told the group, according to the Associated Press.

And those ratings? "I didn't expect (the show) to be quite so big," Sutter, sensitive as ever, explained to reporters. As for why the program grabbed viewers' interest to begin with, he cited "real people with real feelings and real emotions."

Meanwhile, back at his firehouse, Sutter's colleagues -- who were kept in the dark over his being Trista's choice until they saw it on TV along with the rest of the county -- admitted to being stunned by his newfound status as a media star.

"Not too much throws us for a loop, and I guarantee you that we're all sitting here with our mouths open," Capt. Jim Spell tells AP. "We're thrilled that Ryan's happy."