With Andy Baldwin, The Bachelor got a twofer: he's an Officer and a Gentleman. But that's not all, folks! In addition to being a naval officer and “gentleman,” he's also a doctor, Ironman Triathlete, and “humanitarian,” per his official website.

ABC made sure that the viewers knew how great Andy was, but in a different turn for the show, the women applying knew as well. Andy's identity was publicized prior to the show, something he did in an attempt to help find the right woman.

He said, "I definitely was skeptical going in, and that's why I really worked with ABC to really shape a virtuous and genuine type experience. I really wanted to bring women in who knew what they were getting and really wanted to get to know me as a person. I went in with an open mind and an open heart, and it was fabulous."

Initially, though, the viewers weren't all as charmed by Andy as the women apparently were. His “hands-on” approach to getting to know the women made for many cringe-worthy moments at home. At times, his handsiness approached full-on skeeze level. He also appeared to some to be a little emotionally needy, as he seemed to become agitated at any rumors of women not being truly “in it” for him.

But many viewers got sucked into the story despite their reservations about Andy, possibly because of the particularly interesting crop of women on the show. There was Stephanie Tipper, who received the first on-the-spot rose of the season, but whose attendant excessive self-confidence seemed to be her undoing. Amber Alchabi was the school teacher whose home visit was marred by her family's refusal to participate in the show. There was Danielle Imwalle, the sweet woman who had lost a boyfriend to an untimely death, a fact which Andy seemed incapable of not bringing up nearly every time they were togther.

And of course, Tessa Horst and Bevin Powers.

At first, who would have thought that Tessa would wind up in the final two at all? She and Andy had an odd start, with her botched attempt at telling a joke about talking muffins. We soon learned this was just her style; she has poise, but she's not afraid to be a little oddball.

As time passed, Tessa started to doubt her decision to appear on the show at all, and often seemed on the verge of taking herself out. The show's drive to push a romantic fantasy clashed with Tessa's style, which seemed to favor a slower, more natural kind of courtship. Tessa possessed a self-assurance which made her unwilling, it seemed, to go along with a charade just for the purposes of the show. If she didn't feel it, she didn't want to fake it.

While Tessa struggled with her ambivalence, Bevin had the opposite problem. In the first episode, where she showed Andy the scars she has from mountain biking, she seemed strong, carefree, and perhaps a little more complex of a person than we usual are shown with The Bachelor women. As episodes progressed, it was clear she was a woman who felt things deeply and took those feelings seriously.

And her feelings for Andy became very strong very fast. She had difficulty seeing Andy interact with the other women, and frustration over her ankle injury, sustained during the women's boot camp. Eventually though, she seemed to come out of this period of insecurity, and towards the end, seemed to relax, and appeared to decide to enjoy the experience, no matter what the outcome.

Andy struggled between the “electricity” he repeatedly told us he felt with Bevin and his strong feelings for Tessa. After each woman visited his hometown, he made his choice. He sent home a broken-hearted Bevin and proposed to Tessa, and started what has been a long-running debate here on BuddyTV from fans who are thrilled with the couple and others who think he made the absolute wrong call.

Since then, as we all know, he and Tessa have ended their engagement, but continued to date. He was also recently spotted being friendly with Miss Iran, but as we've mentioned, we all know from his time on The Bachelor, Andy is a pretty physically affectionate guy, so it's hard to know what exactly is going on.

One thing is for sure: the fans who watched Andy's season will no doubt continue to have strong opinions about any future updates from the couple. Will next season's Brad Womack capture the imagination of the audience in the same way? We'll find out next week!


'The Bachelor' Rewind: Season 9
'The Bachelorette' Rewind: Season 3


- Leslie Seaton, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of ABC)