People: Dec. 2, 2002

A PERMANENT ENGAGEMENT?

Mere weeks before proposing to the ostensible love of his life, Aaron Buerge was sticking his tongue into the mouths of half a dozen other women. In real life, this would make him a cad. But it wasn't real life--it was reality TV. The titular hero of ABC's The Bachelor, Buerge, 28, a banker from Springfield, Mo., was the potential trophy husband for the 25 women who signed up to compete for an engagement ring. Each week he gamely narrowed the field, risking chapped lips and a sprained tongue as he squired the women to various restaurants and...

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