“Bachelor” Ben Flajnik Engaged to Courtney, But It’s Complicated
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ABC/NICK RAY(NEW YORK) — Courtney Robertson didn’t make many friends on The Bachelor, but she still got what she wanted Monday night on the 16th-season finale of the ABC series: an engagement ring from 29-year-old California winemaker Ben Flajnik.
Ben popped the question to the 28-year-old model in Switzerland after breaking the heart of the other co-finalist, 27-year-old business development manager Lindzi Cox.
Alas, Ben’s romance with Courtney is a complicated one. Though they remain a couple, the two revealed on the After the Final Rose special that they broke off their engagement after taping the competition.
During a conversation with host Chris Harrison on After the Final Rose, Ben said there was a long period of time when he and Courtney did not speak to one another due to the “negative energy” surrounding their relationship.
Ben cited her cold treatment of the other contestants over the course of the season, the extent of which he says he did not realize until he watched the show on TV. Yes, he’d been warned by several bachelorettes about Courtney’s behavior, but he said they never cited specific examples of her acting hurtful towards them.
Courtney, who was tearful at times during the special, said she felt abandoned by Ben, noting that he didn’t send her any gifts on Valentine’s Day. She said she currently doesn’t have complete trust in him.
Speaking of trust, Ben adamantly denied reports that he cheated on Courtney, claiming that the women he allegedly wooed in San Francisco a few weeks ago were friends of his. He said the ubiquitous photos of Courtney trying on wedding dresses, taken late last month, were just her way of having some fun with the media.
So where do Ben and Courtney currently stand with one another? Well, they hardly acted like they were completely committed to one another, but Ben insisted that they’re still engaged. To prove his point, he slipped the engagement ring back onto Courtney’s finger.
The two-hour finale that preceded the After the Final Rose special documented the events that led to Ben’s proposal.
Ben, Courtney and Lindzi were in Switzerland, where the previous Bachelor episode was also set. After meeting with Ben’s mother and sister and receiving their approval, Courtney and Lindzi both had one-on-one dates with him on the mountainside.
Ben ultimately chose to eliminate Lindzi, telling her, “I’m in love with someone else.”
That someone else was, of course, Courtney, to whom he proposed. He said, “I promised myself I wouldn’t get down on one knee again unless I was certain it was forever. And I want to tell you that … you are my forever.”
Ben was still carrying the scars from the 2011 season of The Bachelorette, when he was rejected in the finale by Ashley Hebert. Ashley and her fiancé, J.P. Rosenbaum, appeared on Monday’s After the Final Rose special, saying they are currently planning their wedding. Harrison offered to officiate the ceremony, and Ashley was amenable to the idea.
The next season of The Bachelorette, with single mom and former Bachelor star Emily Maynard in the title role, debuts May 14 on ABC.
Bachelor Pad returns later this year.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio