Bachelor Aaron Buerge and his final rose recipient, Helene Eksterowicz, have gotten back together.
But don't send that wedding gift just yet.
The formerly winsome twosome, who split shortly after Buerge popped the question on the second season finale of the hit ABC show in fall 2002, have teamed up again to make a few bucks by hawking their 2.78-carat diamond engagement ring on eBay.
The Harry Winston sparkler, valued at $29,000, went on sale Feb. 9 with the minimum bid set at a bargain $17,500. By the time the auction ended Thursday at 5:02 p.m. PT, there were 52 bids, with the ring ultimately going for $28,300. (Not bad considering there were exactly zero bids as of Thursday morning.)
"It's a joint business venture," Eksterowicz told the New York Post Wednesday. "Aaron contacted me on a personal note in December, via email, and I emailed him back and said, 'Can't we just settle this and work out an agreement out of court?'"
So the exes decided to auction off the rock to the highest bidder. To sweeten the pot, Buerge, a 29-year-old Missouri banker and restaurateur, and Eksterowicz, a 28-year-old New Jersey school psychologist, also threw in a few self-promoting bonus gifts.
(Cue the ooohs and ahhhs).
Along with the diamond, the winning bidder will score a meet-and-greet with the former sweethearts in New York City and take home T-shirts and shot glasses from Trolley's Grille, Buerge's Missouri-based restaurant.
But that's not all. The auction winner will also receive an autographed copy of Nobody's Perfect: What To Do When You've Fallen for a Jerk But You Want To Make It Work, an advice book cowritten by Eksterowicz and with her former Bachelor rival Gwen Gioia, that hits book stores later this month.
After being "swept off her feet" by Buerge in The Bachelor's second season and succumbing to the classic knee-bend proposal watched by more than 25.9 million viewers, the dark-haired beauty was eventually dumped--at a Starbucks--just before New Year's 2003.
Not that their romance was heating up. Before the big finale aired, the two were contractually obliged not to appear together for months to maintain secrecy.
After calling it off, Buerge--who bought the ring himself after rejecting ABC's offer to pick up the tab--told his betrothed she could keep the ring as long as she didn't sell it.
But Eksterowicz wasn't exactly keen on keeping the token of their failed romance in a safety deposit box.
"I'm not going to wear it, and I don't want it around," she told the Post "It's an awfully pretty ring, and it's just to waste right now."
Not wanting to look like a bunch of money-grubbers, the exes agreed that a portion of the winning bid go to charity.
"I'm giving my portion to the school I work in for an audio library," Eksterowicz said.
As Helene and Aaron put the kibosh on their tube romance, Us Weekly says that another Bachelor duo, Andrew Firestone and Jennifer Schefft, are back together. The two had uncoupled in December, but have reportedly been getting reacquainted over the past few weeks.
Meanwhile, the fifth installment of The Bachelor, featuring pro football quarterback Jesse Palmer, will begin its run in April.
Speaking of sexy singles, it's down to the final two suitors on ABC's The Bachelorette. On Wednesday, Meredith Phillips gave roses to Matthew and Ian. She makes her decision next week.
Let's hope it works out better than the Buerge-Eksterowicz hookup. If not, there's always eBay.