Almost Over

From www.examiner.com:

The rumors about Bachelorette winner Ed Swiderski have been flying around since Bethany Steffen and Lindsey Johnson spilled their sides of the story to US Weekly last week.

What was reported:

Both girls say they were in a relationship with Swiderski, communicating with him during and after filming.

They also say they both saw Ed when he left the show to "return to work" and both slept with him, unaware of the other girl.

Johnson says she slept with Swiderski a week after he proposed to Jillian Harris and was engaged.

Steffen told US Weekly she received a provocative text from Swiderski, also after he was engaged. The text read, "Bring beer and condoms!"

Now, reporters have talked to contestants Wes Hayden, Michael Stagliano and Reid Rosenthal to get their collective take on Ed.

"Dave [Good] and I both remember Ed saying he had a girlfriend," says Hayden. "But we are not the kind who are going to run our mouths." Hayden sparked controversy on the show when he was accused of having a girlfriend by Jake Pavelka. The country singer denies that there was any truth to these rumors and says he was a victim to the show's editing.

According to Rosenthal, many of the guys in the house simply thought Swiderski was bad news and "didn't care to hang out with him." He also revealed to US Weekly that he still has feelings for Jillian.

Stagliano agreed. "There was definitely something, I can't put my finger on it, where I did think, I'm not going to be best friends with this guy. Ed's a shady character." Hayden said something similar in a recent interview with Reality Steve.

Although the show's contestants were prohibited from using cellphones and laptops during filming, Swiderski swung a deal with producers that allowed him to keep his laptop to stay in touch with his boss. Contestant Jesse Kovacs confirmed that Ed had computer privileges "because it was imperative for him to have access for work."

While "working," Swiderski reportedly kept in touch with girlfriend Lindsey Johnson back home, telling her Jillian Harris wasn't his type.

How is Jillian Harris dealing with the accusations? Harris told reporters she was "in the loop like you would not believe" about Swiderski's relationship with ex-girlfriends Johnson and Steffen.

"Of course he's had exes," Harris defends. "I'm very aware of that. I think there were definitely some feelings there when he left for the show ... and that's human nature and I understand that.

"I am not affected by this at all," she says. "We really plan on trying to get out of the limelight and trying to get on with our lives. It's been a hard couple of days but ... it only made us stronger and it's only made us communicate with each other more. We're doing fine."

The couple seems to be coping well with the rumors; they have been seen together in Las Vegas, appearing to be very much in love.

www.examiner.com