'Bachelor' Travis Stork and Sarah Stone in hiding, breakup rumored

Travis Stork and Sarah Stone weren't talking to the media on the day after ABC's The Bachelor: Paris finale aired on Monday night, prompting speculation -- and at least one local television report -- that although the pre-taped finale had ended with the Nashville neighbors professing how perfect they were for each other, the couple's romantic relationship might already be over.


According to the couple's local The Tennessean newspaper, rather than making themselves available for the usual round of post-finale media appearances and interviews, the couple has imposed a "gag order" on both themselves and their family and friends, with Travis spending Tuesday working at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Unmentioned by the paper was the fact that while Travis' behavior may be unusual compared to that previous The Bachelor stars, it is not inconsistent with his approach to the show's pre-premiere publicity.

Travis had also opted to largely abstain from participating in the round of promotional media appearances that traditionally proceed each new The Bachelor edition, citing the fact that since he had already missed so much time during the show's filming, he didn't want to further inconvenience his co-workers and the hospital in which he is currently completing his emergency room residency.

Vanderbilt Medical Center confirmed that Travis isn't planning to take any more extended leaves between now and when his residency completes in July. "It's business as usual," hospital spokesman John Howser told The Tennessean on Tuesday.

The Bachelor: Paris couple Travis Stork and Sarah Stone in already happier times??? See more The Bachelor: Paris finale pictures in our The Bachelor: Paris finale photo gallery (photo credit ABC/Craig Sjodin.)

However in a potentially more ominous development, family and friends that had been freely talking to the media for weeks have also reportedly suddenly become tight lipped, with one of Sarah's friends citing an ABC request that an ABC spokesperson later told The Tennessean they didn't request as the reason for her newfound silence.

"I've been asked to not say anymore on behalf of ABC," Suzy Swift, a friend of Sarah's who has also been serving as one of her spokeswomen of late, told the newspaper on Tuesday.

But ABC later denied that it had made the request, telling The Tennessean that now that the show is over, the publicity and management of The Bachelor: Paris couple has been turned over to The Bachelor's Telepictures Productions and Next Entertainment production companies.

According to Laura Mandel, a Telepictures Productions spokeswoman, The Bachelor: Paris couple themselves are behind the atypical post-finale media blackout. "Sarah and Travis have requested to spend some time together alone this week," Mandel told The Tennessean. "We are respecting their request."

Given the absence of any official public appearances or statements, the local Nashville media is reporting conflicting stories about the status the Travis and Sarah's relationship, with The Tennessean reporting that although "other media suggested otherwise," WKRN-TV, Nashville's local ABC affiliate, reported that "the couple has split" on its Tuesday 4:30PM newscast.